A delivery of food is often times the first step to opening a relationship with a family in need. Church volunteers do much more than just provide food to struggling families, they extend help and hope beyond what is visible.
On a warm afternoon in June, two small children sit enjoying some applesauce. The snack came from a Food Pak delivered that morning. Sitting around a small table, Araceli converses in broken Spanish with a volunteer from the local church.
Araceli is one of many immigrants from Michoacán, Mexico who have settled in Fillmore, California. Like others in her community, Araceli speaks Tarasco, a dialect spoken by the people of Michoacán. Tarasco is classified as a language isolate, unrelated to any other known languages, including Spanish. Because of this, Araceli has difficulty communicating with anyone outside of her small community.
Communication is even difficult with her own children. Attending school in the US for several years, Araceli’s two teenage daughters speak English and have little interest in speaking their mother’s native dialect. Because of this, Araceli has lost a lot of her authority over her children, simply because they cannot communicate. Her three-year-old son and her two-year-old granddaughter speak Tarasco, but both will be learning English when they begin school in a few years.
Prior to the pandemic, Araceli was invited to a women’s Bible study at Sembradores Church. Through this relationship with her local church and the home deliveries of food, Araceli has heard the gospel message and made a declaration of faith.
Recognizing the need in Fillmore for someone who speaks Tarasco, Pastor José Luis Paz of Sembradores Church has made it his mission to identify someone in the community who will be able to bridge the communication gap between the church and the Tarascan community in Fillmore.
We thank God for the church partners who continue to go above and beyond to meet the needs of the suffering in their community and we thank you for partnering with us to make a difference.
