“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?  Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?  When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?  “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”  Matt. 25:37-40

Pachacutec is a place where the “least” live in deplorable, sandy and dirty conditions – and if we take Matthew 25:40 seriously, Jesus was there before we were.

The team worked hard. They provided new shoes, tested eyes, gave away eyeglasses and built a prefab house for a family who had been living in a shelter smaller than some of our bathrooms. We hugged a bunch and prayed with a bunch whose needs seemed overwhelming.  We also danced on a road with our new friends as our musicians played their guitars.

The greatest experience of all was to see some of these precious

people put their faith in Jesus. I praise God for the 12 who put aside the comforts of home to be among the least.  After all Jesus said “when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!”

Keith Falconer once said, “I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light.” Jim is living this out in his own life even though it is very lonely at times. He presses on selflessly to fulfill God’s call on – and through – his own life. If you would like to send Jim a word of encouragement, let us know, and we will pass your e-mail along to him.

Please also be in prayer as we make plans to return to Southeast Asia, where we’ll be assisting Jim with his ministry. We intend to visit and help Jim’s friend David, an indigenous missionary in the region (We are not publishing David’s last name online for security reasons – it’s not always safe to be a missionary in that part of the world.).  David has planted churches and launched several children’s homes that he operates in Southeast Asia. God is using him and other Christian leaders to rescue orphans and children from human trafficking. Their ministry gives these vulnerable children a home, food to eat, an education, and an opportunity to know Jesus.

If you’re a parent, you know that raising even one child is expensive. One of David’s ideas for financing the children’s homes has been aquaponic fish farming. These allow the homes to produce their own food, sell the additional product for a profit, and teach the children a skill they can use for the rest of their lives. Our goal is to fund the installation of aquaponic fish farms at each of the children’s homes that David started and operates. The cost is approximately $2,000-$2,500 to set up one aquaponic fish farm. It’s a small investment that will bring long term blessings to many precious children. As we look to God to meet this need, please include this need in your prayers. Thank you and God bless you!