Mexico is closed to BUSES International. Once again, we worked all year going through the proper channels to get the boxes into Mexico with no success. Ministries all along the border are having trouble getting their ministry "stuff" into Mexico. This is now the fourth year in a row that the Mexican border has been uncooperative with our Christmas shoebox project. As much as it saddened us, the decision was made to take the shoebox gifts elsewhere.
We prayed for God to show us what to do and were considering distributing them in several places throughout Ohio. Then Hurricane Ida hit El Salvador on November 7, 2009 and the pleas for help came in from our Friends in Ministry, Don and Terri Triplett. We have done a lot of ministry in El Salvador and BUSES International has two active clinics ministering to the poor and needy in this nation. When we got the news of the destruction, the Holy Spirit confirmed in our hearts, "the shoeboxes must go to El Salvador" to assist those trying to recover from the effects of Hurricane Ida.
As you read on our homepage, BUSES International is going to send a 40-foot shipping container with the shoeboxes and as much non-perishable food we can collect. Both the boxes and the food will be in El Salvador before Christmas. The boxes will be distributed to the thousands of children who are now homeless. The gifts will make a HUGE impact! Spanish is the official language in El Salvador, so the any Spanish items in the boxes will still be effective.
Thank you for serving the Lord by doing so many boxes. None of us knew how God was going to use them. We thought one way, but God had other plans -- to reach out to the needy children traumatize by a violent storm 2,000 miles away. El Salvador is in desperate need of food and basic hygiene items, and they need to hear The Message of a God who loves and cares for them. Through Him, there is hope!
At this time, we are uncertain what our 2010 Shoebox Project will look like. We do know, God willing, it will continue. It is a powerful expression of God's love and however He wants to use this project is OK with us.
Thank you for your participation in this project and for being such a blessing to the children.
Be sure to check out the shoebox inventory information as well as the list of items we are collecting for the shipping container.
