Newsletter - September, 2016
| September, 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 |
The Society of the Good Shepherd believes that the most effective way of helping the poor is to enable them to help themselves through interest-free small business loans. However, not all of the poor are able to run a business, due to their age or health. In those situations, we remember the words of James: “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble” (James 1:27). And so the Society provides monthly support to a number of widows and others who are unable to support themselves.
One such person is Alba Luz. When Alba was young, she took to heart the words of the Lord: “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come” (Eccl. 12:1). Alba gave her youth and strength to the Lord. She served for most of her adult life as a very effective missionary who worked “behind the scenes” throughout Honduras. She had a great heart for service and would travel to remote areas of Honduras where very few people would even dare to go—to teach, disciple, and bring people to Christ.
When Alba reached middle age, her body finally told her that it was time to slow down. She moved back to her hometown of Siguatepeque, where she continued to serve the Lord in any way she could. Her father gave her a piece of land to build a house. With help from the Society and from various people who knew and loved her, she was able to have a small house built on this land.
Sadly, around this time, the “difficult days” spoken of in Ecclesiastes, came. First, Alba was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Active as she was, this did not slow her down very much. However, a few years after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s, she had a stroke. This weakened her a lot, and as a result her Parkinson’s symptoms became much worse. Alba later had a second stroke that had serious repercussions throughout her body. She has visited many different doctors and has undergone various treatments, but with little to no improvement.
Alba currently is unable to walk, and she can barely speak. Thankfully, her sister, Sarahí, who is also a committed Christian, has moved in with Alba and has become her caretaker. In fact, presently Alba is not able to do anything on her own. Due to the lack of physical movement, she is being greatly affected by sciatic nerve pain. Sometimes she receives treatments that help with the pain. However, she cannot always afford them. Right now, she is mainly living off of the support given her by the Society and from donations from her church.
Alba thanks all of you who have made her monthly support possible.
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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