A Place to Lay Their Heads

Elly stands beside his handiwork and this family has a place to sleep.

     Extreme poverty is a part of life here.  We are surrounded by it on many levels and many fronts.  Recently we became aware of a sister in Christ whose already impoverished situation had taken a turn for the worse.  Her husband abandoned her, leaving her with no source of income and 4 children to care for.  That includes twins that are still nursing.  

     Without income she was unable to pay rent and lost her very humble home.  Her church family is helping her in various ways, and she has a roof over her head, but that's about it - a roof, four dirt walls, and a dirt floor.  When we visited her, we were very saddened to see that there was not a single piece of furniture in her home.  All five of them were sleeping on a palate on the dirt floor. It is winter here and it does actually get pretty chilly at night.  

     We couldn't stomach seeing our sister live this way.  Some kind and concerned brethren in America provided funds to buy her a bed.  Given the lack of space, we decided that a bunk bed was the best way to get this family off the ground.  Our brother and expert handyman, Elly Martin agreed to build and deliver the bed. 

     Like many others in the community, this poor sister still faces many hardships.  At least now she and her babies now have a place to lay their heads at night.

     It is such a blessing to be a part of the family of God.  Keep taking care of each other.  Keep loving each other.  Keep being the hands and feet of Jesus.

Some of the Bible studies we had this week.

      Conducting personal Bible studies might be my very favorite part of my job.  Walking an eager student through the Bible's teachings about God's love for them and His will for their lives is a great joy.  People are often willing to stop whatever they are doing and study.  One lady (pictured above left) always receives us eagerly.  On this occasion she was doing her very best to listen and participate while controlling her 3 small children.  No stranger to this struggle myself, we read the situation and made the study brief.  However, eager to learn she still wants us to continue coming to study.