Morning Thought 5 for Friday October 21st
2011.
Good morning. Part of Mustard Seed Jersey’s Christmas
appeal is always an appeal for money to buy food. Each year we take money with
us to Romania and guided by the social workers we purchase food for needy families
and needy pensioners. The people who benefit are the ones struggling to
survive, especially in the winter when there is heating needed as temperatures
drop.
So we go the largest best value supermarket and purchase
in bulk. Later we make up the food parcels – nothing fancy just the basics:
flour, sugar, oil, rice, pasta, if funds allow we include margarine, tinned
pate, seasoning and sometimes the luxury of tinned
meat.
Mainly the recipients will come to the Romanian charity’s
office to receive their food parcel. They will always arrive early to be sure
not to miss out. If they see the Jersey visitors they come over to thank us
often weeping and kissing our hands.
But I personally find it most moving to go to the homes
of the housebound to give them their food parcel. Often they have seen no-one
all day so our visit is something special as well as receiving their food
parcel.
In a poor area of town, it was absolutely freezing in one
woman’s apartment – knowing all apartments have heating provided I was shocked.
Then I noticed the radiators were missing. The little old lady explained that
with her pension she could not afford the heating bill and the rent, so she had
had the radiators disconnected and taken away. Otherwise for non-payment of the
heating bill she could be evicted and thrown onto the streets.
I’ll end with a quote from Mother Teresa: “At the end of life we will not be
judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much
money we have made, how many great things we have done.
We will be judged by the challenge of the words of
Jesus"I was hungry, and you gave me something to
eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.”