Newsletter - July, 2016
| July, 2016 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 |
In less than two weeks, Deborah and I will be flying back to Honduras for our regular semi-annual visit. As we are getting ready for this trip, the two of us have been reflecting on our last trip to Honduras in February of this year. Presently, the Society has ministries operating in two different towns in Honduras: Siguatepeque and La Paz. Last year marked the 15th anniversary of our work in Siguatepeque. This year marks the 10th anniversary of our work in La Paz. When Deborah and I were in Honduras in February, we were able to celebrate this 10th anniversary in La Paz with our brothers and sisters there. In anticipation of the celebration of this anniversary, I had prepared in advance a Bible quiz to play as a game with everyone. A young sister who had come down from Indiana to work at the nursing home project in Siguatepeque had brought with her a suitcase full of inexpensive items she had purchased at the Dollar Store. Deborah and I realized that these would make suitable prizes to give to persons correctly answering the quiz questions. The items this sister had purchased included crayons, health and grooming items, low-cost toys and kitchen items, boxes of colored pencils—and a pack of inexpensive toothbrushes. At the meeting in La Paz, everyone sat in a circle during the Bible quiz. I went around the circle and gave each person the first opportunity to answer a particular Bible question. If that person didn’t know the answer, then anyone else could answer the question and receive the prize. As I went around the circle with various quiz questions, I finally called on an elderly sister, whom I’ll call Maria. Maria is not one of our loan beneficiaries, but she was at the meeting that day as a visitor. The Bible question I asked her was: “Name one of the uncles of Judah.” She thought for a while, but couldn’t come up with an answer. I went around the room, but everyone else shook their heads. Eventually, a visiting pastor gave the correct answer—Esau. The prize was the pack of toothbrushes. This pastor had already won a premium, so he decided to give the toothbrushes to Maria. The game continued on, and later there were refreshments and then various speakers. After the meeting was over, we all sat around and visited. Within a few minutes, Maria came over to where Luis Vega and I were sitting. She was still holding the toothbrushes, and she had tears in her eyes. My first thought was that perhaps she was disappointed in her meager prize and was going to ask if she could exchange it for something better. She spoke to both of us, and Luis translated for me. It turned out that she had broken her toothbrush a month earlier. However, she had no money with which to buy another toothbrush. So she had gone a whole month without being able to brush her teeth. She had been praying to God to supply her with a toothbrush. And now her prayer had been answered—with a whole pack of toothbrushes! I was speechless. Of course, I was very happy for her, and I was excited to know that God had providentially used us to supply her need. But it was sobering to think that a toothbrush could mean so much to someone. We take so many things for granted here in the United States, most of us have little idea of what real poverty is. None of us have the resources to eliminate poverty around the world, but we each have the ability to share our goods with those in need. Those of you who support the ministry of the Society of the Good Shepherd are doing that very thing. 100% of the funds you give go directly to the work in Honduras. Thank you for your support and prayers.
The Society of the Good Shepherd, P. O. Box 122, Amberson, PA 17210 • (717) 349-7033
Click on the following link if you would care to make a donation to the work in Honduras: Donations
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