The feeling I felt was one of desperation....

 (Rev. Sanchez reports on their second day in Nauta - visiting some villages)

Today we headed down the rivers to visit some pastors that have churches in various villages.  As we traveled we noticed that the river was very high and it had gone way past the shore and started flooding peoples' homes.  People were gathered in little town meetings with great concern for their crops and livelihood.  We could see the concern on their faces and the feeling that I felt was one of desperation.   The government here is working with various community leaders to see what can be done to help the people because many of the crops are already destroyed because of the flooding. We saw children playing in the water while concerned farmers and parents met with officials hoping that some help would come. We went to 3 villages and each one was worse than the one before.

Please pray for these precious people because they are going to need a lot of help in the days to come. The good news is that the pastors we met had hearts full of hope. They are trusting that God will provide and we are trusting God along with them. The more we traveled down the rivers into the villages the more destruction we saw. To tell you the truth it is hard to see needs when you know what can be done and you know what to do but you lack the resources to do it. Sometimes I wish I was a billionaire. I think of all the things that I would do to help relieve the suffering of man. It was hard for me not to cry,I did not want anyone to think that I was feeling sorry for them but I know the look of a mother who does not have the money to feed her child a meal. I know the cry of a baby that is hungry and no one has food to give it.

And as I traveled down the river my prayer was that I never get use to poverty. Poverty makes me sick. I grew up very poor. I know what it is to sleep outside and beg for food. I have experienced going to bed hungry and listening to my mother cry herself to sleep at night. There was nothing I could do to help back then as a little boy but there is something I can do to help people now. World-Wide Lighthouse Missions needs your help.

Help us to feed the hungry and clothe the naked. Maybe you are saying, "I have never heard the sound of a hungry baby or seen a half naked child." But you have -- you have seen and heard them through these reports. We are the hands and the feet of the poor. We are the cries of the babies in the night that have nothing to eat. By helping us you are helping them. Whether in D.R. Congo or in Lima, Peru we need your help to reach out and minister to people in need. I just spoke to Rev. Engman the other day and she was talking about churches that have fallen down in Africa and how we desperately need to help our brothers and sisters
rebuild. There is so much good we can do if we can look past us, even if it is for one minute and see someone else. We could make a difference. I challenge you today to write a check or send an offering to WWLM and say, "Yes Rev. Sanchez I hear you and I am going to rise up and do something to help make a difference in the lives of people around the world."  Don't wait but do it today! As we headed back down the river to go back to our hotel, I did not complain but I began to thank God for all the lives He spared. I thanked Him for the children that still had smiles and for the hope that was in the hearts of the pastors. I thanked God that we saw it so we could share it with you and I began to thank God for all of those that will rise up and make a difference because of it. 

Tomorrow we start the pastors conference. We are excited and we know that God is going to do great things. Thank you in advance for praying and for giving.

God bless you!
Rev. Melvin L. Sanchez