Flourish

Whether we've come to terms with it or not, social distancing, face masks, and the word coronavirus cross our lips daily. The difficult mission we're tasked to fulfill -- transforming the lives of orphans and vulnerable children -- has become shockingly more challenging in just a matter of days. We have had to find new ways to serve people who were already hurting and broken.

In order to protect the identity of those who would rather their names and faces not be broadcast in such desperate times, photos will be scarce and names may be changed. Rather than share this woman's name, I'll remark on its meaning: to flourish. Do many of us feel like we're flourishing right now? Vigorously growing in an encouraging environment? Probably not. But we are growing. We're being stretched, possibly further than we knew we could be. And while a virus seems to be at the center of it all, God is too. So this is a story of growth... of flourishing.

We were walking our neighborhood, supplied with the food and charcoal that donors have sacrificed to provide when we happened along her. She was sitting on the ground crying and alone, outside of a home with many children playing in front of her. We approached her and as she saw us coming, she wiped away her tears and attempted to compose herself. She shared with us that all 6 children were hers, but that she was raising them alone. Before businesses closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, she worked as a laborer in a nearby factory. With each day's pay, she bought enough food for 1 meal for her entire family and paid rent. Without this work, they have been evicted. For days, they have been chased away from one rental home to the next. As she shared that they were told they could stay outside of her former home for shelter, she cried out that their lives will never be the same again.
​
No longer able to hide her pain, she confided that she would rather take poison and meet her Maker than watch her children starve in her presence. No words can accurately describe the pain in her eyes as she looked off at her 6 beautiful children.

One Eight Photography

Immediately, we gave her food for the week. Where hope was almost gone, you could see a flicker of light. We stayed and talked about Christ and how He is still the God of miracles (because that's exactly what she said this food was -- a miracle). Before we left to seek out more families to feed, we prayed together. You could sense a revived spirit and hopefulness within her. She knows her children will have food and that she's not alone.

"The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
​Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest
​to send out laborers into his harvest."
​Luke 10:2

Please pray with us that we'll continue to be able to go out into the harvest.
Pray for this woman's family to flourish.
Pray that people will hear her story and be compelled to help their neighbors from across the sea.
​Pray for our staff as we deliver the food being donated.
​
Viruses are contagious, but kindness is contagious, too!

---

$5 feeds a family for a week

---

Donate Now

See More Stories

---