2). Tuesday
October 2nd.
Buna dimineata - that’s good morning in Romanian.
Mustard Seed Jersey is well known for packing and sending Christmas shoeboxes.
Between a quarter and a third of the Christmas shoeboxes we receive are
for needy adults, often pensioners who are on our food distribution programmes.
The boxes for the pensioners are usually distributed at meetings. But obviously
for the frailest who are housebound the social workers deliver at their homes.
A few times I have been privileged to go with the social worker to give out the
box. Sadly most of these recipients are alone and
overjoyed to have a visitor so of course we stop and talk as well as giving
them their shoebox and a food parcel.
We always like to help them open the shoebox if they want us to. I
remember one old man, who shuffled along slowly with a walking frame we’d sent
from Jersey. He could move about his home but not outside. We sat on his bed,
in the only room he could afford to heat, so he used that one room for living
and sleeping.
He took the items out of the box one by one. He was clearly pleased with
each one, but when he pulled out a packet of 5 pairs of socks, his wrinkled face
beamed. He explained he desperately needed socks but after paying for his
medicine, utilities and a little food there was never money for socks. A tear
rolled down his cheek. “I prayed” he said “I asked our good Lord to help me get
some socks. See he has answered my prayer. Thank you”.
Mother Theresa spoke of Doing Small Things With
Great Love. By packing a Christmas shoebox you can
have the opportunity to do a small thing with great love and make a difference
for good.