Newsletter - April, 2008
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April, 2008 Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." Matt. 25:40 Published by the Society of the Good Shepherd, P. O. Box 122, Amberson, PA 17210. (717) 349-7033 |
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For this reason, it is very gratifying to listen to stories like that of sister Bertilia Martínez. Although she became an orphan as a teenager, she has not become one of the “terrible statistics.” In fact, her life has been a blessing to those around her. This is her story:
Bertilia was eight years old when her mother died. Her older brother became her main daytime caregiver. But, sadly, he died when Bertilia was only 14. It looked like her situation couldn’t get much worse, but then her father also died two years later—when she was 16 years old. After going through so much hardship in her life, Bertilia then had no choice but to move from San Pedro Sula to Siguatepeque, where some relatives took her in and gave her all the help she needed.
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When she was 26 years old, sister Bertilia, full of joy, got married to a young man who serves the Lord, like her. Now “Tila” (as she is called), together with her husband and her three daughters, attend a church called Centro Familiar Cristiano (Christian Family Center).
To help lighten the financial load of her home, for many years Tila has taken in college students who come from other places. At first, she took in these boarders into the rented house where she and her family lived. But five years ago, God provided her and her husband with a house of their own, where they began to build three bedrooms in the backyard, for the purpose of renting them to students. However, they were unable to finish these rooms for lack of money.
Last year, when the Society of the Good Shepherd heard about her need, it offered to help by granting her a loan so she and her husband could finish the remaining work, like laying the floor and fixing the windows.
The bedrooms are now complete, and sister Tila has been faithfully repaying her loan. She is very thankful to God and the Society of the Good Shepherd for the help she has received. She did ask me to share one prayer request: Right now she is having some health problems, and so is her husband. He works with heavy machinery and trucks, and he has sometimes had to miss work because of high blood pressure. Thank you for your prayers. Nancy Barahona
Click on the following link if you would care to make a donation to the work in Honduras: Donations
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