Raising the White Flag: Emilia’s Story
Our team in Guatemala noticed her right away.
Emilia* stood in the back of the group the very first time our team drove down the dirt road bringing food.
Unable to work due to COVID-19, her family was one of the many in Guatemala that hung a white flag outside their home, signaling their need for food. White flags (made of T-shirts or whatever else can be found) are everywhere in Guatemala. People line the main roads holding them, desperately hoping someone will be able to give them food for their family.
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The first time we met her, Emilia’s skin was pale, and she had a blank, hopeless stare on her face. Her hair was broken from malnutrition, and the shoes on her feet were two sizes too small.
Emilia is 11 years old, the oldest of seven siblings whom she looks after each day while her mom tends to the fields. Emilia’s family lives in a small one-bedroom house with dirt floors and a curtain as the door. They cook over an open fire with wood that Emilia and her siblings chop down.
Life has always been tough for them, but with a pandemic, things got even worse. Emilia hadn’t eaten for days and was no longer bothered by hunger pains. The first time we gave her the bag, her family skipped meals to make it last—afraid we would not return.
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God is faithful.
This year has provided us with a unique opportunity to share the love of Christ in Guatemala.
Someone gifted our team with many audio Bibles in Spanish that we were able to distribute to our older kids who have absolutely loved them. Many struggle to read, so these audio Bibles have been very helpful. We also started meeting to worship and pray at noon—just a great reminder to stop and thank Jesus for His faithfulness in the middle of the day.
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God has provided through you.
In addition to our regular ministry opportunities, with your support we’ve been able to feed 275 families like Emilia’s family—as well as our employees—weekly. That’s above and beyond what we normally do. That has been such an incredible blessing. We’ve been able to build so many more relationships and share who He is because of this. What a gift!
Emilia is the first one to come running when she sees our truck.
The community has shared how much it means that we haven’t forgotten them. We shared that it’s not because of us.
It’s because of Jesus.
*Name changed for protection
Now through December 31, 2020, your gift to Lifesong is matched up to $1,200,000—meaning your impact goes twice as far. And thanks to TMG Foundation and key partners, all of our fundraising and administrative costs are covered, so 100% of your gift to Lifesong goes straight to caring for children in need.