Watch a video about the people helped by the Tabitha ministry.

It was a privilege to have Carol Bercian present with us on Sunday evening, April 3rd, to speak about the Tabitha Ministry that she founded and directs.  Carol is our Guatemala partnership liaison who handles all of the logistics for our missions trips there.  For many years, Carol also served as the head of children’s ministry for the Guatemala Baptist Convention. 

One of Carol’s great passions in life is serving the Lord by ministering to the needs of those who have been marginalized and rejected by society.  She shared in her testimony that many in her country either don’t know of the existence of those living in or near the dump in Guatemala City or else deliberately ignore the plight of these individuals.  In response to the overwhelming needs there, many years ago Carol founded the Tabitha Ministry.  This ministry provides a safe place for at-risk children who previously were left to accompany their mothers as they rummaged through the refuse and trash in search of food to eat or items to be sold or recycled.  Several were rescued from human trafficking.  These children (about 75 currently) now receive two meals a day plus snacks as well as preparation to begin public school through the early childhood education program that Tabitha supplies. 

In the process of working with these children, Carol became aware of the desperate plight of their mothers.  Many come from a background of drug addiction, multiple forms of abuse, and prostitution.  Carol began a ministry among these women and many have come to Christ as Savior and have followed through with discipleship training.  Though their life situation is still difficult and tenuous, a real transformation is occurring among many of them.  Carol has acquired sewing machines and the ladies are making colorful bags as well as other handicrafts such as carved wooden boxes and beaded jewelry.  This has provided them with a source of income and given them an escape from their former lifestyle.

The benefit concert, the sales of t-shirts, and the auction of donated artwork on April 3rd brought in almost $2500 to help fund the Tabitha Ministry.  Carol expressed her heartfelt thanks to our church for its continuing prayer and financial support for the ministry.