Newsletter - November, 2018
| November, 2018 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 |
Mario Barahona is a husband and father of three. He works quite hard for a grain distributor in the town of Siguatepeque. However, what Mario earns from his job is not enough to sustain a family of five. So ten years ago Mario and his wife Rosa opened up a pulperia next to their house! Pulperias in Honduras are neighborhood mini marts. They carry the essentials any household would need—such as milk and eggs—as well as various snack items. Through the years, several other pulperias opened up in the vicinity of Mario’s house. So Mario and Rosa realized that in order for their pulperia to survive, they had to make it stand out from the new stores that had opened up nearby. They asked their church to pray about the situation, and a member of their congregation told them about the microloan ministry of the Society of the Good Shepherd. They applied for an interest-free loan from the Society, and their loan application was approved.
They used their loan to expand the number of items they carry in their store, which has enabled them to compete effectively with the new stores. Many of their neighbors purchase groceries before going to work in the morning, and then they stop by the pulperia for an afternoon snack on their way home. Many school children also purchase snacks on their way home from school. However, even with the increased inventory, Mario and Rosa had not exhausted their entrepreneurial spirit. In most Honduran families, both parents need to work to make ends meet. With most mothers working outside the home, families tend to eat out more often than in years past. Most families can’t afford to eat out in conventional restaurants, but they can afford to eat at small neighborhood “restaurants,” which are often operated out of someone’s house.
Mario and Rosa realized that there were no such neighborhood “restaurants” in their part of town. They were talking about this at supper one evening, when Maria, their 14-year-old daughter, suggested that they start making home-cooked meals and letting people “eat out” at their pulperia. Mario and Rosa thought this was a great idea, and so they put up some tables and chairs outside their pulperia. They are now preparing home-cooked meals every Friday and Saturday evening to sell. Some customers purchase their food “to go,” and others eat right there at the pulperia. Both types of customers typically purchase drinks and snacks to go along with their meals, which has been an added boon for the pulperia. 
Mario told us, “For most of us in Honduras, we feel like we are trapped in a deep pit of poverty that is impossible to climb out of. The Good Shepherd Society has given me and my family a way to climb out of this pit. In addition to the loan, they have also provided us with teaching on budgeting and finances, which has been a great help. This is the first time that anyone has entrusted us with something like this. We intend to prove ourselves faithful in what is little, so that the Lord can entrust us with more in the future. Through the loan to our family, the Good Shepherd Society has not just helped us. It has enabled us to share with others in the community and to give further financial support to our church.”
The Society of the Good Shepherd, P. O. Box 122, Amberson, PA 17210 • (717) 349-7033
Click on the following link if you would care to make a donation to the work in Honduras: Honduras Donations
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