BALASTRO II, FONTANA in Resistencia CHACO Province of Argentina is a lesson in the tragedy of existence. The high level of poverty is terrifying! Life here is a simulacrum of Thomas Hobbes horrific classification: "Brutish, nasty and short". This place in Latin America is described as the "poorest of the poor" in Argentina.
Neglected and forsaken in grovelling poverty, sickness and diseases with over one million children living in uncertainty of one malnourished meal daily without hope, happiness and future, it was an unimaginable, dark and miserable existence. No food, no water, no roads, no electricity, and all the basic needs of life were in complete abeyance with the exception of a field for football! The physiognomy of destitution bedeviling the community is apparent and embarrassingly suffocating. It takes grace to survive daily.
These are the people Pastor Evelyn Joshua and Emmanuel TV Partners of Synagogue Church Of All Nations SCOAN have gone to put smiles on their faces.
If hard times will always reveal true friends Pastor Evelyn Joshua has demonstrated that the greatest gift you can give someone is your time, your attention, your love, your concern, hope and unshakable faith by providing them with basic needs of life to make them to live as true human beings!
Over 500 families living in penury and inhuman conditions benefited from the trailer load of food items, clothing, domestic and educational items worth over 20 millions of Argentina Pesos including cash gifts of $1.5 Pesos for these " wretched of the earth".
The whole community was agog and electrified. The enthusiasm and joy in the people was palpable and beyond description. It was a big miracle, like the mana from heaven for them to see the enormity of life transformative goods brought to them free not by their white counterparts but by a black team of Christians from Nigeria in the African continent!
Fontana is really a backward society where witchcraft, worshiping the dead, and all sorts of occultic practices and idolatry are still very rampant. The society is also battling with the menace of hard drugs among the youth especially and other social afflictions.
With joy, dancing, singing and hilarious happiness, the open football field for the reception was painted red with the best of their traditional honours and courtesies in uncontrollable simultaneous appreciation.
"We have brought for you the gospel of love from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. You must completely surrender your life to Jesus Christ for your joy to be full and have a lasting happiness" Pastor Joshua declared as the throng of enthusiastic villagers envelope her in joyful excitement beholding her in a way reminiscent to Paul and Barnabas at Lystra in their evangelism as extra ordinary beings
"We are one with you. The seed of love planted in us with you by Jesus Christ would remain alive. Your challenges are our challenges and your joy is our joy. To you mothers, my sisters, life is full of challenges. Accept Jesus and bring your children up in the way of God so that you can have joym Please ensure you build in them the fear of God and let them be given sound education and upbringing.This place has become our second home. Let the words of God continue to grow in you and walk in the light of God so that we can continue to rejoice together in Christ Jesus" she further admonished and inspired the people in frenetic jubiliations.
Aduana Solidod Gornama, 37 years old homeless mother of five was specially elated to see the gifts: "This is a miracle. May God continue to bless the woman of God. This will go a long way in our lives to save us from untimely death and hopelessness".
Viviome Piluen Colrol is a jobless housewife with her children and husband living in a sandwiched like ghetto apartment. "Today is the happiest day in my life. This help is coming when all hope is gone. May God continue to be with the woman of God and SCOAN"
To Jorge Aditouio Movoz, a community leader also living from hand to mouth has this to say: "words are inadequate to express our joy in this community to Pastor Evelyn Joshua for these marvelous gifts. We are all overwhelmed to see you from Nigeria, coming here to bless us in this way. We thank God for your love and kindness to us in our abject poverty and miserable existence. May God continue to bless you and your church. This is marvelous to us".
Clearly the mills of God grind slowly but they grind exceedingly fine. This is the legacy and foundation laid down by the God's General, Prophet TBJOSHUA. "By the grace of God we have put our hands on the plow and we can't look back. We are committed to changing lives, changing nations and changing the world for the salvation of souls and a better humanity as the Lord directs us to move" said Evelyn Joshua.
Obviously this is a move of God. A white Pastor in the crowd overwhelmed by the stupendous generosity said quietly: "God is awesome! We used to pray for the black people, it's the black that are now praying for us. Glory be to His Holy name".
Without doubt there will be a better world and humanity if love is allowed to practically lead in human affairs as embedded in SCOAN. Greater things are coming!