Hola my Sisters and Brothers,
This morning around 7 , one of my dearest new sisters. , Antonia,  came up to the Mission. She was accompanied by another sister and good friend,  Trinidad. I automatically assumed they were coming to GET something, beans rice,  medicines. Ten days ago I accompanied her thru the birth of her 1st child and she walked very carefully up the hill, protecting her liitle bundle in a used rebozo tied about her
Slim shoulders. Her first trip out since the. Birth took place and she was tired.
I was wrong about her reason for coming.
This sweet little 16 year old mother had another intention entirely.
She had made the trek a mile plus uphill to bring us her tithe!!
Barely allowing me to say god morning she reached into a small hand sewn seed bag that most traditional mixtec women carry like purses. From it she extracted exactly 43 pesos in small coins (equals now about $3.15 US) She breathlessly counted it out and I cried and prayed over her sacrifice.
It represents a billion dollar victory for her. She started to learn about Yahweh s law of sowing and reaping in January.  At that time my father and pastor was visiting us and upon seeing one day of how we give food staples away that evening he very gently rebuked us. He said that we would never do any lasting good for the poor if we did not teach on giving in a practical way. He saw that we gave away 30 eggs. To each family and asked if we might not try to encourage the people to start by sharing just one egg or one cup of flour or what they receive with a neighbor or someone in need, Frank and I have struggled with asking for offerings/tithes from our people for years because a) they are outwardly the poorest people you’ve evet met apparently having nothing TO give and b) because any other missionary here NEVER teaches on giving kind of causing an unspoken taboo. Those though were really just our excuses for our own pride at not wanting to be seen as TAKING from those “poor people. Sadly,  our pride was holding them back.
But we had a breakthrough and
As soon as he left, we began doing just that, encouraging them to share what they got & backing it up with Gods Word on the subject.
Little Antonia & her unemployed. 15 year old husband Adrian,  began sharing eggs with family and flour with neighbors and today she brought her first tithe into the Storehouse! Along with the coins she brought news that her husband has gained a job! Not in the greenhouses where most underage men must start but miraculously on the packing house floor! Out of the sun of summer and cold of winter. She declared simply,  Hermana! It really works!
I was taken aback and overjoyed for I know that only a person who gets a real personal revelation like she has will always be a cheerful giver…….one willing even to walk over a mile uphill with a handful of God given coins. and a smile on her face………..

*in this foto we are resting on the back stoop and laughing as she is showing me proudly how Yahweh has blessed her with abundant milk,  which is normally a problem for malnourished teen moms……but not for Tonia!  (And it surprises her how the milk overflows and she jokes it is enough to feed even her neighbors children. Tiny little gal that she is,  she is now hilariously well endowed and full of wonder. True belly laughs ensued when she admitted her new gifts “frighten” her young husband.