When we pray at 7am I almost always ask God to send someone in need to our gate. “Lord, send the sick, the widows and the poor. Just today. Allow me to serve you in this way.” I pray He would prepare my heart and that I would be compassionate and generous.

Most days I work through my planned schedule with no major changes. But some days, like today, God opens the door wide.

Today I met with a man grieving the loss of his son. We prayed together.

I met with a father whose 11-year-old son is riddled with cancer. He’s at a hospital in the city and doesn’t have money to take a bus to visit him. He was hoping I could help him with the cost of travel. It costs $2 each way.

I met with a single mom from another village who needed money paying a debt. We generally don’t give money for debt because we don’t want to create  unhealthy dependency. She owes Q1,750 for her son to go to high school. That’s $225 but you can get a feel for the weight of that by equating it to the local currency of Quetzales. In this case, to you and me, it would feel like $1,750. Does that make sense?

Today I met with a widow who’s diabetic. Her stomach, feet and ankles have swelled up. She’s lost her appetite and is anemic.

“Are you on medication?”

“I don’t have money for medicine.”

“What does it cost?”

“Q5 for 10 pills. I take one a day.”

That’s less than $1 for 10 days.

Later today I’ll be meeting with a single mom who wants to leave her babies with us. I don’t know if she wants to leave the country or commit suicide. Please pray for that meeting.

At 4pm I get to meet with 5 girls who we gave middle school scholarships to. We’re giving them a graduation gift (from their sponsors) and taking photos. This will be a welcome opportunity to celebrate and just breathe.

And

Today is “Timothy Tuesday”. Once a week, at the end of the day, I take each of our 4 littles to a nearby tienda to buy a snack. Just the two of us. It’s funny how much they look forward to it. It’s a new, fun way to spend intentional time with them.

BREATHE.