A Fruitful Story: A Lesson In Multiplication

Maxine Perry knew that the $50 would go further in Honduras than in the US. Max and her late husband, Douglas, had lived there in the 1990’s when they founded The Eye Clinic of the Christian Center for Humanitarian Services in Honduras. Max visits frequently and maintains close ties with The Eye Clinic so she knew that children there needed school supplies. She contacted Lorena Rivera, Director of the Good Samaritan Fund at the clinic, and asked her to use the $50 she received as part of the reverse offering made possible by Martha Church’s estate in February 2022, to buy backpacks and school supplies for the poorest children at the local school. But Lorena had a better idea.

Lorena used the money to buy food. She prepared meals – BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, vegetables and salad — and with the help of her husband and adult daughter sold the meals for the equivalent of $4 each. The $50 investment was multiplied to $120. That was enough to buy 39 backpacks filled with school supplies.

But wait – there’s more. There was enough money left to buy hand sanitizer, wipes and more school supplies to give to teachers at the school.

But wait – there’s more. Enough food was left to give free meals to one of the poor families in the area. The young boy (pictured above right) washes car windows to earn a little money for the family (pictured upper left) while their mother cares for younger siblings. And on this day, they all received a hot meal, thanks to a gift from a continent away. And we learned a lesson in how to multiply.

Top two images pictured above: These were meals given to those who could not afford to purchase them. The youth pictured earn very little washing car windows at traffic lights each day. The woman is their mother with younger siblings. They all received a hot meal that day courteous of the Fruitful Story blessing.