First, we want to thank everyone who has made it possible to do these projects. Our ministry is still in the beginning stages and quite small. Most of our ministry is incorporated into our daily life. But already the relief and hope that these projects have brought to people is immeasurable!
I will spotlight a few of the people that we have cared for and the ones that are continuing to receive assistance.
Baby Shilove was a tiny 7 pound 6 month old when she first came to our attention in October 2022. Her mother is a single parent, working hard to support herself and and her 4 children, all of which are tiny for their age. You can tell they’ve probably never had a day with sufficient food for themselves. A neighbor told us about this family. She said she hears the children crying at night because they’re so hungry. The only food to eat was boiled breadfruit. We enrolled Baby Shilove in the nutrition program and the family to receive a food parcel. Baby Shilove gained weight rapidly with the milk we provided and now weighs over 6 kilograms!
Madeline is another mother we are helping. She kindly took in this baby girl when her mama couldn’t care for her. The baby was very skinny and malnourished and her skin was full of itchy sores, but Madeline has done an amazing job of nursing her back to health. We are helping Madeline with milk and food for the baby. She is so grateful for help and said she loves children and appreciates the help we give.
This is a young mother who loves and cares for her baby. She and her husband came to us a month ago asking for help to buy formula for their baby because she wasn’t producing enough milk to exclusively breastfeed. Mom was also experiencing dizziness and feeling really weak and tired. After talking with them we found out they barely have enough food to survive and that was likely the reason mom couldn’t produce enough milk for her baby. So instead of handing them a can of formula we enrolled them in our food parcel program. Every two weeks we give them a package of nutritious food and vitamins and they bring the baby to be weighed so we can make sure she’s gaining weight. I’m happy to say that mama and baby are both doing so much better. Mom feels good and is producing enough milk to breastfeed the baby and the baby is relaxed and happy and chubbier every time we see her!
Christine is enrolled in the food parcel program we started recently. She is a very poor widow who has two children. One is hired out to live and work for someone and the other one, her 17 year old daughter, lives with her. Last week, my friend Daniella and I went to visit her at her home and we found her very very ill and unable to even walk. We took her to our local hospital where she stayed for three days to get stabilized, then she and her daughter spent the rest of the week at our Bethesda House. Yesterday we took her home along with a food parcel, medicine, and vitamins. We will continue to monitor her condition and take her to follow-up appointments at the hospital. This dear lady loves the Lord and says he is the only reason she is still alive today. Please pray for physical healing for Christine and for strength and courage for her and her daughter as their life is so difficult.
In December, we started cooking and distributing food to the local homeless and to what is referred to as the “crazy people.” We have been cooking twice a week. Normally, it is rice and beans with either a salami and vegetable sauce or a fish and vegetable sauce. Once the food is finished, we divide it into take-out containers, and put each plate in a bag with napkin and spoon. We pray and ask God to lead us to the people who need food that day. It is amazing how God always leads us to the right people. There is group of elderly and handicapped people that live and sleep on the porch of an old house. We always take plates to them and they are so grateful. The crazy people are usually walking in the streets laden with trash or crouching somewhere in a corner. There is the homeless family of 7 living in car, their children sleeping on the sidewalks, and a lady and her toddler living in a tiny shack on the beach that are among the grateful recipients. We want to start having a Bible Study with the group living on the porch.
These are a few of the people and situations we’ve been able to help. We hope to continue. Thank you for making this possible.
Amy Yoder