Give a man a fish and he will eat for the day, teach him to fish and he will eat for a lifetime... I spent over an hour this morning researching online for what scripture reference this was, asked a pastor, asked several friends and no one knew. That's because its not in the bible. It's a Chinese proverb.. Don't you think it belongs in the Word for God? It is very powerful and it is a huge encouragement to me.
My visit to Coffradia was very rewarding. I had kinda fussed at the group before because they all came so late. I waited once for over an hour for them to arrive and explained to them that in the future if they really want people to believe they want help then show up on time. This trip it was amazing. They were waiting on me. It tickled my heart to see them not on time but early and it really made me see how much they want help.
I talked with them and ask if they felt it was successful. It was an overwhelming reaction by all that it was great.
I won't forget the smiles from moms who talked about how nice it was to go outside and pull off tomatoes from their gardens.
In September they were hit with a tropical storm that destroyed a lot of their crops. Some of the seeds I purchased and took there never even growed and they were short on fertilizer that was much needed.
I learned a lot from these families and they do learned a lot from the Lord. They learned He will provide for them.
The ground in Coffradia has no top soil and is mostly sand. The pastor who taught them how to grow the gardens was told by many in Somotillo that gardens would not grow there and he was waisting his time. He pushed on, prayed over the ground and got the families to trust in God for the first time in their lives and in December all most every family had a nice garden to show from their efforts.
During the harvest time, peppers were $20 cents each in the market. Just imagine, could you afford a pepper a day if you only made $1 or $2 a day? I doubt it. You would not bother with that kind of luxury. These families were blessed to eat vegetables with their beans and rice and it didn't cost them an arm and a leg.
You did this.. Those of you who donated to this project brought life to these families and I am representing them when I say thanks to each of you. Those who could not help financially did so with prayer and together we were able to please God and bless so very needy families.
I also asked what went wrong other than the rain. What can we do different going forward and it all comes down to the fertilzers and anti-bug which I didn't account for the first round.
I hope to have a video soon of the families giving of their first fruits to the local church pastor. Remember, the large majority of these families do not go to church. They are seeing Jesus for the first time.
The best garden time starts in May. Some of the families have all ready took seeds and planted their second gardens and the rest are hoping for support to help with the next round.
God has really laid it on my heart about how to correctly bless people. We as missionaries have the right hearts when we give them food, clothes, shoes, etc. but what are we teaching them? To depend on man, that's what we are teaching them. We go and give which is biblical but I think God wants us to disciple them and teach them to work for their food as his word tells us, "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." II Thes. 3:10.
My goal is to help this community learn to help themselves and we are off to a great start. I have discussed with them that they need to put money to the side each month so that when April comes each year they can buy the needed fertilizers but to be honest, it's expensive to them. The much needed fertilizers are costly so it will take more than just saving, it will take God to supernaturally provide extra income for them and a little help from us from time to time.
I have done a cost analysis on how we can all pitch in and help.
Seeds (tomato, cucumber, peppers and carrots) for each family will cost $5.20 per family
Fertilizer, anti-bug killer, vitamins and disinfectant will cost about $16.70 for each family.
I have 36 families so the total cost needed is $788.00.
This is a great time to show God that we are not focused on the economy issues and we are not trusting in the world but we have a much larger purpose in life to fulfill. We are his servants and we will give to others in His name as He gave to us with His son.
I have already made arrangements with the pastor to see that each family gets the materials needed but I must raise the funds to do so. Will you sponsor a family? Maybe it's only for the seeds that's only $5.20 cents. The cost of a coffee at Starbucks...
The total cost for a family is $21.90.
This is a great project to get involved in, it's everlasting. It's a opportunity to feed families. Starving kids who would will not get vegetables any other way.
Can I count of you today to help or at least pray and ask God to provide it through other ways. You have already seen Him do a miracle once in this village already.. Now watch again as we show the entire community and surrounding communities that God can grow food in a dry desert.. He is the creator of Gardens...
My deadline is April 18th. Please consider putting $21 extra dollars in your budget for the next month.
Check out pictures of the second gardens. This family is fighting off bugs using their used dishwater that coats the leaves and makes it hard for the bugs to stay on it makes them slippery.
Together we can change lives for the Kingdom of God.. Will you join me?
Churches, Ministry groups, Sunday School groups; Heres a great project for you to get involved with...
God Bless,
Angie