Helping the Needy

“The work of gathering in the needy, the oppressed, the suffering, the destitute, is the very work which every church that believes the truth for this time should long since have been doing. We are to show the tender sympathy of the Samaritan… feeding the hungry, reaching out to the poor, gathering from God the grace and strength that will enable us to reach to the very depths of human misery and help those who cannot possibly help themselves.”

CME p. 24

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My dear friends, even after 23 years of living here, I still can’t drive through the village without noticing someone in need, and it’s even more apparent when we visit other villages. Just last month, we visited the village of Los Serritos, where people live in extreme poverty. We took clothes, toys, and shoes for the children, but our hearts were broken when we saw Dora, the elderly woman in the photos below, sleeping on a cot that was literally falling apart. The following week, we returned with a brand-new bed, a lovely red mattress, and a warm flowered blanket. Dora watched as we put together her new bed, and she sat on it, mentioning how soft it felt. She finally had a real bed!

We’re grateful that we can help those in need. Our focus has always been on two vulnerable groups: the elderly and children. The words of a hymn that always ring in my mind are: “Let your heart be broken for a world in need: feed the mouths that hunger, soothe the wounds that bleed, give the cup of water and the loaf of bread… Be the hands of Jesus serving in His stead.”