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"..... what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8 NRSV
At Mission Central it is expected that most of what we do is done for folks that we will never meet and the things we donate will go to persons in need and that we will never know how those items were used. The UMCOR kits we put together are sent all around the world to where there is need. The Mission Central kits go domestically to folks that will remain anonymous to us. That is just the way it is and that is the way we are called to serve God and share God's LOVE with our neighbors. We are told in scripture not to do it for our own glory, but for the glory of God. It is not about US.
"Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it......When you help someone out, don't think about how it looks. Just do it - quietly and unobtrusively." Selections from Matthew 6: 1-4 The Message
Because of our humanness and curiosity, when God allows us to get a glimpse of what happens to a kit or donation, we have cause to celebrate and thank God. This past fall, Mission Central sent 1800 cleaning buckets (formerly called flood buckets) to Western New York where there was devastating flooding. Some of the buckets in that shipment were ones that were a part of Mission Central's 5th Anniversary Celebration on Sept. 23. 2007 - buckets that had been decorated by young and old as part of the "flood bucket decorating contest".
Inside those decorated buckets was a card that said:
"Dear Friends,
We are sorry for your situation and we hope you will find the strength to puh on to recovery, knowing that othrs care.
Please accept this flood bucket full of items to use in your clean up effrot. It was provided through UMCOR - the United Methodist Committee on Relief, via Mission Central, located in Mechanicsburg, PA. Each item was donated by someone who cares about your situation.
Recently Mission Central celebrated our 5th anniversary, and as part of our celebration, we had a "flood bucket decorating contest." You are a recipient of one of the special buckets that was decorated in love by the person indicated on the enclosed paper. We would be so delighted to know who received this particular bucket, so will you kindly complete the stamped postcard and mail it back to us.
May God bless you with the assurance of His love and care."
Eleven cards were sent back to Mission Central from Gowanda and Collins, New York.
Here are some of the messages that came back:
"It was greatly appreciated and I will keep the bucket forever. Thank you. May God Bless you richly."
"Thank you for the beautiful disaster relief bucket. With all the gloom around us, the colorful flower bucket brightens our day."
"This care brought tears of joy. The bucket made me happy and God is working in you! God bless you!"
"Thank you. We needed these things to clean up now that our town got flooded! God Bless You!"
"Thank you so very much. May God bless you."
"I take care of an 81 year old man and we can't thank everyone enough for the bucket. Fortunately I was not in need of your help, but this sure helped him out tremendously. Thank you everyone."
"Thank you so much for your donation! Everything came in handy!! And the drawing is wonderful! Thank you. God bless you."
Thank you God for the privilege of being your hands and feet in mission!!
Submitted by Jean Norris |
