Food for a Week!

We look into the eyes of a young, single mother who has only known the harsh reality of poverty. We watch her love on her five small children and do the best she knows how to do. For years we have watched her struggle to provide food for her family on a daily basis. This year, we have provided this single mother the opportunity to work in order to provide for her family. Her work ethics are excellent. Our teachers have helped her find better living conditions with a bathroom, lights, and water. (Her previous home had no bathroom and no water). I can remember when we told her the price to rent the small rooms for her family and her mouth dropped to the floor. She quickly told me that there was no way she could afford the rent. I reassured her that we will help her be able to provide for her family. Last Sunday, I asked her if she had food at her house. She replied, “No”. When I questioned how long she had been without food, her answer was “Only for about a week”. All of her children receive breakfast and lunch at the school, but there was no food for the dinners or the weekend. Needless to say, she left with enough food to last her until pay day. I reassured her that we would teach her how to purchase food on a budget.

Yesterday, one of our workers took this young mother to the store and taught her how to budget her money on a weekly basis. She taught her how to buy enough food to prepare meals for her children.

This young mother told the Grace worker, “Grace Ministries doesn’t tell me to change my life, they SHOW me how to change my life!”

This next week is Spring Break for our teachers and students. Our teachers deserve a break but we always worry about the students who depend on the food at the school. Tomorrow, every family will receive a bag of food to last them for the week.

The cost of food has increased in Guatemala making it even more difficult for the struggling families. This week the families will receive beans, eggs, maseca (flour), oil, noodles, spaghetti sauce, vegetables, oatmeal, incaparina (nutrient drink), jelly, bread, 2 1/2 dozen eggs, chicken nuggets, soup, rice, and milk. This food will sustain them for the next week.

How are we going to pay for the extra food?

Friendship Baptist is having a cake auction! The homemade cakes will be auctioned off and all proceeds will go to buy the food. We purchased all of the food on Friday, and started assembling the bags last night. We bought the food in faith that these cakes will be sold with generous donations!

Some of our youth helped assemble the bags last night. We assembled them “food distribution” style. I walked through the line holding my bag open as the boys filled it with food. Every time I passed one of the boys said “Jesus Loves You!” as he placed the food in the bag. Do you think he has prior experience with food distributions?

Friendship Baptist–We have 160 precious children counting on you!

Here are 2 of the 4 trucks loaded with the food!