Poor or Just Broke!

Last week we were able to drive up to Ensenada to have lunch with my niece and her son! It was amazing to have a good running vehicle to be able to have cash to put gas in and know that we would be able to spend time as a family! Finally Jennifer and Kainoa would be able to meet their cousin Jose and their uncle Paulino! 

We have spent the last year living in poverty learning to understand what those that we minister to feel like! How they struggle and how they have to make choices to feed their kids or have electricity! They work in the fields so the only fruits or vegetables on their tables are those they are picking or tortillas made from corn. Paulino kept saying 2015 bring new things! God is going to grow us and stretch us and it is so true. He has just added monthly supporters to our team and so many more that are praying for us. As the finances grow so do the needs. I just had a highschooler come by and give me the list of things she needs for school and they are so much cheaper in the states. We were just gifted an amazing truck however we need to import it before I can cross the border with it.

 So for now we have to buy things here more expensive and worse quality! But that is part of learning what the locals go through. I can not imagine one of our moms and her husband goes to work in the fields every day and make $10US each, trying to feed themselves and their 3 kids he also does drugs so how do they survive how does she stand by his side and how does she support her children. 

Rain came and went however the effects of rain are a long lasting thing here. It would be great if it rained in the mountains to go into the water system. When it rains here on the strawberries it causes many problems with the fruit itself. This means no crops which means no work which means no money for the local people. Some go to work 3 days out of 7 days and some go just to come back a few hours later. If you are really good you can get contracted to go to the states to pick strawberries there. I know not many people want to break their backs standing over these one foot piles of berries. I tried it for 10 minutes one day when the women's shelter was gleaning and my back was hurting and my hands too. I did not even have half of what the women or kids had! So you can see for someone to be able to leave their family behind for 3 months to go and make minimum wage which one hour is slightly less than what they make in one day! Is it worth it for a child to go without his parent for a few months to be able to survive during the year? Is it worth it to keep both parents together with their family and not be able to buy daily needs. 

I would like to say I have no idea! All we can do is pray and encourage each family or person God puts in our path. Helping them with what ever God has given us!