Founded in 1940 Its mission, grounded in the teachings of Jesus, is to alleviate human suffering resulting from natural and man-made disasters.
As you may recall, late last summer thousands of refugees were airlifted from Kabul, Afghanistan and many of them were sent to US military bases. About 13,000 were sent to Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.
On October 21, our Bishop Hee-Soo Jung traveled to Fort McCoy and learned about the resettlement process for the Afghan
Refugees. Bishop Jung had the opportunity to visit the Armory and saw piles of donations that need to be sorted.
The Wisconsin Conference of the UMC coordinated efforts to gather and deliver clothing to the refugees at Fort McCoy.
Each day, 10-15 UMC volunteers helped to sort and deliver donations collected to the stores at Fort McCoy for the Afghan guests.
Story of the Boy and the Starfish
One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a young boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, the man asked, “Hello…what are you doing>”
The youth replied, “I’m throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”
“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds and hundreds of starfish. You can’t make a difference!”
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf.
Then smiling at the man, he said…”I think I made a difference for that one.”
The Afghan Refugee situation is a dire one for those who have been brought over to the United States. It is even more so for those left behind in Afghanistan. We have an opportunity to make a difference. Please give generously. Also remember that all of the money donated goes directly to this cause. All administrative costs have already been taken care of through our apportionment giving. For the full story click here.
The Sturgeon Bay UMC Mission Committee
