Blessings During Times of COVID-19

     It is hard to know where to start. One thing I can say is this, God was fully in control! We started out strong with our back-to-school project and Mi Especial Tesoro. We jumped head first into the eyeglass ministry with the Summers, began preparing for two teams in April, as well as our summer teams, then the whole world came to a screeching halt. We spent a few days unsure how and if we could move forward. We sat at our table with Makko in prayer and asked God to guide us.

     Knowing most Guatemalans live day to day, the country shutting down would be catastrophic. The threat of people dying from starvation was greater than the threat of Covid 19. Our plan was clear. Immediately we began contacting the schools and Pastors we were connected with and asking for the 10 poorest in their communities. We stepped out in faith with no funding and began gathering food. God did not disappoint, the plea was made and people responded immediately. The goal was each bag would represent a Gospel opportunity. The groups quickly changed, for our safety we had to adapt from door to door to groups in Churches or schools and sometimes in the street. We grew from 10 to 60 and sometimes multiple groups per day. We learned to pack a few extras because God always had one or two more in need and in most cases the Pastor was in need and had not included his family.

     It truly has been miraculous that God provided the funds to carry us through this season. People gave when they were limited themselves and in return families were provided with enough food for a week to 10 days. In many cases they had no idea where their next meal was coming from. The gospel was shared and we saw God move. Many prayers were spoken for people who were so broken they could barely speak and it was all they could do to walk through the door of that Church.

     Only God can take all the pieces of this mess and work them together for his glory and bring us out stronger on the other side! God opened doors to homes with a bag of food where he had not been invited in a long time. God connected us with some amazing Pastors who love the Lord and their communities. God put down roots for an amazing ministry and we can not wait to see his plans unfold.

     Had it not been for this Pandemic we would have missed the many blessings that 2020 has brought. The stories we can tell are many. I would love to say I handled it gracefully but that would be a lie. Some days were hard, really hard. On those hard days were some of the biggest blessings and God showing us he was at work even when we could not see it. I would not trade that for anything!

     A verse shared with some of our groups seems so perfect to sum up 2020. Genesis 50:20 You (Satan) meant evil against me, but God meant it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Mike and Sandra Little

Field Directors

BMDMI Guatemala

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