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Hi Lisa,
On May 29, I was thankful to be seated in the Grossmunster Cathedral to attend the worship service at the Anabaptism at 500 commemoration in Zurich, Switzerland. In January 1525, the first rebaptism sparked the Anabaptist movement and was a significant moment in the Radical Reformation, in this same city. Now, 500 years later, Anabaptists from around the world gathered in Zurich. The day culminated with a worship service focused on reconciliation and forgiveness. After the service, the bells above the Grossmunster Cathedral rang out across the city. It felt like a holy moment.
The next day, my husband and I travelled with my father-in-law (Corney) to Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg is a special place for Corney. He served with the MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) PAX program from 1961-1963, building homes for refugees. Over two years, he helped build eight homes and one church.
In Salzburg, we spent an afternoon with Gertraude, who had been a young girl when the MCC volunteers, fondly known as “the PAX boys,” built a home for her family. We walked past the homes they built. Gertraude told us stories of her family and others who had lived in the homes, who lived there now, and changes that had happened over the years. Gertraude and her husband live a little further down the same street. They welcomed us into their home, where we noticed photos of the PAX boys hung on the walls of their front entry. Sixty years after their service, the impact the PAX boys had on Gertraude’s life was still so significant that their photos were the focus of her front entry. They had shared God’s love and restored hope to her family. This also felt like a holy moment.
The PAX program was one of the seeds that eventually grew into Mennonite Disaster Service. I don’t know how many homes built or repaired by MDS volunteers have pictures that reflect that in the entry, but the impact of their service is certainly written on the hearts of many. Long after our hands have completed the work, the impact goes on in the hearts and lives of those whom we serve, and also in us.
Thanks be to God for these opportunities to share God’s love through service!
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