Say What? (Part 2)

Question: "What was your favorite ministry site?"

"My favorite ministry site would have to be Marillac House. Marillac House is a Daycare type thing that a bunch of kids go to during the day. There is also a thrift shop right across the street from it called Nifty Thrifty, and it was also a part of Marillac House. I worked in the Thrift Store all week except for Friday morning. In the Thrift Store, there were clothes, kitchenware, furniture, books, movies, CD's, TV’s, toys - basically anything you would find at a Wal-Mart but a lot cheaper. What my group had to do was go through donated clothes, price them and hang them up. But, if there was anything that you wouldn't wear or you know someone that wouldn't wear that, then don't price it - just throw it in the recycle pile. Patty, the manager of the store, said that they get so many donations in that it was okay to just get rid of the ones you couldn't see anyone wearing, and I was a bit confused for awhile about why we were supposed to just throw this stuff out. Then it hit me. Why would we put something out that was in perfectly good condition, but something no one would wear? Well, because we don't want them to feel inferior because they have cheaper clothes. The motto of the Thrift Store said something about how everyone should be treated with dignity no matter what their income was. If you ask me, that's a superb motto."

"I liked the neighborhood immersion around North Park, which is the most ethnically diverse area in Chicago. We talked to people from all different cultures and learned about them. The Youth experienced true Korean hospitality; we sampled soft drinks from Korea and pastries from the Middle East. We learned about fava beans and talked to street vendors. It was a great, ‘flavorful’ adventure which opened many of our eyes to the beauty in the differences and similarities between all peoples."