Sometimes we can find ourselves going through the motions of working in the Lord’s vineyard, serving His people, and at times the needs and problems people come to us with can get overwhelming. And then something happens to shake us up and show us a different perspective.
This recently happened when the brother of Ramona (she helps oversee our ministries in Juarez) was diagnosed with a malignant tumor that covered 80% of his intestines. He required immediate surgery, and he needed blood transfusions. He lives in Juarez and was unable to afford proper medical care, so her family pooled resources and took him to a private hospital there.
When people from The Lord’s Food Bank heard about this crisis, they sprang into action. These are very poor people who sometimes go a few days without food, and they have no money to give, but many of them volunteered to donate blood. And indeed, gave so much blood that Ramona said, “I think they re-stocked the whole blood bank.”
Another team organized to go and clean the brother’s house. He lives alone and had accumulated a lot of stuff that spilled out everywhere. Having gotten weaker and weaker from the cancer, he had not been able to clean for many months, so the place was a mess. Our folks jumped right in and got to work, spending the day sifting and sorting through piles, throwing stuff out, and doing a thorough cleaning. This way when he got released from the hospital, he would have a clean house to come home to.
We were so moved by their outpouring of love and the willingness to help in whatever way they could. Scripture tells us to “Bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2) and we saw this put into action in a very beautiful way.