Last Friday Maely had some extensive work done on her teeth which required the services of an oral surgeon. She went in early in the morning and wasn't through until late in the afternoon. Fortunately they knocked her out and she doesn't remember a thing other than the fact that all she could eat on Saturday was soup. We talked to her yesterday and although she is excited to be coming up here to spend Christmas and New Years with us, she is really missing her grandmother whom she refers to as Mommy. She sent us a handmade card last week and its clear that her host family is really spending a lot of time teaching her how to speak and write in English. She is an exceptionally smart girl and I believe they have lit a fire within her to learn more. We have been telling her how important it is that she get an education but until recently, she had no interest in school. I think this was because kids her age used to make fun of her deformed foot. After talking to her yesterday, she seems a lot more confident and is now interested in going to school when she returns home. This creates some challenges because there is only one teacher and about 70 school age kids there as of last year. Most don't attend because the one small class room is too crowded. I believe they only teach 1st through 3rd grades so one of the things The King's Storehouse is researching is the possibility of paying a second teacher that can teach the higher grades. We have been told that by the time we pay the teachers salary and their living expenses to live in the remote village, the cost will be about $800 US per month. Her nanny told us that since her surgery she was really starting to blossom into a adventurous pre-teen. She is still a little apprehensive about flying alone from LA to Seattle, but she is one brave little girl and will do just fine.
With her return home fast approaching (two months), Pat and I have spent a lot of time in prayer seeking God's will for her when she goes home. She will be returning to a two room house filled with 12 adults and 6 kids. Her home has no electricity, no running water, no indoor bathroom, no phone and her family is too poor to ever be able to improve their situation. The King's Storehouse will be working with the leaders of the village to install a new water line early next year from the stream high above their village down to a water storage tank in the village. This will allow them sufficient water to wash, cook and shower but will not be enough for irrigation. Although the water is contaminated with bacteria, the filters we provided last year eliminate all the bacteria, parasites and protozoa from their water making it safe for them to use.
In addition to improving the water system, The King's Storehouse will be establishing an Agricultural Coop that will assist the coffee farmers in maintaining their coffee plants until they can produce enough to begin making a profit. It is our intent to provide the farmers with 0% interest loans that they can pay back over time using coffee beans as payment. If it is God's will, we will also buy their crops making it a point to pay a consistently high price regardless of the market so they can maintain their crops. We will then ship the beans to the US and have a coffee company in Washington roast, grind, package and box these coffee for resale. We have started talking to other non-profit organizations interested in doing this as well as a means to fund their missions works in these coffee producing areas. The King's Storehouse will use profits from the sale of the processed coffee to fund more teachers in the village, improve their sanitation system and fund other economic development opportunities that will benefit the entire community.
We are awaiting a quote from a well known reputable coffee retailer here in Washington for the roasting, grinding and packaging. We will be traveling to the village early next year to present this proposal to the farmers and evaluate their potential capacity. When all this comes together, we still have to make arrangements to transport 5,000 to 10,000 pounds of green coffee beans to the US but if this is Gods' will, HE has already made all the arrangements, we just have to connect the dots!
When I look back over the events of the last year and see all that God has done to get Maely to America for surgery, I am amazed and humbled to have witnessed it. The interesting thing is, Maely's Miracle is still unfolding and the end of her story has yet to be written. Isn't it like our Awesome God, that HE would take this lonely, crippled, little girl who was shunned by her mother and her village.....and not only heal her, but also because of her, bring clean water, educational and economic opportunities to her village. Only God can write a story like that!
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