Jobs in both the construction sector (where Shoshana’s husband worked) and the fields (where Shoshana worked) slowed down when it was raining, so neither Shoshana nor her husband had been able to find work that day. And with no work, there was no money. “I was so helpless, and I felt so bad, because I wished I had something at home, [so that] by selling those things I could at least take my son to the doctor,” Shoshana recalled. She couldn’t bear to sit idle while Simeon suffered. But with no financial reserves to draw from and no way to earn extra money, her options for helping her son were severely limited.
Living Hand to Mouth
Sadly, Shoshana and her family’s plight is not unique. For many day laborers in Africa and Asia, a day’s work is all that stands between their family and hunger. If the laborers’ work ebbs during certain seasons—in Shoshana’s area, the rainy months—or if they’re simply unable to find an employer for the day, laborers and their families must go without food or other basic necessities until they find their next job.
Forced to live hand to mouth, the idea of a financial reserve is often an unattainable dream for these families. The World Bank reports that, on average, 44 percent of adults in low- and middle-income economies would not be able to access extra funds if they needed to cover an unexpected expense. This means that any extra needs, such as doctor bills or school fees, often overtax a family’s already-struggling finances, forcing families to either go into debt or go without.
In Shoshana’s case, her lack of financial reserve meant she couldn’t afford a doctor for Simeon. She tried to borrow the money she needed from a friend, but her friend had no extra funds to lend her.
...pastors are in tune with the needs of their communities, enabling them to help in context-specific ways.
With no other options, Shoshana and her husband did the one thing they could still do: They took Simeon to their church for prayer. “We explained the problem to the [GFA pastor],” Shoshana said. “Then he immediately prayed for my son, and then the Lord healed my son through the prayer. … Our trust, our faith in the Lord became more strong and firm by experiencing God’s healing, even though we didn’t have money that day.”
The Root of the Problem
While they were thankful for Simeon’s miraculous healing, deeper, further-reaching needs continued to plague Shoshana and her family. Even on the days when she and her husband could find work, the wages were hardly enough for their family to scrape by. If Shoshana worked a full day in the fields, she could make somewhere between four and five dollars. But often, she could only work part-time, fitting field work in after household duties, such as preparing meals and getting Simeon ready for school. On those days, her wages could be as low as $1.50.
“Every expense we have to manage with that little income that we get,” Shoshana said. “I have my son, who goes to school, and he’s a third grader. I have to spend money for his education, his fees and his school uniforms. Then we also have our own expenses—our clothes, our food and everything. If anybody falls sick, like [if] my son gets sick, I have to take him to the doctor, and for that I have to spend money. And when I get sick, then it’s all the more difficult because I cannot go for work. I cannot make money. And if we don’t make money, it’s difficult to manage [our] family.”
Knowing that her family needed more financial stability, Shoshana decided to try raising goats. If she could build a herd, she would have goats to sell when she needed to meet an unexpected financial need. Shoshana and her husband couldn’t afford to buy goats of their own, however, so Shoshana took part in a local system in which she borrowed a young goat to raise and breed.
Under this system, the goat continued to belong to its owner, but if the animal bore enough goat kids within the time Shoshana was caring for it, she would be able to keep one or more of the offspring for herself. In this way, she hoped to grow a herd of her own simply for the cost of her labor.
Shoshana worked hard at this endeavor, but sadly, it did not pay off. The goat she borrowed didn’t bear as many kids as she’d hoped, and she was left with no return for her labor. “I was kind of fed up that, though I tried, I could not have any income from the goats,” Shoshana said. She needed a better solution.
A Gift to Lift Her Up
Then one day, Shoshana’s pastor called. He had a better solution. The church wanted to give her a goat, and all she had to do was come pick it up.
“I was totally surprised by it,” Shoshana remembered, “because there was nothing like this in my mind, that the church would give me a goat for my family’s financial growth. … I was so happy.”
The goat might have been a surprise for Shoshana, but income-generating gifts such as these are a normal part of GFA pastors’ ministry to their communities in Africa and Asia. Annually, GFA pastors help approximately 150,000 families break the cycle of poverty, often through gifts such as Shoshana’s goat. These pastors are in tune with the needs of their communities, enabling them to help in context-specific ways.
In Shoshana’s case, a goat was the perfect gift. She already had experience caring for goats, and she could keep her new animal right outside her house—an important provision, since she and her husband didn’t own any land.
“The local [pastor] knows each family well because of regular visits and ministry,” explains GFA pastor Sima, a regional leader of several churches in Shoshana’s area. “Based on family needs and conditions, we decide what animal to give.”
Planning for the Future
The day Shoshana brought her goat home, her financial situation began to change. Now, instead of having no financial reserve to fall back on, she had a goat she could sell if necessary. More than that, she could build her herd and continue investing in her family’s finances over the coming months and years.
“Goats are a source of income for us,” Shoshana explained. “It’s like having money in the bank. When we keep them and take care of them, they grow in number, and the money we get from selling them can be used for emergencies.”
Shoshana’s goat began bearing, supplying her with several goat kids. Knowing that healthy goats reproduce better and bring better prices, Shoshana gathered fresh grass for her herd every day and often supplements their diet with a homemade mash. She built a makeshift shelter to protect them from wild animals and invested time each day in cleaning the shed to maintain a healthy environment.
Her investments have paid off, and she has accrued a herd of six, besides two she donated back to the church so that others could share in the blessing. Her growing herd has given her a new confidence—a confidence that she can meet financial goals and provide for her family.
“I have a plan,” she said. “I don’t have a proper shed for the goats, so I’m planning to build one where I can keep them safe. I’ll do that when I have a few more goats. … I’ll need money when my son’s school readmission starts, so I can sell a goat and meet that need. In case of emergencies—if someone gets sick or I don’t get work—I can sell a goat and take care of my family.”
You Can Help Provide Financial Stability!
Rainy days no longer threaten Shoshana and her family the way they used to. “Having six goats at home provides financial stability,” Shoshana shared. “Though it’s small, I believe the Lord has blessed me. My faith and trust in Him grow every day because He loves and provides for me.”
For many families like Shoshana’s, financial stability—a once unattainable dream—is now becoming a reality. The gift of a goat, a pair of chickens or a sewing machine is often exactly what struggling families in Africa and Asia need to begin their journey out of a hand-to-mouth existence. An income-generating gift can also be the touch of love that assures them God sees them and cares for them. As Shoshana explained, “Having this kind of Christmas gift is not just a financial blessing, but a spiritual one. We’ve experienced God’s love in a tangible way.”
This year, you can help a struggling family understand Christ’s love more deeply. By giving an income-generating gift, you can invest in eternity and help lift a family from poverty, enabling them to say with Shoshana, “You may not know me, but you gave us this goat as a token of your love, because God loves us, and you wanted us to experience His blessing. We’re so grateful to you. We pray that God blesses you and everything you do.”
*Names of people and places may have been changed for privacy and security reasons. Images are GFA stock photos used for representation purposes and are not the actual person/location, unless otherwise noted.
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