Newsletter - February, 2009

The Least of These My Brethren

Febuary, 2009

Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." Matt. 25:40

Published by the Society of the Good Shepherd, P. O. Box 122, Amberson, PA 17210. (717) 349-7033

The January Meeting
Twice a year we have the great privilege to have with us in Siguatepeque two or more members of the Society of the Good Shepherd from the United States. In January, like always, we were so glad to see our beloved brother and sister, David and Deborah Bercot, who joined us in the semi-annual meeting of the loan beneficiaries of Siguatepeque.

In this meeting on January 24, we had a fine group of brothers and sisters. We opened with a fervent time of prayer. The beneficiaries divided into groups of three to five brothers or sisters and they were able to share their personal prayer requests and pray for each other. It was also a time to pray for the ministry of the Good Shepherd in the United States as well as in Hon-duras. We also praised God for those who dedicate their time and effort to head this ministry, as well as for all of those brothers and sisters that joyfully give of their money so that this ministry can be of great blessing to so many people.

Brother José Alfredo Laínez shared an interesting and helpful lesson about finances and about how God wants us to handle our businesses. José Alfredo was once a loan recipient him-self. He recently was appointed to serve as one of the directors of the Society in Honduras. He reminded us that God wants to see us grow in all aspects of our lives, including our businesses. However, we need to put the Kingdom of God first and always seek His will in all of our projects—regardless of their being small or big. When we began having these semi-annual meetings with the beneficiaries about eight years ago, the tone of the meetings was rather somber. Our loan beneficiaries didn’t particularly look forward to attending them. Over the years, the local directors have learned that we can ac-complish more through the meetings if the beneficiaries find them joyful and uplifting. So now the meetings feature not only prayer and serious counsel, but also singing, group games, re-freshments, and lots of time for fellowship with one another.

As a group game for this most recent meeting, brother Dixy Barahona prepared an “ob-stacle course” that each person had to complete. It featured throwing a Frisbee through a hoop, kicking a soccer ball into a goal, throwing a ring onto a peg, and many other things. Four groups competed; the first two places won special prizes and the last two got consolation gifts. Every-body enjoyed this time of wholesome recreation, and there was a lot of laughter. Later we had the participation of brother David Bercot, where he gave out laminated newsletters to those persons who had been featured in various issues of the Good Shepherd new-sletter over the past six months. Afterwards, brother Luis Vega handed out Certificates of Com-pletion to two brothers who had finished paying off their loans.

Like always, the meetings ended with the highly anticipated “Tienda Deborah” (Debo-rah’s Store), the name everyone has given to the final feature of each meeting. Sister Deborah has had this ministry for many years of bringing down various items from the United States. Each time the loan beneficiaries make payments on their loans, they are given a certain amount of “Good Shepherd Dollars.” At “Deborah’s Store,” the beneficiaries can spend the Good Shepherd Dollars they have accumulated over the previous six months. In short, the meeting was a time of great fellowship, learning, and blessing! Nancy Barahona

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