Tribal Rescue
Reading Time: 3 Minutes
As a medical missionary, my Daddy, Dr. William Skinner, wore a variety of different “hats.” For several years he was Disaster Relief Coordinator of the Paraguay Baptist Mission and was able to join in rescue efforts as needs arose. Daddy cared deeply about the hungry– both physically and spiritually. This is one of his wonderful stories written down in my mother’s book:
Dying of Starvation
There was another tribe of approximately 500 Indians in a colony requiring a three hour plane ride from Asuncion. They were dying of starvation because the seeds they had planted to provide them food for the following year were rotting under the flood waters, and their hunting grounds were destroyed.
For three days I had waited for the weather to clear enough for the pilot of a small craft to take me with food supplies and vitamins to this tribe. After we had been flying for some time, the pilot said to me, “I’m afraid we are going to have to turn back. The cloud cover is too dense for landing.”
The Power of Sincere Prayer
I prayed, “Lord, if you could divide the Red Sea so the Israelites could cross to escape danger, surely you can open these clouds so we can get through to the starving Indians.” And that is exactly what happened. It was as though someone drew back the curtain and we saw the beautiful sunlight below. Enough food was delivered to this tribe to keep it alive until ox carts could make the trip to the hard top four days away. We gathered the tribe together and gave them encouraging words to help them through this disaster, and then we prayed together. Missions is feeding hungry mouths as well as hungry souls. Many of these Indians we’re Christian brothers.
I Was Hungry
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Matthew 25:34-36 NIV
To read more true stories from my mother’s book, “Adventures in Paraguay,” go to the Home Page, look for “Categories” and click on “FRANCES SKINNER.”
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