God to the rescue again.

Is it going to be too late for Nanci and her little boys?
The daycare/preschool**Femorza is it going to be too late?
I am afraid it might.

Let me go back a little ways and share what recently happened with Nanci and her best friend and neighbor Belki.
They both have two little boys Nanci’s are a bit older 3 and 4 and Belki has twins that are less than a year. Neither woman is employed. They live right next to each other and have become the dearest of friends, they work together to haul water, wash laundry try to make a few limps. They will watch one another’s children while the other one does the chores. But they are just not making it.
Belki moved to Mololoa this past summer and there were several guys on the wall crew who helped to move her stuff! It consisted of a baby bed and few odds and ends not enough for much except to make a grown man cry.
She didn’t know anyone. Nanci moved in practically the same day and a true friendship was formed. Someone left a bit of money and we were able to purchase them some food and water barrels for them at the end of July.

We have also purchased some food for them with a food pantry fund that we use to have, (unfortunately we are out of money) but Belki is having trouble nursing the twins (a lot of it is she does not get enough nutrition and liquids) so we have had to buy milk for the little guys.
The last time they ask we gave them some things but told them that we had no more money. I will always hate the feeling of helplessness that I have sometimes over here. You never get use to it, you can not build up any defense against it, and it just slaps you upside the heart and leaves you with such a deep sadness.
Well I was contacted by a wonderful couple who shall remain nameless at this time because I am not sure if they want anyone to know who they are. So they said that they wanted to help Nanci and Belki and what could we do. To tell you the truth I was a little surprised.

I get a million heartfelt teary eyed promises at the end of the summer. And I truly believe that at the time people really mean what they say. But as time goes on and they are not in the emotions of the day, when they do not see the faces, talk to the mothers, pull children out of dumpsters, watch 8 years olds with no fine motor skills chop a piece of paper to pieces. When you don’t see the rain running in their houses, when you are not holding the sweet baby that is burning up with fever and gasping for breath as their little chest rattles with congestion. When you don’t see the barefoot children in dirty clothes eating at the kitchen like it was the first and last meal that they would ever have it is hard to remember. I know I use to plan on doing so many things and then life would just take over again.

But this couple emailed, I emailed back and pretty soon we had talked a bit and they email to tell me they had sent some money to help. I was so excited, the check came in the mail and I cashed it. Well I had a meeting the next day and the truck wasn’t running really good so I though okay the day after I will go out. But something kept playing in my mind. The day I had seen Nanci and the boys at church something was not right, she was teary eyed and had a look of desperation on her face. The boys, well they have issues with glue, they are not permitted to use the glue sticks unattended. But this week they were different, they hid under the table eating paper. I don’t meant putting it in their mouths and chewing but literally eating paper.
Well class was very busy and I ask one of the teen helpers to work with the boys. I gave them their snack before they left and I think it was going before they reached to door. Their mom came to pick them up and I
finished with the other children, cleaning up and all of that.

Well that kept running around inside of my head until I got up and decided no matter what today was the day I was getting them food. I consider it a spirit thing that gentle and not so gentle nudging that we get to do something.
I went shopping and was able to stock up on a lot of the basic, buy some extras like spices, laundry soap and luxuries like toilet paper. Bryan and Alora help me.
We were driving out to the mountain and I said, I hope they are home; it’s not like I can call before I drop in or know that they will be there before I drive up.
So who do I see walking up the mountain, Yep Belki the twins, Nanci and her boys. We pull over and load them up, asking if they want a ride home? When we get there they get out and thank me nicely for the ride. That is when I take a moment and start to explain how these people from the states (Nanci immediately began to cry when she heard the lady’s name) had sent this to help them.
Well it was like turning on a faucet the tears were streaming down their cheeks and everyone was trying to talk at once. Nanci said they had nothing. I went into the house and there was nothing not one single thing to eat, not one drop of water in the barrel, NOTHING. She told me how bad her stomach hurt, but she had been giving everything to the boys, she then confessed to me that she had had no hope and could see nothing else to do but give the boys to the state.

Hopelessness; noun
the lack of hope; despair
That is all these women could see. Where were they going to go, how would they feed their children? Living without hope.
So they were amazed and thrilled they thanked God and the couple and even me (I try to explain I am just the delivery person but so often they see me as the one who has brought them this good fortune).

Well today it is not too late for these two families. They have full bellies, smiles and tears. They feel not only physically satisfied, but their hearts beat with a joy knowing they were not forgotten, someone who said they cared and wanted to help did. The were shown love of one another and the love of God by this couple.
But I am still worried, will it be too late?

The work on the daycare is progressing on pace, slow. And with the expense of the wall and the amount of dirt we are not able to build the whole thing yet. We are just trying to get the preschool/daycare section open. Materials are so expensive that we have had to make some hard choices and do what we feel is in the best interest of the children and families first. So while this may not be my “Dream Building” it is what we need.
But I still worry if it will be too late, it is still a couple of months away from completion, I wish I could just hire dozens of people around the clock, buy all the materials, have different people doing different things so that when it was time for windows they would be ready, people could be digging the septic take while others lay block, a regular beehive of activities.
I am worried it will be too late for Nanci, and for others I don’t even know. But Nanci is a mother that might have to give up her children because she can’t go out and get regular work, children who despite their ages I would guess have the fine motor skills of less than a two year old, who need help to prepare for school.
Will Nanci have to give up her boys because I can’t open for another couple of months? Because I haven’t any money for operational cost to start training women to work with children, health test, classes.
Will a mom lose her babies because it was just a little too late? I don’t know and I pray to God that it will not be so. The thought of those sweet little ones who run up and hug my legs and the only thing I can understand is “Melissa, Melissa” not being there, Sent off maybe to a place like Cassitas where they won’t be safe. It is really ripping my heart out, and then I think, how incredible self centered I am, What in the world could their mother be feeling how much more intense the pain, How hopeless and how brave to say I will not let my children starve no matter the pain to myself.
So please pray, I know God has a plan and a timetable. I don’t often know what it is I have not the benefit of peeking into his giant planner.
One step from starvation and then someone threw them a rope and pulled them back. Can that person be you? YES in a second in a heartbeat, there is much to do and much you can do. Do not think to small, every little bit helps. You only have five dollars to send? Okay that will feed a family for a couple of days. We can make it work. There are a hundred people sitting and reading right now saying what difference 5 dollars? So each one pledges 5 a month for a year (one trip to Mac Donald’s) that is $6000.00 a year. That would cover 4 to 5 workers for the daycare for the year. I could start finding, training, and teaching these women how to care for these little treasures. For 5 dollar a month from one hundred people.
It does matter everything you do matters, every time you pray it matters, every pack of kool-aid, every email or comment, every box of food, every dollar sent. It all matters.

One step away from starvation..............Will you help?