Hoping for Spring!

Today, while millions of people are without power and see no sign of spring, I am certain spring is not far behind.    My jonquils had buds last week when I cleaned out a flower bed and the forsythia has buds.  The camellia tree is bending over with beautiful blooms. 

Many budding trees and plants will be set back with this deep freeze this week.   Here in North Georgia, we are blessed with 25 degrees and sunshine at 4 p.m.  We did not receive snow or freezing rain from this cold front but some of the cold air hit us early this morning.   We are both doing fine but staying home and working on the computer to keep our mission work running smoothly.   

Our workers in Nepal, Laos, and Thailand continue to develop their self-sustainable programs to increase support for themselves in an effort to reduce the amount of funds they need from U.S. supporters.   Ron has been instructing them for two years to begin to research ways to carry on the work without so much dependence on the support from the U.S.    This has a two-fold purpose:   1) the girls will be taught ways to sustain their lives during adult years if jobs are not available to support themselves and 2) be less dependent on us, should we die and not have successors to carry on the support of this mission work in the future.

In Nepal, they are beginning to have bee hives to produce honey for sale, mushroom farming to sell mushrooms, chickens to produce eggs and meat for their own food supply and rice paddies when enough property is available.    In Laos, they are growing beautiful gardens and making concrete fish ponds to produce cat fish for their food supply.   In Thailand, they have gardens and are planting a rice field.    In the Philippines, Ronald has a large vegetable garden and a fruit orchard producing bananas and all kinds of tropical fruits.    

We continue to provide sacks of rice for the poor Christians in the Himalayan mountain villages.  A nurse from California just donated $500 for this group of people.   They have no space to grow their food, travel outside the villages is impossible and there is very few labor jobs for the people to work and make money to support themselves.    With the COVID-19 shutdowns of some areas, there was no work and people were at the point of starvation.  The last group of Christians walked two hours from their village down the mountainside to meet our workers bringing sacks of rice to them.   Vehicles could only drive so far and then a flat bed trailer pulled by a tractor took loads of rice further up the hillside to meet the people walking down the mountain.   Walking back up to the village with a 60 kg bag on rice on your shoulder or head would not be easy but they were very happy to receive the food.   A couple of months ago when the weather started to get really cold, we also distributed blankets to different villages.   Here are some pictures of those gifts being distributed.    As a result of our benevolent work this winter, many have become Christians.  The saying, "Don't tell me what you know until you show me how much you care" teaches the people that we love them and care for their physical needs as well as their souls.   They are grateful for the love and gifts.

The second house construction was completed in the Philippines and we have wonderful house parents now caring for four girls we are supporting.  They have two girls of their own and one is a Christian girl who is a good example for the new girls.   There are other girls waiting to come but have been held up due to court proceedings that must be completed before the girls are allowed to move to our safe house.    We hope three others in the process will get to come soon as they are at risk.  Sometimes, they are roaming the neighborhoods begging for food.  They have no supervision and are often raped and abused by relatives.    

Here is the story of Flor who has been at our safe house for about a month now.    

Flor’s grandmother and the social worker brought her to the safe house and then her grandmother came back two days later and took her back home.  The grandmother thought she would lose five hundred pesos of government support (about US $10.45) per month.  The social worker got involved and made sure the grandmother would continue to receive the five hundred pesos with Flor in our care.  Flor was crying the day her grandmother took her back because she wanted a better life and she was so happy to have an opportunity to live at the safe house with other girls and go to school.  She has suffered all of her life and had no security or happiness.  

Flor is at the safe house and happy again.  When we arrived the second time, she remembered all the names of the other girls in the safe house and the house parents.  They welcomed her with open arms and it was an emotional time for all of them.   Flor’s mother and grandmother have signed a document stating that they will not come take her back home as before. Normally, we would not take in an 8 year old, but let me explain the circumstances.   Flor and her two-year old brother have different fathers but they are nowhere to be found.   Flor’s grandmother who is 67 years old was laid off from her job so they have no income now except for about U.S. $25 government income.   They cannot provide food for the four of them and she will never be able to go to school.   Flor is often left alone and she goes around the neighborhood begging for food.  There was some indication from the social worker that she has been abused by a cousin. 

As young as she is, she dreams of having a better life for herself and her family.  She wants to go to school but having a dysfunctional and poor family, she has no hope for a better future. Now she will go to school and enjoy the life she dreamed about.   Soon she will know the love of God and her life will never be the same again.

Please pray for our girls in all of these locations as they are poor and have no hope without someone helping them.   Their lives will never have any hope of being better without the love of Christians who change circumstances by giving a portion of their riches to help SAS care for them.    

May God continue to bless us with unsearchable riches in Christ Jesus!