In the past months we were gradually working towards making the switch from weekly hot meals for families to a monthly addition to the groceries. For over a year we had been in San Nicolas every Saturday to deliver food and build relationships. What an intense, but also wonderful time it had been. Now it was almost time! But something was still nagging. Although all the lights seemed to be green for this change, I still hadn’t received the confirmation I was waiting for.
Until that first delivery time. On Friday 27 January all the monthly food packages were prepared. We were allowed to deliver those packages to more than twenty families. The intention was actually to go on Saturday, but because we also had frozen chicken we decided on the spot to drive the route on Friday.
Margret[1] lived at the very first address. This single woman has had to endure a lot in her life. She is often out and about helping others and that was also the reason why I did not expect her to be home. I got out of the bus to deliver the package to her front door and suddenly she was standing in front of me. She had come to the sound of the bus and wondered what was going on. I told her that we were delivering the monthly food package for the first time. When I said this, she almost started to cry; “I have no money left and am waiting for my pension,” she said: “I have no food left in the house at all and I did not know what to do anymore. Normally you would come on Saturday and now you are suddenly here today and with so much food. You were sent by God, thank you very much!”
There it was! There was suddenly that confirmation! For her that God sees her, looks after her and for us that we are still on the path that God has for us.
So now we continue with good courage. We get to deliver the packages monthly and that also creates more time to develop new things. Step by step!
[1] Fictitious name.