World Missions Advance
  • Home
  • About
    • Statement of Faith
    • What We Do
    • Chad Bozarth
    • Susan Bozarth
    • Melody Downey
  • Blog
  • Missionary Directory
  • Associate Missionaries
    • Global Missions >
      • Bryan and Dorie McLemore
      • Comella Nicholes
      • Kayla Cossaboom
      • Makenna McLemore
      • Pam Anderson
      • Willie & Alicia Hernandez (Global Expression)
    • North America >
      • Jim & Tami Essmyer
      • Samuel Sim
    • Caribbean >
      • Curaçao >
        • John and Solange Tranel
      • Jamaica >
        • Jeanette Priestley
    • Central America >
      • El Salvador >
        • Beth Thomson
        • Danny and Gelmarie Montes
        • David Carbajal
        • David & Kathy Knepper
        • Esther’s Heart (El Salvador)
        • Kurt Ackermann & Family
        • Ryan & Melissa Humphrey
    • South America >
      • Brazil >
        • Clayton and Ainne Gonçalves
        • Flavio & Luciana Piassi
      • Colombia >
        • Christopher Loard
    • Europe >
      • Austria >
        • Bill and Ada Wiisanen
        • Cesar and Simone Sotomayor
      • France >
        • Raymond Ontiveros
      • Germany >
        • Gerhard Lewerenz (Refugee Ministry)
      • Poland >
        • Adam and Agnieszka Piątkowski
        • Marek & Marysia Kiewra
        • Michal and Iza Wlodarczyk
        • Piotr Bigus
      • Romania >
        • Samuel Caba
      • Russia >
        • Dana & Tanya Carbone
        • Natalia Schedrivaya
      • Spain >
        • Timothy & Astrid Pitter
    • Africa >
      • Botswana >
        • Jona Pettijohn
      • West Africa >
        • Terry Theall
      • DR Congo and Burundi >
        • Dedani Mwemedi Echasa
      • Nigeria >
        • OASIS Project (Nigeria)
      • Uganda >
        • In Memory of Sheila Wier
    • Asia >
      • India >
        • Christopher Stanley and Salome Bantu
        • Vimal & Hannah Chinnam
      • Philippines >
        • James Dutra
      • Southeast Asia >
        • Sherry (Konczak) & Eric Anderson
    • Oceania >
      • Australia >
        • Tak Siong Lau
    • Inactive Missionaries >
      • Kimberly Hilton
      • Esera & Brittany Tauai
      • Sergio Menjivar
  • Missionary Services
  • Donate
    • World Missions Advance
    • Associate Missionaries
    • Projects/Ministries
    • Donate With Crypto
  • Projects
    • Greater Literacy Foundation
    • Hope Academy
    • Bible School Scholarship Program
    • Cinnamon House Orchard
  • Contact
  • Resources
  • Upcoming Events

My Apology to You by Beth Alegria

5/18/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
When I started this blog it was because I wanted to share our mission and vision with you.  I said I was going to be real with you.  I said that some things would be funny and inspiring and that some things would be about our frustrations.  Lately there have been more frustrations and disappointments than there have been funny and inspiring things to write about.  I generally try to keep a very positive out look and life and since there have been so many frustrating things going on I chose not to share with you.  So with that being said I am making a new commitment to those of you who actually read this, to blog once a week.  Good or bad, you will hopefully get some insight into our lives here in El Salvador.  

What has been weighing heavily on my heart over the last couple of months (the cause of my writer's block) are two comments that were made to me and about me by two separate people who are also in ministry here in El Salvador.  The first comment was that I am producing rice Christians.  I'm guessing the comment meant that our children only come to hear about God because they can get a free meal; that if we didn't give food out they wouldn't be interested in learning about the love of Christ.  The second comment made to me was that all I do is hand out boxes of food to children.  I took offense to both of those comments.  Even though I was offended I took a hard look at our work here.  Is what these two people had said true?  Are we doing enough to teach the love of Christ and help these children stand on their own in their faith...with or without food.  After a long period of praying and some fasting this is what God revealed to me.  First, the words of another person came to mind.  This person is the head of a very large ministry.  It is known around the world and they help millions of children each year.  You may know them, they give out shoe boxes at Christmas time among other great works.  He said to me "We always feed the children before we share Christ's love.  If a child is hungry while you are sharing Christ with them, they are focused on their hunger.  You can tell a Child that God loves them, but if they haven't eaten in 2 days the automatically think 'if God loves me why am I starving?'  Feed them first and then share the word and they are focused on the Word of God and God's love becomes tangible to them."  It made sense to me.  I mean how often have I been in church and my stomach started to growl?  Suddenly I am focused on my hunger and not so much on what the pastor is saying.  Secondly God revealed to me that even Jesus fed people before he preached or shared with them.  So what is wrong with serving these children food?  Nothing.  We give out food to our sponsor children each month so that they can grow and live healthy lives.  So that their infant like faith can see God's love for them first hand.  We give the children who come to our Kids Klass lunch before we send them home.  It may be true that they come more for the food than to hear the word of God it might not be true.  My thinking is whatever the reason they are there is not important.  What is important is that they are there.  They are learning about God and His love for them.  
They are growing both physically and spiritually.  They are connecting with a group other than a gang.  That they are sharing what they have learned with their families.  To minimize what we do is unfair.  To criticize us for taking care of physical needs as well as spiritual needs is not just.  Oscar and I strive to hear God's voice and to be obedient to God.  As long as we keep that as our goal, to me, that's what is most important.


To learn more about Beth and Oscar Alegria, visit their website by clicking here!

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    March 2025
    February 2025
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    December 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    September 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

World Missions Advance
P.O. Box 764408
Dallas, Texas 75376
​972-709-9900

[email protected]
Picture
  • Home
  • About
    • Statement of Faith
    • What We Do
    • Chad Bozarth
    • Susan Bozarth
    • Melody Downey
  • Blog
  • Missionary Directory
  • Associate Missionaries
    • Global Missions >
      • Bryan and Dorie McLemore
      • Comella Nicholes
      • Kayla Cossaboom
      • Makenna McLemore
      • Pam Anderson
      • Willie & Alicia Hernandez (Global Expression)
    • North America >
      • Jim & Tami Essmyer
      • Samuel Sim
    • Caribbean >
      • Curaçao >
        • John and Solange Tranel
      • Jamaica >
        • Jeanette Priestley
    • Central America >
      • El Salvador >
        • Beth Thomson
        • Danny and Gelmarie Montes
        • David Carbajal
        • David & Kathy Knepper
        • Esther’s Heart (El Salvador)
        • Kurt Ackermann & Family
        • Ryan & Melissa Humphrey
    • South America >
      • Brazil >
        • Clayton and Ainne Gonçalves
        • Flavio & Luciana Piassi
      • Colombia >
        • Christopher Loard
    • Europe >
      • Austria >
        • Bill and Ada Wiisanen
        • Cesar and Simone Sotomayor
      • France >
        • Raymond Ontiveros
      • Germany >
        • Gerhard Lewerenz (Refugee Ministry)
      • Poland >
        • Adam and Agnieszka Piątkowski
        • Marek & Marysia Kiewra
        • Michal and Iza Wlodarczyk
        • Piotr Bigus
      • Romania >
        • Samuel Caba
      • Russia >
        • Dana & Tanya Carbone
        • Natalia Schedrivaya
      • Spain >
        • Timothy & Astrid Pitter
    • Africa >
      • Botswana >
        • Jona Pettijohn
      • West Africa >
        • Terry Theall
      • DR Congo and Burundi >
        • Dedani Mwemedi Echasa
      • Nigeria >
        • OASIS Project (Nigeria)
      • Uganda >
        • In Memory of Sheila Wier
    • Asia >
      • India >
        • Christopher Stanley and Salome Bantu
        • Vimal & Hannah Chinnam
      • Philippines >
        • James Dutra
      • Southeast Asia >
        • Sherry (Konczak) & Eric Anderson
    • Oceania >
      • Australia >
        • Tak Siong Lau
    • Inactive Missionaries >
      • Kimberly Hilton
      • Esera & Brittany Tauai
      • Sergio Menjivar
  • Missionary Services
  • Donate
    • World Missions Advance
    • Associate Missionaries
    • Projects/Ministries
    • Donate With Crypto
  • Projects
    • Greater Literacy Foundation
    • Hope Academy
    • Bible School Scholarship Program
    • Cinnamon House Orchard
  • Contact
  • Resources
  • Upcoming Events