Are we really in February? I sit here at my computer desk reflecting on the past week and find it hard to believe that February has already begun.
Last week the team visited the homes of a good portion of the children who attend our programs. And some children who are new to our programs. We have grown so much that even visiting homes every day the week isn't enough time to visit them all! Going from house to house is an amazing way to establish contact with the families, see how the really live, learn what they really struggle with, and show them we care.
How I wish I could have gone with the team! Being the director of the ministry is amazing in that the vision for this ministry was given to me from the Lord, birthed in MY heart, and in ME lies the responsibility to see it flow smoothly. However the downfall is that with ¨directorship¨comes a lot of other responsibilities that sometimes keep me off of the front lines. Last week I spent in meetings and doing office work while the outreach team did the visiting.
Still, having met the families in question, the stories they brought back moved me to my core. Doña Carmen is still holding her own despite so many circumstances against her. You may remember her: the mother of 6 whose taxi driver husband was killed by gang members a while ago. One of her children has serious medical problems with his kidneys. Pray with us for healing for him. And pray for provision for that family. Having so many little ones at home keeps Doña Carmen from finding a stable job, something she desperately needs to keep food on the table and clothes on their backs.
Our little grandmother, who sits inside of a relatively nice cinderblock house all day, wants someone to come and teach the Bible to her. She lives on the top of a very steep, muddy slope and rarely ventures out for fear she may just slip and slide right down the mountain! She shares a home with her daughter and her several children. The kitchen is a tiny room with a refrigerator and a table much like one we had when I was young. Plastic yard chairs surround the table and scrape against the dirt floor as you pull them out to sit down. A small camp stove boasting 2 burners sits on a table in the corner. We have visited often at this home. We so need additional workers on our outreach team so that we CAN add home Bible studies to our already overcrowded list of activities.
So many of the families we visited are suffering right now because neither of the parents has a job. Public school fees haven't been paid so many of "our children" will miss the opportunity to study again this year. Join with us in prayer as we ask the Lord for PROVISION for these families.
I recently heard of a pregnant mother who had an addiction to eating dirt! I have been told that this is a sign of severe lack of vitamins in the diet of a pregnant woman, but I don't know if it is true. What I do know to be true is that this mother does not get regular medical treatment, take prenatal vitamins, and eats an unbalanced diet.
As our team walks through winding dirt and gravel paths to reach each of these homes their thoughts turn towards the Lord in gratitude for all that we have and most times take for granted. I have been hungry before, but I have never truly suffered hunger. I have always had a roof over my head and bed to sleep on. Although I may not always have the latest fashion, I have never been naked or without shoes. To visit a one room home of a family of 5 where the only furniture is one bed and a couple of cinder blocks to sit on can really change your perspective on life. Seeing a small child burned by the cooking fire and too poor to buy a salve to put on the burn...well, it does things to your heart.
May you and I live in constant gratitude for the many blessings we have and not in discontent for what we still long for. I'll bet if you look around you as I have this weekend you will realize that all that is truly important is already in your possesion.
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