Presented by the Daily Jot |
|
|
|
The Denise and Mark Story
Friday, October 13, 2023
|
|
|
|
Greetings!
Denise and I grew up together. We are cousins. My Dad’s mom and her Dad’s mom were sisters. We went all the way through school together, graduating in the same class. We played together in elementary school. I remember Denise’s love for horses, and sometimes during recess she would be the lead horse with many of us following her “prancing” all around the playground. Nowadays, they probably would have us all under psychological surveillance, but we had fun and we were good kids growing up in a gentler time of innocence than today. After school, Denise and I kind of lost touch of one another. At a class reunion several years ago, we got reacquainted together with our spouses, Mark and Chris.
The years go by again and we saw each other at our 50th class reunion. This time we planned to get together and stuck to it. Denise and Mark came to visit. It was like learning all over again that we were family, cautiously approaching certain subjects, like politics. But after a while, no holds were barred. We were all on the same page and our life’s experiences were very similar. Mark turns out to be a history enthusiast so we decided to load up and go on a history tour of the area. Within 20 miles, there is a lot of history, starting with Harpers Ferry, WV where not only John Brown ignited the fuse to the Civil War with his failed slave rebellion (which got him hanged), but also the battle leading up to the bloodiest day of the Civil War in nearby Antietam.
|
|
|
|
Now, Denise is also a history buff, but in a different sort of way. She likes antiquing. As we explored Frederick, Md., one of the major stops was an antique emporium. It’s like going through a museum. A lot of stuff. Many things that are antiques now are from our childhood. Time flies. From small glass knickknacks to large pieces of furniture, each one I’m sure has its story, if only it could talk. Denise and Mark found a unique cabinet with doors, drawers and shelves. After deciding it would fit in their car on the way home, Denise just couldn’t pass it up. We celebrated at a restaurant across town, appropriately named Brewers Alley. Then there was more shopping—chocolates (Denise’s passion), a French Boutique and more. We also have common interests in camping, beaching, horses and the mountains. |
|
|
|
We ate, talked, reminisced, shared family stories, and laughed—a lot. We toured shops, even found a local artisan Joe Straka, who for 40 years has “thrown” pottery—a term for hand-making pottery. His artistry was too much for Chris to resist, and Service Dog Charlie will be eating only table scraps for the next month because of our purchases! Joe’s demonstration of how he shapes and makes pottery reminded me not only of the history we saw, but also of our journey over the years with Mark and Denise. It starts out without a lot of form and by the end, after much toil, shaping and reshaping, if we have the fortune of God’s hand in our lives, there is something beautiful and long-lasting. As God said in Jeremiah 18:6, “as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand.” Thankfully so. |
|
|
|
Daily Jot Humanitarian Efforts
Hunger, they say, can't wait
|
By Pastor William Agbeti
From the cradle to the grave, food is the fuel and lifeline for the body! As this reality becomes more profound and turns into a matter of life and death, there is no food amongst vulnerable groups like the aged, malnourished children, persons living with disabilities, the unemployed, the sick, widows and orphans. Viewed against this backdrop, this is the story of our journey into how the lives of some of the poorest of the poor in Ghana are impacted by food provided through your partnership with our ministry.
The Sufferings of COVID
The onset of Covid-19 shut down society and caused unprecedented widespread hunger in underserved communities. Immediately, we operated as first responders and front-line workers for the poor when massive cries of hunger started pouring in from ostracized communities. With the support of Ghana’s national Security apparatus, we were given special passes to work during curfew hours of the lockdowns. With every hot meal to satisfy growling stomachs, we prayed and acted, giving out masks, Veronica buckets, hand wash detergents and hand sanitizers to help curb the spread of the epidemic. All in all, we placed our lives on the line as we provided hope and love to the almost unreachable places in the midst of the contagion! In 2022 alone, we served over 55,000 meals to the needy.
Quickly Adjusting to Save Lives
As word got around about our services, the pleas increased from people desperately needing food! Soon, we realized giving cooked food to the needy was good for a day, but providing foodstuffs that can last one to two weeks at a time was much better. We pivoted to sending out emergency foodstuffs packaged in our, now, somewhat famous multi-colored bags! The resulting testimonies were just heartbreaking! An elderly couple confessed that in their more than 60-years of living, no one has gifted them like our Ministry did! Not even the government! They openly shed tears!
“I thought my children and I were going to die, until help came from the Ministry! It was a big surprise! This makes us believe in God!” --A mother of four whose husband abandoned them.
Life Changing Sustainability
As more testimonies poured in, we were humbled and motivated to do more! From hot meals to packaged foodstuffs, we shifted again to multiply our impact. Now we have enlisted the help of the needy by working with them to use available land in the actual underserved communities to cultivate foodstuffs. This assists the needy to grow staple foodstuffs such as corn and tomatoes for themselves, the ministry and the marketplace. The harvested produce is then sold at wholesale prices to the ministry, which we package and give back as food aid! By so doing, the needy are gainfully employed, they earn a livelihood and the vulnerable in the community get served with free foodstuffs! So far, we have three experimental farms growing corn and tomatoes.
We are working securing a much larger farm where we would cultivate watermelons, some other fruits and raise tilapia fish! As these farms take shape, we will allocate two-thirds for free distribution and one-third to sell in organized markets! This will bring sustainable development to our operations and contribute significantly toward easing the food shortage.
Will you please join us on the next leg of this exciting journey to help our operations become sustainable and empower us to nip hunger in the bud? To the above end, we are deeply encouraged by Apostle Paul’s words in Acts 20:35: “I have showed you all things, how that so laboring you ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
|
|
|
|
The American Chronicles
(410) 300-8235
5257 Buckeystown Pike, #314
Frederick, Maryland 21704, US
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
