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Newsletter - December, 2006


The Least of These My Brethren

December, 2006

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



The Poorest of the Poor

Honduras
Sra. Concha
This month I want to introduce you to a widow named Concha and her daughter, Conchita. Luis Vega, one of our directors in Honduras, met Señora Concha and her daughter several years ago. However, at the time he knew very little about them—except that Concha was a widow and Conchita (22 yrs. old) had epilepsy.

However, later Conchita began attending church at the Mennonite mission near Siguatepeque. Although he is not a Mennonite himself, Luis serves as a legal and medical coordinator for the Mennonite mission. The mission had asked Luis if he could find a doctor or clinic who could provide Conchita with treatment for her epilepsy. Through this, Luis came to know Conchita and her mother, Concha, quite well.

Honduras
Sra. Concha’s House
Luis was able to find a clinic who would treat Conchita for free. However, she must purchase the prescribed medicine herself, which is quite expensive. Happily, the Mennonite mission has been purchasing the medicine for Conchita.

It looked like everything was going well until Luis visited Concha and Conchita at their house one day. He was taken aback by what he discovered. He found that these two women live in dire poverty, and they barely had any food in their house. So he immediately bought them some groceries and household supplies. He later asked me if we could add these women to our list of widows whom we help to support—which we have done.

Honduras
Conchita
Concha has been a widow for ten years or more. She earns a very small amount of money monthly by taking in laundry or roasting small amounts of coffee beans for her rural neighbors. Because of her epilepsy, Conchita is not able to work at all. These two ladies live for free in a small hut made of bahareque—sticks and mud. The owner lets them live there for free (and even pays them about $10 per month) so that squatters won’t settle on the property and try to acquire free title to it.

Honduras
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The Society of the Good Shepherd is now providing Concha and Conchita with $50 per month in the form of groceries, household supplies, and over-the-counter medicines. We are also hoping to find more suitable living arrangements for them. The clay tile roof is sagging in the middle, and we are quite worried that someday soon one of the roof timbers will give way and the roof will cave in. Because the tiles are quite heavy, such a cave-in would likely kill these two women if they are in the house when that happens. Hopefully, by the time I return to Honduras in early 2007, the brothers there will have been able to find a better house for her to live in.

We thank all of you who have made it possible for the Society of the Good Shepherd to provide monthly necessities to Honduran widows like Concha.


Click on the following link to read our Past Newsletters

Click on the following link if you would care to make a donation to the work in Honduras: Donations

100% of all donations go to the designated work in Honduras. Our overhead and travel expenses are paid through other means.


The most effective way to learn Spanish is the immersion method. Using this method, a person lives for a brief time in a Spanish-speaking country, preferably with a Spanish-speaking family, while studying several hours a day at a Spanish language school. The school we recommend is located in Siguatepeque, Honduras, run by a Christian family with whom we are intimately acquainted. Please visit their site at www.learn-spanish-Honduras.org.