Is there anything cuter? How small, yet how big in their continuation to help a poor family out of the grip of hunger and poverty. Such was the case of Juana Maria Chavez and her husband, Carlos. They struggled to make a living. Then their third child was born with cerebral palsy. Caring for Samara threatened to leave them destitute.
Then she met with a Heifer advisor who helped launch her into an egg production business. Soon she received 65 Chickens. She received training on how to care for them so they would produce eggs of the best quality. She was also trained in the business aspect. At first, she sold eggs to neighbors, then door to door. She sells about 30 eggs daily, and says, “For one thing, we have eggs for our own consumption. I can afford school supplies and keep up with payments for school so my children don’t have to be embarrassed. That feels very good.”
Is there anything cuter? How small, yet how big in their continuation to help a poor family out of the grip of hunger and poverty. Such was the case of Juana Maria Chavez and her husband, Carlos. They struggled to make a living. Then their third child was born with cerebral palsy. Caring for Samara threatened to leave them destitute.
Heifer Update June 3rd
In Psalm 95, Verse 1, we read, O Come, Let us Sing unto the LORD; Let us Make a Joyful Noise to the Rock of our Salvation. Now, some joyful noise.
Let’s review last month’s (May) numbers.
First the Bank Account:
Balance on May 1 – $47.00
Deposits in May – $471.00
Donations in May – $510.00
Balance June 1 – $8.00
Last month’s Basket Collection was $122.00. Thank You!
Donations in May were: 11 Flocks of Chicks, 4 Flocks of Ducks, 3 Flocks of Geese, and 3 Hope Baskets (which includes a Flock of Chicks and 3 Rabbits).
Matching funds provided: 1 Goat, 1 Sheep, 1 Alpaca, 5 Flocks of Chicks, 2 Flocks of Ducks, 1 Flock of Geese, and 1 Hope Basket.
That can potentially provide 297 families the freedom from hunger and poverty while caring for God’s Earth.
Now, a story of a woman named Orn Chanraun.
Orn was a child in Cambodia during the terrorizing rule of the Khmer Rouge, a brutal regime that killed more than 2 million people – including her parents and siblings.
Orn was about 7, she thinks, when she last saw her family. Someone – her parents or siblings – was supposed to pick her up, but no one did. She never saw any of them again. She can’t even remember her parents’ names or how many siblings she had.
Fortunately, Orn had a nanny who kept her safe. Orphans like her were among the regime’s many targets. Today, Orn views her nanny and husband as parents, and her nanny’s daughter as a sister.
Orn, along with her husband, Noeun, have adopted five orphan children who live with them; they are an expression of her gratitude and good fortune. She says “It reminds me of when I was young and I have no parents, and I was happy someone adopted me.”
Toward the end, as the regime was crumbling, authorities marched the people of Orn’s village toward the mountains. For most, it was a march of death. Some were told to jump into a waterfall. Those who refused were shot. Many who jumped drowned. She and her new family were among those who, by some miracle, landed in shallow water and lived.
After that, she recalls, “We lived in the forest. No shelter – just slept under the trees. Sometimes we have rice to eat, sometimes no rice to eat.”
Agriculture is Cambodia’s primary industry. But most farmers lack the tools they need to go beyond living day to day.
At 15, Orn married. They did their best to feed the family, growing rice and vegetables and raising chickens on a small plot of land. Before support from Heifer, there was hardly enough food. Let alone any income. Orn joined a Heifer run self-help group that taught her how to properly care for and raise chickens. Everything changed. The mortality rate of her chickens dropped below 10%, thanks to proper training and education.
Orn now has a steady income to send her children to school and feed them 3 nutritious meals a day. Orn says, “I’m happy because I receive and then I give to others, and they feel happy, like me.”
This Group, this Church are creating stories like this around the world. To God be the Glory. Amen!
