Week in review September 8 2018

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Our outreaches continue in India and Mexico! And on the site, as always, we’re learning the Word. Continue reading for photos from our outreaches this week as well as a recap of all the posts on the site.

The big news from India this week is that we finally were able to get goats for several of the widows in the tribe. We began months ago with a goal to help each family leave the dangerous jobs they had and transition into safe, reliable work. There are so many widows in this tribe because of the dangerous work their husbands were able to find, and most of the women also worked in the dangerous rock construction fields, doing the work that other, higher classed citizens were unwilling to do.

We bought carts for those who wanted to open kiosk-like small businesses, we purchased start-up inventory to sell for all who were willing, umbrellas and small items to sell at the markets and tools for the men who knew stove repair, but weren’t able to offer their services without owning their own tools. See this post for more info.

The last step in our goal to help this tribe have safe ways of making money is to give was pairs of goats for several of the widows. We pray this is a great option for those who can’t spend the 10-16 hours a day in the markets selling because of health or small children. The hope is that with the pairs of goats, they will have milk to drink and sell, and also profit from selling their offspring! Thanks to generous donations, we purchased 3 pairs of goats for three of the widows. There were two other women who we wanted to have goats, but when we went to pick them out, the women were nervous about their ability to care for the goats. One has epilepsy and can’t work at all and is cared for by family members. Please pray with us for ways to best help these women!

In the photo above, you can see the three women and our volunteer praying over them and their new goats. We pray for the goats that they will continue to be strong and healthy and very fertile! Because the Lord put it on our hearts to begin the Adult Literacy Center, we are now renting the church building we meet at and the grounds surrounding it every day instead of once a week. This also means the goats have a safe, fenced in area to graze daily away from theft or injury!

We are continually amazed at how quickly the women are learning to read in our Adult Literacy Center. The progress they’ve made in one month is more than we imagined.

One night of class this week, there was a power outage, but they made it work with flashlights!

Little Joel loved doing what his mom is doing and learning to write!

Each evening of our classes, the kids who come get to learn new arts and crafts too! This is a new thing they’ve been interested in, and we’re so excited to help them! As I explained last week, art and creativity are things kids in abject poverty don’t get to focus on.

It’s the beginning of the month and time to give supplies. Each month we are blessed to be able to give them rice, milk powder, and personal hygiene items. This month, several of the kids showed signs of parasites, so the doctor recommended medicine for all. There are different treatments for kids under 10, so we sorted the kids into groups and administered the medicine. We are so grateful for the amazing relationship we have with the local hospital!

The kids learned about Isaiah 61 and the great exchange the Lord does for each of us. Here, our volunteer showed how He takes ashes and transforms them into beauty by taking a discarded water bottle and turning it into a bouquet of flowers!

We celebrated two birthdays this week! Bhoomi turned 13, and Ammani turned 1!

Ammani isn’t yet interested in the cake, but loved the firework candles!

Here, Bhoomi and her mom are feeding each other her birthday cake! Her mom was widowed, and Bhoomi is the oldest child.

Each week, the kids jump up to recite their memory verses. They are so proud of themselves and jump up before being asked. They even help out the new kids, by promting the next words as they try to remember the new verses.