Brother’s Keeper Dilemma

Every direction we turn we see more needs and more needy people as we walk daily through the mission field. Sometimes we feel our stories are similar with the one in Luke 10 where the man fell among thieves. Satan, the thief who only seeks to harm God’s creation, may use different means in different situations but the end result is the same. People find themselves in desperate situations needing someone to help them. This is our dilemma: how can we find balance between our desires to help the new needs we encounter while not neglecting those we are already helping.

When we hear of families that are struggling to survive it is hard to ignore their crisis. For example, we recently found out about the tragedies that happened in two families who live close to our feeding centers. In one family the husband died of a heart attack in the forest while gathering up wood leaving behind his wife and their nine children. In the same week in another village the husband died leaving behind his wife and their fifteen children. In poverty stricken areas where families already struggle to survive, even with two parents, it is devastating to lose a parent, and especially the father. When we meet such situations we ask ourselves if it is not for such a time as this that God has created us. We cannot look for excuses to ignore them, but solutions to do something for them. Who knows, the little that we can provide might make the difference between life and death for the some of the poor.

We believe we can be diligent for the children that are totally depending on us and still do something for more poor families that are waiting for a Good Samaritan. We shared this with you because these are our brothers and sisters and we want to show them they are not forgotten. We can only plea for them and be ready to do more to help them as God enables us though your involvement.

Alin P.