It's Wednesday so off Rod and I went at 6 AM sharp for an hour and forty-five minute drive to North Newton where we spent the day sorting shoes and books for resale as part of the Mennonite Relief Fund. Used clothes, purses, belts, and books are delivered each week to the MCC warehouse from thrift stores around the state. The program provides usable clothes and shoes for the needy on our Southern border. Used books are separated by paper quality, the spines are cut off, and the remaining paper is sold for recycle. I'm not privy to the financials, but a clothes bundle fetches 11 cents a pound and the bundles weigh 1100 lbs. each. Several bundles a month are shipped out. The money earned is used for other purposes designated by the Mennonite Relief Fund. Today there were fifteen adult volunteers, most of whom volunteer each week. In addition, students (@30) from Bethel College came today to put together learning packets which will be sent oversees. In many developing countries, students are turned away from school unless they can provide their own supplies. The Mennonite Relief Fund is a testament to our better angels, and because of a large volunteer work force, ninety-eight percent of the monies made are dispersed in various programs around the world. Many, if not most, young adult Mennonites serve in various capacities. For example, Rod and Karen as a young married couple served in Africa for two years as teachers. Judy served in Columbia, also as a teacher. Unlike other faiths, Mennonites do not proselytize. They simply serve and let their actions speak for themselves. It inspires hope, especially after listening this morning to Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony list, defend her about face concerning President Trump because of his pro-life stance. She described her position as "prudential", saying "Religious people use that term quite a lot because it acknowledges a hierarchy of goods and evils involved in any decision, and your job is to figure out where the highest good is found." Single issue voters frustrate me, and pro-lifers especially because they profess to value life, but provide no protections for those lives after birth. From birth on, it's up by the bootstraps baby. And quite conveniently, they can ignore the value of other lives, such as those imprisoned on our border. And they would denounce current protests as riots while supporting the bombing of abortion clinics and the murder of doctors willing to perform abortions. I'm not a little non-plussed by these inconsistencies. But enough of that. Back to the good hearts of the Mennonites. They provide, I think, an example we should all emulate: service for the good of all. It's their efforts that help make life good, especially today.
Selfie of the day.
Falson photo of the day: Ready for the farm.
No comments:
Post a Comment