July Mercy Service
The Mercy Meals
initiative begun this year by Orphan Grain Train--Michigan was blessed mightily
with another premier packing event conducted by members of Our Savior Lutheran
Church in Gladwin, Michigan.
In record time , and with enormous spirit and enthusiasm,
these volunteers on July 11 exceeded their goal of
10,000 Meals. The service was wonderfully directed by Josiah
Schultz, Director of Christian Education. During the two-hour packing
event Josiah cooked up one of the Mercy Meals packets so everyone could be
offered a taste.
The food is substantial and delicious. One can
immediately understand how welcomed such simple food is to a desperately hungry
child or a mother distressed to know how to feed her children,
We thoroughly enjoyed the hour they spent with us sharing
the story of Orphan Grain Train's mercy work.
Holy Redeemer, Dryden had previously displayed multiple ribbons of color July 5 when bringing beautiful quilts into God's house to be blessed as gifts to those in need. These are the quilts now delivered to us at Orphan Grain Train. Holy Redeemer's Pastor Evan Veen shared this photo of the result of the loving efforts of their wonderful quilters. We thank them sincerely.
That very same morning, July 28, Rosemary
Hoff and Karen Berner arrived with 81 absolutely
beautiful quilts sewn by those at Trinity Lutheran Church
(Monitor), Bay City. Karen and Rosemary then stayed on through the morning to
share their time and energies along with our regular volunteers.
Receiving all these friends with their gifts made the day
even more lively and cheerful than usual. We are also thankful all these
folks could be with us for our daily morning devotional time too.
Hardly a Tuesday or Thursday (our operational days at Orphan Grain Train--Michigan) passes without Diane Menzel here to provide such valuable and consistent volunteer service. But if that wasn't enough, she so often--virtually every occasion-- accents it with every sort of home-make baked confectionery. She spoils us. Today it was fresh blueberry muffins.
Orphan Grain Train--Michigan's 18th International Shipment
On the afternoon before June 9 we
received a call from New Jersey and a freight desk that our container order had
been was mis-dated and they were scrambling to see if another could be
obtained. Through multiple communications another was found but ETA would
be about 11:00 am instead of 10:00 as we planned. Our volunteer crew had
already been informed, so a subsequent E-mail blast late that afternoon
hopefully updated everyone. O.K.
So the following morning we receive
another call again from New Jersey to inform me the trucker was able to get out
early and ETA was now 10:00 again. Such are the exigencies which can
happen, but this time we had the use of a high-low (forklift) which was
great.
Kids
hustled to help with some of our regulars who all pitched in. Anyway, the
load finally pulled away after another successful job. This cargo has
Riga, Latvia as its destination.
Monday, June 15
Dear friends,
We are happy to announce the shipment arrived safely last night. Thanks to your
efforts the shipment arrived and our community will benefit from your
packages. We thank you and may God bless you for your efforts.
Boghian Ghiorghita
Fundatia de Binefacere a Nevazatorilor din Romania
The Romanian Foundation for the Blind
The picture here show only the final contingent of attendees and delegates at the Michigan District Lutheran Women's Missionary League Convention who volunteered for a servant event to pack Mercy Meals.
On June 26 packing lines were set to mix the rice, soy, vegetables, and nutrient packs for eventually send to those suffering food insecurity.
The great spirit and effort from these wonderful people adds momentum to the newly established Mercy Meals.
Though we have received thermal mats before, the word "plarning" was new to us. Plarning is the craft of transforming discarded plastic bags into sturdy, reusable "plastic yarn then used to knit waterproof items like these sleeping mats.
Karen Acha (foreground) and DCE Denys Zucher delivered to Orphan Grain Train a large quantity of mats made by members of Holy Cross, Flushing and others in the community. The group is soon obtaining a weaving loom to continue efforts so far done by hand. We appreciate the loving efforts.
Meet two of our loyal support team. Lyle and Marlene Brewster repreatedly drive from Saginaw with goods gathered from around the churches. They almost always then stay to help at the OGT center sorting clothing and adding to the enjoyable friendship and conversation. We can't thank them enough.
Very First Shipment of Mercy Meals
Mercy
Meals is the first major new initiative in the history of Orphan Grain
Train--Michigan. Years of consideration and planning led to yesterday's
exciting moment.
For the very first time, this branch shipped thousands of
fortified meals to people suffering from severe food insecurity.
Yesterday, April 21, a 40-foot shipping container was loaded with
1,616 boxes and individual items of humanitarian relief (quilts,
clothing, shoes, hygiene kits, towels, wheelchairs, and more).
Of particular joy was the inclusion of 10,000 Mercy Meals
being sent to Fundatia de Binefacere a Nevazatonior din Romania / The
Romanian Foundation for the Blind.
The meals consist of rice, soy, vegetables, and
supplemental nutrients which have been mixed and sealed with only the need for
hot water to enable hungry children to eat.
Over seven years of operation, Orphan Grain Train—Michigan has
successfully shipped humanitarian relief to Kyrgyzstan, Panama, Moldova, the
Republic of Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Malawi, South Sudan, Peru, and
Romania.
Mercy Meals is now a significant expansion of that Christian compassion.
.JPEG)
Alpena and the congregation of Immanuel Lutheran Church is just one very special enclave of Orphan Grain Train support. Folks there have a special heart for Christian humanitarian mission work.
People like Sharon Jack, Doris Puls, and many others who will forgive me for not mentioning their names have given yeoman efforts of prayer and action on behalf of Orphan Grain Train. We are eternally thankful for them.|
Mercy Meals Packs Food
for Thousands Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Cass City was
sight for a first Mercy Meals packing event in collaboration with Orphan
Grain Train—Michigan. |
No one is so grown up that he or she has outgrown the love of their Heavenly Father. Even if you are old, the clear wonderful story of God who became a child is not too childish. To grow up in Jesus actually means becoming more and more a child.
"Oh, Come, Little Children; Oh, Come One and All" is not just a call to the young but an invitation to "come one and come all." Come, join the children. Be a child. -- So, what is a child?
A child is one who loves to tell. A child just can't hold a secret. I had a little girl who once came home with her mommy and said, "Daddy, we didn't have our picture taken today for your Christmas present." We children love to tell.
At Orphan Grain Train--Michigan we Christians tell the happiest story ever was. It’s about God's gift to all the world. God gave us our Savior Jesus who set us free from all sin and sadness. God's children love to tell.
Secondly, children love to play. Children love to act out many things. Pretend to be an animal like a sheep or donkey. Pretend to be an angel or shepherd. At Christmas, all God's children, young and old, play the role of angels. We sing of God's love and rejoice telling all the world of the joy of Christ.
We act out being shepherds, ordinary folks who wonder at God's goodness that you don't have to be an important person or a rich person or a smart person to understand God cares for everyone. Children portray Mary or Joseph kneeling by Jesus' manger and worshiping him as Lord.
You and I can even play the part of the Baby Jesus by seeing God first in all mercy care and loving one another above all else as He loved us.
One more thing makes a child. God means for us to understand his love.
Children practice hard in school to learn and understand things. It takes work to remember names, numbers, and the alphabet. Little children may not even know the names of their mommy or daddy, but children can understand their love. Children respond to love. God's children respond to God's love. Those who can't are too grown up to see Jesus' love is meant for them.
Jesus was once Himself a little child. Christmas is His birthday. Christmas is God choosing to join His children as a child, to live, to die, and to rise again for us that we may trust Him with a child's faith.
-- Michigan Branch Manager, Pastor Dave Reed
Please join your prayers with ours to our gracious Lord regarding one
last critical factor in our Mercy Meals initiative. In every other
respect we are 100% ready to go-- poised on the doorstep of launching.
There is but one aspect to navigate: Michigan health compliance.
Orphan Grain Train will only proceed with complete transparency and
integrity. We are aware state or local regulations may be applicable. We
are working to understand which and to act in accordance with such protocols.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Cass City is poise to be our pilot location. God-willing a date for a first packing event will be set. Meanwhile, we are tremendously grateful for the attention, encouragement, and enthusiasm already given by pastors and congregations open to being engaged with Mercy Meals.
|
Pictures from Mercy Meals of Siouxland |
b.jpg)
b.jpg)
Orphan Grain Train Michigan branch brought 25
boxes of blankets to Saginaw Underground Railroad in Saginaw
and 1% Pantry for Veterans in Frankenmuth. The Underground
Railroad is a service organization for survivors of domestic violence,
stalking, sexual assault and human slavery. The 1% Pantry provides food and
support to US veterans in the area. Thank you, Michigan volunteers for bringing
care to people in difficult situations.
The next scheduled shipment from Orphan Grain Train--Michigan will be headed to Fundatia de Binefacere a Nevazatorilor din Romania (Foundation for the Blind). This will be the first occasion our branch will be distributing goods to Romania. (Loading is tentatively set for Jan. 22.)
b.jpg)
“Thank you for your efforts!” - Boghian Ghiorghita
Orphan Grain Train--Michigan recently completed its third international shipment since April. The goods loaded on September 11 are now in transit to Biedriba Gaujaslici, an Evangelical Lutheran Church organization in Cesis, Latviia. This is a community of 20,000 located 80 km east of the capitol city of Riga. The outreach is to homeless families and Ukrainian refugees.
