Martha

Mistaking lust for love,
She surrendered to his will,
Her heart forgotten in the mud,
The faucet of tears continued to spill,

He says that she will not have say,
The child dies, or she will pay,

Tearlessly she faces the threat,
Every sunset brings a costly bet.

Clinging to hope, after all shes lost,
Martha learns, love brings a hefty cost,

Caught in the crossfire of protecting her unborn child and fighting off the greedy drunken men at night, Martha has woken up inside a nightmare that has become her life. Left fatherless, Martha fights to defend herself in this unfair, tyrannical world.

Peeking out of her adobe hut, her mother argues with the drunk, babbling men outside, trying to calm their lustful spirits and protect her daughter, if only just for one more night.  Rocking helplessly on her bamboo mat, Martha clings to her belly as she whispers a faithless prayer to the wind.

You see, as Martha is still single, yet no longer a virgin, she is free game for the village men. A price has been placed on her body, and she can now be helplessly gambled away amongst the male circles.
Not only does Martha have to learn to live life defensively against the raging testosterone that surrounds her, the boy, Isaiahs, who ravaged her innocence, has left her with a second child.  She is in her 3rd trimester, and her belly is starting to show. He has spread a rumor that she need beware, because he is after her life. Threatening to slice her throat as soon as the opportunity prevails, he lurks in the shadows, with machete in hand.

This story remains close to our hearts, as Martha has worked with us for several years. Along with doing chores around the mission, she helps prepare the lunch for the school children. We have also helped her save up enough money to buy a foot-pedaled sewing machine, where she has become the community seamstress of Pinalito.

Our solution would be to get Martha off the mountain until things settle down and her child can be given a chance at life.  At the moment, we are calling different churches in Zacapa to see if anyone would take her in for 5 months.  She is more then willing to work and earn her keep. However, a family willing to take her in, is proving to be yet, another battle.

We need your prayers! As we continue to strive forward and push back the darkness that clings to the zacapa mountain ranges, we are reminded that no battle is won without a battered, bloody history.  Therefore, we are asking you to join the fight and be a prayer warrior in Martha’s life.

Pray for Martha!
Pray for her unborn child and its undetermined destiny.
Pray that a family step up and be willing to accept this challenge.
Above all, pray that Gods will be fulfilled in this situation!