We collected 44 Health kits for underprivileged children in Zimbabwe. 

Thank You to everyone who helped us reach out and share God’s love with the world.

Below is a brief note from the Pastor on his thoughts about the mission..

Gleanings…

Went down to the district office at Brainerd UMC today to participate in a little love in action.  I am speaking specifically of receiving, verifying, and packing the health kits for shipment to Zimbabwe.  It was a great opportunity to see the love of God being poured out and I was among those who marveled at the evidence of love being packed in cardboard boxes.

What do the health kits provide?  Items of basic hygiene begin the list: a washcloth, two bars of soap, two toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste, and a bottle of mouthwash.  Not very spectacular but they are such a blessing when they can be difficult to buy.

Next came the incredibly tiny bottles of acetaminophen, ibuprophen, antihistamine, and cough syrup.  One small bottle was for young children but the majority of the items were for older people.  But what seemed so small to me can really be a major source of comfort to those who are hurting.

All of the bags were checked to verify that each held the items that we were permitted to ship.  Some held too much and some held too little, but most were filled correctly.  This is important because we are permitted only so much in each bag by the country of Zimbabwe.  If the officials pull a sample bag and it is not correctly filled, we have to check every bag and those that fall outside of the allowable limits require extra duty payments.

The physical actions aside, these bags say something very important to both givers and receivers.  Every filled bag lovingly packed tells someone that they are loved as family.  Every filled bag lovingly packed reminds us that we are part of a global family that extends to the ends of the earth.  Thus the giver and the receiver are blessed and God is praised.

At Annual Conference, we will celebrate the accumulation of health kits, school kits, food buckets, and sewing kits which have been packed into shipping containers for their ocean voyage.  The trucks with shipping containers will sound their horns and the people will cheer in praise of God and all will know that a little bit more has just been accomplished in the struggle to combat isolation and separation in our world.

And that, precious people, is what it is all about.  We are all children of God and we have the responsibility to see not only that people know that truth but daily seek to live into it with glad hearts.  May God’s love be reflected in our lives every day and may the world be transformed by it.

Grace and peace,

Braxton ><>