/ “SHE DID WHAT SHE COULD”
Acts 9:36, 39-“Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing the tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them.”
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Many times in life we struggle to find a purpose or something specific of what we should be doing to fulfill a “call” on our life. We look around, we listen to speakers, read books and wonder, “What is my call? What is my purpose?”
We see so many in ministry, or programs and wonder “What about me Lord?” This comes from an inward look at our soul of knowing we are to fulfill something. But What? Where? Unfortunately, with all our looking, searching and waiting we seldom do what we could because we feel it is nothing.
In not doing what we could, we miss out on great ministry moments of showing the love of Christ to those God has placed around us.
One aspect of “doing what we can” is complementing it with prayer for the Lord to manifest Himself to others. Think about it in our own lives. How does God manifest Himself to us? Besides His word He uses other people. He uses small things as well as bigger things.
Though we are saved by the grace of God, His Word is filled with doing good works. Doing what we can to show His love to others. Not for salvation but because of salvation.
In Luke we read about John the Baptist preaching of the fruit of repentance. The question the crowd, soldiers and tax collectors asked. “What can we do?”
John’s answers were to share your clothes, your food, don’t accuse falsely, don’t take bribes, be happy with your pay, do not collect more than what is owed.”
Tabitha did what she could. She made clothes for the widows. She obviously was much loved when we see what the widows say and show To Peter.
We never know what will manifest the love of God to another. Therefore nothing is too small or simple. What could we do today?
Please pray for the purchase of this building to be used as the office and ministry center where we provide afternoon tutoring now, but if we owned we could provide so much more. Cost is $26,000. Please pray for donations or even for a decent loan with a low interest rate.
This is where we live and run the ministry now but the landlord
wants to sell as soon as possible. The location is perfect as most of the families we minister to are close by.
Help us find sponsors for primary, secondary and vocational students. The new school year begins at the end of this month. Any donation is wonderful and will go in the general fund for all students.
PERSONAL SUPPORT CAN BE SENT TO PRAISE TABERNACLE
2235 OCEAN HEIGHTS AVE
EGG HARBOR TWSP NJ 08234
MARK PARR SUPPORT
Thank you & God Bless1
We praise the Lord we received enough funds for all of our families (16) to receive Christmas food baskets and every family member (over 110) to receive a gift bag. Thank you so much!
FAMILY OF THE MONTH
We would like to introduce to you Family#13. Bernadette is pictured on the cover photo. She is part of the testimony in “Doing what we could.” At the time of beginning our work in Rubavu which is a rural area near the Congo border we had someone working with us who not only funded the program but was to run the program. The program began in April of 2016. Unfortunately, we lost the sponsor in July 2016 which put us in a very difficult position.
Les and I with the family moved to the area of Rubavu in January of 2017, however since our support level was so low there was not much we could do financially to help the families. We had become discouraged because all the families had completed the application and interview process, yet there was nothing to give them.
One of the greatest lessons we had learned in the past in working with people who are in poverty is not to build up hopes by promises one cannot keep. Our hearts were heavy at this time since we felt this is what we had done even though it was a surprise in losing the sponsor.
But to our God nothing is a surprise. We committed to prayer in which the Lord reminded us of the most important aspect of our ministry. The spiritual one. What is important is how God manifests Himself to our families, not necessarily what we can do for them. So as we prayed we began by asking God what we could do. The Lord reminded us of a principle He gave us when we first came to Rwanda. Start where you are and use what you have. So in reviewing our families Bernadette came to mind. In completing her application one could see the issues of poverty.
Bernadette with Christmas Mary Claire daughter Les visiting Bernadette and son
Food Basket Jean De Dieu (Jado for short)
Bernadette lives in a two room annex on her father’s land. There is no electricity, they had no mattresses and slept on the dry stalks of beans on the dirt floor. They cook inside when it is raining, they did not have a latrine, only a small whole dug outside. She suffers with a disability in her leg from having TB in the bone and now one leg is shorter than the other. She walks with crutches. She owns one small cooking stove, 2 pots and they cook once a day. However there are days when they cannot cook at all. She would try to work, washing clothes. Sometimes, people would pay her, other times they would give her food.
Bernadette, lost her first two children and husband before the genocide due to illnesses. She now has two children, Mary Claire and Jado. The father is not involved in their life.
When asked to share about some of the struggles in her life she stated, “I have already lost hope. I feel I cannot do anything. Maybe God can help and show me how to help. Before I had the problem of the TB I use to try to sell some things to earn an income.”
In January of 2017 Les and I hired her three days a week to do our laundry. We pay her $4.00 a week which is double the pay of what she would normally earn. She walks a good ways on her crutches to get here and she is so happy to have a job. We make sure she eats breakfast and lunch. In doing what we can I make sure she always gets the best portion.
Once Bernadette began working on a regular basis, having our monthly visits to the house praying for them and asking God to manifest Himself to her and the family hope came. Slowly by slowly God helped us pay for the mutual insurance (health cards) for all the families. With her pay she managed to pay for her daughter’s secondary school fees. Then during the year she asked us to hold her pay so she could save up for a mattress. They now have one they share.
As Bernadette began to have hope, a smile and more determination to work developed. Every once in a while we would give clothes, or send her home with something extra in food. Jado would take all our metal cans to sell by the kilo to earn an extra income. We gave a small portion of funds for Mary Claire to begin a small business to sell vegetables while on school break. We now have a sponsor for her.
We were able to bless this family with a phone which can help Bernadette get other part time jobs. It is difficult to get jobs when you cannot be reached. Because of your generosity we were also able to help them build a proper latrine.
So in one year’s time, this family has gone from despair to hope. Not because of anything grand we did, but because we did what we could. We committed to prayer on their behalf, we visit in their affliction, and we point to the one who can give peace and hope. Please pray with us for continual healing in her leg so she will one day be able to walk without crutches.
We could not do any of these things without you. Thank you for all your love, prayers and financial support.
Les and Yvonne and family