Dear Family,
Rainy
days are good for reading a book and feeling thankful for a roof. So many
people do not have shelter, and this is quite sobering. May we be the type of
people who give financially when we can. I am also blessed to have time for
volunteering at the UGM (Union Gospel Mission) thrift store. I enjoy posting things
for them on Craigslist (https://salem.craigslist.org/search/sss?userpostingid=7915203150#search=2~gallery~0)
. One employee says they get a flurry of calls after I post and then sometimes
things sell. Yay!! So if you are looking for a commercial fried ice cream maker
or rooftop car storage hamburger case for $200. UGM is the place to go. When
you do buy from the thrift store you are helping the men’s mission and Simonka
the women’s shelter.
Tuesday
night middle school was truly worth the trudge through the long rainy driveway.
The youth are delightful and I enjoy watching them grow. Also hearing the interactive
lessons gives me great joy. Bobby brought up the verse about Jesus being the
vine and us being the branches. Bobby went on to explain with stories about our
raspberry vines and how when I prune them – the branches that are pruned wither
up. One student had to point something out with such high brow superior
knowledge, “Uh, Bobby, those aren’t grapes.”
Bobby
asked middle schoolers if they would like to go to the new Mandalorian movie
coming out. I mentioned to a female next to me that I’ll never go to a theater
again. She was surprised. “Why not?” My answer, “I can’t do laundry, play on my
phone, or pause the movie when I need to go to the bathroom” had a strange
effect. She said, “I’m done with you.” This is from someone I like and I
believe she also likes me. Youth, they pull no punches.
The
high school group was full of delightful banter. One student felt chagrined
during the lesson time. “Bobby, that’s harsh”. Bobby said, “You’re an Eagle
Scout, you can handle it.” The student playfully said, “I’m gonna cry.” He did
not cry but it did make some of us chuckle.
I
had the privilege of teaching a smaller group for Sunday morning. The lesson
included Jesus’ parable about the first being last in Matthew 20:25-28. I
mentioned being a good leader meant we would have to let go of something. People
looked at me with question marks. I said, “It starts with a S and ends with
elvish”. One person got it, “Selfish!” the rest mentioned, “Ohhh, that’s not
what I was thinking”. Some people thought we might have to give up shellfish
to be good leaders.
Either
way, one youth did not hesitate (before the lesson) to ask, “Why doesn’t Bobby
come back from the retreat to teach Sunday school? He’s so much better.” Luckily
I have a thick skin – they don’t even know that could be taken as an insult. I
just enjoy them.
May
you also enjoy those you interact with. May
you find strength in our Lord, and may you love simply because you are so very
loved.
Hugs,
Cristy
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