Face to Face Stories: Frugal Mom Stretches Her Resources

We often question how much good we are really doing by sharing a bag of weekly provisions with a family in crisis. Yes—we can sleep a little easier knowing that these families are going to bed with full bellies—but we continue to battle that nagging question, “What happens when the bag runs out?”

Resources are limited, and we want to give as much as possible to those in need, but the sad truth is that there are always more needs than resources. We took heart this week at the resourcefulness of one of the families we visited, who took initiative to make the most out of the little they were given.

Last month, we carried a bag of crisis food provisions to a little family in our Betania program. Salome cares for four young children and lives simply. The bag we brought was a welcome relief during this difficult time of quarantine when few are able to find work. We knew that the bag would last—possibly—for a week’s time, and that we would likely not have the opportunity to leave more until the next month.

We visited the family again this week. Her two oldest children, who are beneficiaries in the Manna 4 Lempira program, are both painfully shy. As we waited and tried to coax them out, we started talking to their mother about the provision bags. Sometimes, we buy red beans, and sometimes, we buy black beans. Salome told us about a delicious black bean soup she had made from the last bag—a soup so delicious, in fact, that she decided to take a chance and plant what was left of her bag of dry black beans.

We stood marveling at the neat rows of healthy bean plants that filled her little garden, having sprouted up since our last visit. Soon, this mother will have a harvest of beans to feed her family for many meals!

It was a wonderful object lesson for us. We can’t do everything—but we can do something. And we can never know the future impact of that something! Even the little that we give, in God’s hands, can be miraculously and wonderfully multiplied. 

Be encouraged! For those who have given one bag of food, or for those who given many during this crisis, know that what you have given is being multiplied. These bags aren’t just a few meals; they are seeds of hope that will produce a rich harvest in the lives of the families we serve.

 - posted by Kim

Donate to the

emergency feeding program here!

Face to Face Stories: The Academic High Achiever

The disciples of Jesus had lived a dream. For three years, they followed Jesus, witnessing miracle after miracle. It was a life they never could have expected. So what did they do when they thought that the door had closed on that future?

Peter, Andrew, James, and John went back and picked up the nets they had dropped to follow Jesus. When Jesus found them in Galilee, he found them doing what they knew how to do—fishing. Fishing was vital work, and honorable work—but we know that God had another occupation in mind for these men.

Many young people in our Manna 4 Lempira programs are living a similar experience during this season of quarantine. Having been empowered, encouraged, and equipped to stay in school they have chased a different dream for their lives—something that may have been outside the realm of possibility for their parents. But with the drastic disruption in the normalcy of life here, including closure of schools and businesses, these youth are going back to what they know. 

Everywhere I look these days, I see corn fields—sprouting green rows of hope pushing up through the broken earth. And in these fields are young men like “Jose”. 

Their work is skilled work. As someone whose gardens never produce more than a few wrinkly tomatoes, I envy the intelligence, experience, and hard work that produces fruitful fields. I’m thankful for their work too, as a consumer dependent on this vital harvest. However, I know that in these fields are young men who, when given the opportunity, also have other affinities that can impact the futures of their communities in other positive ways.

Last year, I stood beside Jose, bursting with pride, as he graduated from high school with top honors. I know the struggle that his family has endured to get this far. Life has not been easy, even without the complications of coronavirus. But in spite of bitter circumstances that made him man of the house at a young age, Jose is a kind, godly, young man with a servant’s heart. He is always smiling his dazzling smile, optimistic and happy. His hands are best suited for skilled work at a keyboard, his keen mind best challenged by rows of computer code. With the impact of coronavirus, his dream to major in Information Technology at the local university died for a season. Instead of typing intricate rows of code, he plants orderly rows of corn.

I stood by Jose’s side recently and listened to him share about his work, blisters on his sun-browned hands and determination in his coffee black eyes. Jose is doing what he must do to provide for his family at this time. With his mother’s stall in the local market closed for 100 days, Jose is working to feed her and his four siblings. Right now, it’s hard to think ahead to a future in information technology. He must think about putting meals on the table.

This situation highlights the vital role of sponsorship in the life of a young person. As the situation with COVID-19 continues to develop—and hopefully wind down—in Honduras, we are here, forming a safety net to ensure that Jose’s dreams don’t die. We will be here as a ministry to continue encouraging Jose and many like him to pursue their dreams. We will continue to supplement their food supply with crisis provisions to encourage Jose and take some of the burden from his young shoulders.

The disciples of Jesus went back to fishing—but not for long. God had plans that nothing could stop for those men to share a message that would change the world. We are no less confident that God has plans to change homes, communities, and Honduras through the lives of young people like Jose. We know that whether God’s plan is for Jose to bless his community through productive fields or through technology, coronavirus can’t stop that plan—and we want to be there to help Jose reach his full potential for his country and for God’s kingdom.

 - posted by Kim

If you'd like to help with the cost of distributing food 

to the struggling families in western Honduras,
here is a link where you can do so:

Click here to donate

Face to Face Stories: The Famous Doña Manuela

When I met Doña Manuela, I didn’t know she was famous. I didn’t know that everyone in (and around) Gracias has grown up craving her delicious bread, made in the huge, white, adobe oven that squats outside her humble home in a village outside of town. After I spent a day in the kitchen with the Doña and began to share my experience, it quickly became clear that she is a household name. Countless people have shared memories of her mouthwatering empanadas or rich tortas.

The reason I arrived at the home of the Doña was not on a quest for the perfect bread, but to share bags of crisis provisions with her family. Her grandchildren live in the home and are beneficiaries of the Manna 4 Lempira program. Early in the pandemic, I had been contacted by the oldest grandchild. There was no food in their home. If Doña Manuela is a locally revered artisan of bread, how did the situation for her family become so needy so fast?

Before COVID-19, her custom had been to bring her famous breads to town for purchase by her shockingly extensive clientele. Now, with a restriction on vulnerable people over 60 leaving their homes as a safeguard against the virus, Doña Manuela can not leave her village to sell. Her son, who typically supplements the income in the home as a taxi driver, is also unable to work due to government restrictions on transportation.

The situation of Doña Manuela and her family during this crisis sheds light on the delicate balance of survival here in Honduras. When conditions are normal, life is hard. It requires a daily commitment to hard work—days spent in the backbreaking labor of kneading breads and baking it in the scorching oven, and then transporting it to town and carrying it through the market to earn a modest income. Most of this income is reinvested in the business and used to feed the family, and not much is left for savings. Barring sickness or disaster, a living is possible—but it is a day to day living. Any disruption in the daily routine is devastating and quickly leads to desperation

Providing crisis relief is crucial in this time as a way of carrying hard-working families through until they are able to resume their normal activities. Doña Manuela and her family will, God willing, arrive on the other side of this pandemic to continue blessing the residents of Gracias with her delicious creations—thanks to the generosity of donors who have provided emergency food provisions for families like hers.

 - posted by Kim Hall