To the villages we go...

Well, as slow moving and overwhelming as it can seem at times, little by little we are getting a system into place and watching God move and confirm.

Duane and Leslie were able to meet with both the mayor of Canilla and the mayor of San Andres within the past week and a half, both who were very grateful for the help and willing to help in anyway they can. They printed out letters saying that we have their permission to go out into the villages and check on the people whose names have been given to us as people in need. The mayor here in Canilla, Daniel, reminded us that there was a census and surveys taken within the past two months to help asess the need in the area. Our friend Cali, a peace corps worker in the municipal building in Canilla, has been a huge part of making this census happen, another reminder of how God places people in exact places at exact moments for reasons. They are still in the process of prioritizing all the needy families into one list, and when they are finished, we have been promised a copy of the list as well.

The San Andres mayor, Samuel, cleared out his busy schedule to meet with us, even volunteering to drive to Canilla to meet with us if we needed him to. While we were surprised by his offering, we started to see a little more clearly his possible desire to get out of San Andres for a little bit as Duane and Leslie waded through the people waiting outside of his office to tell him of all their needs. As Duane and Leslie shared with him our vision, he shared with them that a local San Andres pastor had told him of a vision that God had given him about corn coming to help out with the food problem that we would find ourselves in the midst of. As this was a couple months ago, before we had said anything to anyone outside of our family, we joined with this Christian man in thanking God for another confirmation. He also was willing to help us in anyway that he could, giving us a permission paper to be taken to the villages, and also the promise of a list of more than 4000 women and children that have been listed as "in need" at the moment. While this is overwhelming to even think about, we continue to pray that step by step God will point out to us the people that are really in need during this time.

Craig was able to do follow-up visits with all of the pastors that came to the meeting at the house, and they have also been faithful to present us with lists of their church members that are in need. We currently have almost 125 people recorded as "in need" whether by our own filters through the clinic or through the pastors or other community members. As we know that everyone has different standards of "in need," we created a set of questions where the answers can be placed into a set of criteria to help us better see and prioritize where the needs really are; each of the people on this "in need" list will receive a house visit from trusted pastors and workers within our own ministry where they can see the living conditions, talk with the families, ask them the needed questions, assess physical and spiritual needs, and then pray with them before leaving. Today our friends and workers Tomas and Juan have gone out to the village of El Terrero with a list of a little over 20 people to be visited. We know this is a one-time necessary first step, and are hoping to be able to send people out daily until the lists are completed, and then on as as needed basis as other families' names come to us. From these visits, those that truly appear to be in need will be asked to come to the clinic where we can further assess them, give out food if necessary, and hand them a ticket with which they can deposit the necessary money in the bank and receive their discounted corn.

We believe that God wants to move in the hearts of the people of this area during this time. A few of the villages that have been the hardest hit during this time have held a place of stronghold against God for many years now; while some of the pastors in this area say that this is God's judgment against these villages, we know that, whether that is true or not, this is also a time where God wants to reach out to these people with his love and grace. The prayer of our hearts is that this message of God's grace and love will ring out loud and clear through all that food that is given, house visits that are made, and prayers that are spoken.