Without Clothes and Daily Food

Every morning at 7am we start our work day with a staff meeting. We have 12-14 workers each day come into our gathering room to pray, sing and receive their instruction for the day. Many of our ladies are very shy and do not say much when asked a question but when it is time to pray and sing, they can really belt it out! I love this about them, their relationship with the Lord and honoring Him in worship.

We have been going through the book of James and this morning we looked at james 2:14-24 about Faith and Deeds. We focused on later part of verse 22, "and his faith was made complete by what he did." Pastor Todd challenged each one of us to do something for someone else today and to bless some one with either clothes or food. When our workers were asked if they had someone in mind who they were going to bless, this was hard for them. Their thinking for some, was "I already have so little, what do I have to give?" But the challenged remain and they all came up with a name of their next person to bless. We didn't want to know, God already knew.

Val and I have already many on our list to help, it is just finding the time to meet privately with each family. Last year I visited a woman and gave her a bag of clothing and that night she was robbed. We have a chance of putting people at risk when we give so we have to be so discreet about our helping.

As we sat in the car in the village next to us some children walked by all smiles, dirty, their clothing falling off of them because they are so worn and torn, I said to Val, "it is not even clothes what they need here even with the condition of their clothes that we see but it is food that is the matter of importance." So many die here each year, month and even week due to malnutrition. It is the food, and yet food is so temporary. Yes we will give food, and we will even give clothes but more importantly we will give them a hope. And with that hope there can come change.

"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength." Isa 40:31