Helping Hands

How do you describe the enormity of a project to someone who has never seen it? Numbers? Hours? Materials? Some things only experience can reveal. Can you imagine feeding and clothing approximately 70 children, just you and your family? Can you imagine teaching them all in your home (or on your lawn under a tree since your house won’t hold so many?)

God has given us a wonderful opportunity to lend a helping hand to a faithful missionary couple in just such a situation. I have been very blessed by the many ladies who have volunteered their time to help make it possible for these children to have something to wear to school where they will learn about Christ, and be taught how to walk in His ways.
As I have been thinking about the project and how it relates to Scripture, I have often remembered several phrases from Proverbs 31. Five times in this chapter it mentions her ability to clothe her household with the work of her hands or by her diligence in searching for or making fabrics. It mentions her hands (or arms) at least 7 times. It says she “worketh willingly with her hands”. This is a great quality, for it is a quality of heart, not of ability. Yes, from this chapter we can derive that she was a very capable woman, but what is capability without willingness? It also says in verse twenty: “She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.” Who could be more needy than a child who has never heard of Christ and has no one to tell him? Who could be more needy than that same child who has never even owned a pair of shoes?
These have been some of the things that have impressed me about the ladies that have helped with the Job 31 Project. Their willingness. So many have said to me, “I can’t sew, but I can cut!” or “I can’t cut, but I can put the elastic in.” These ladies will probably never know the impact that they are having by reaching forth their hands to the needy. It may be that none of us will know until heaven. I am very grateful for these helping hands.
Where we stand:
Praise the Lord for the ladies of Lighthouse Baptist Church in Lewistown, MT! I was able to drive over there on Saturday and spend several hours with them. We got the waistbands and hems completed on about 15 pairs of the boys uniform bottoms! The kids also worked on a special project!

This week we have already accomplished much. Three of us got together on Monday night and got as much done as possible in about an hour and a half. Today I was able to put in about 7 hours. My pastor and I were able to do the initial cuts on the fabric for the new children that have arrived! Then in the afternoon I was able to get seven pair of the boys’ bottoms stitched to the point of hemming and adding the casings! Every little bit helps. If you would like to be involved please just let me know!
Please continue to pray that the Lord would provide for the uniform tops, socks and shoes! Please also be praying for the children that the Lord would give them understanding and that they would be saved, and for the missionaries that He would give them strength and wisdom as they work with the children, pastor a church and seek to win the lost of Kenya!