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Pete W. was our greeter and Lisa M. offered our invocation. Joining us virtually were Mark B., Ken H., and Cody O. Lisa M. circulated a sign-up sheet to volunteer in the Salvation Army kitchen during the summer on Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Brian T. reminded us that the Lucky Duck Derby is creeping up on us so if you have not started selling, please do so! Tim H. was the first to brag, talking about his and Desta's wonderful four-week trip out east to see family and happy that the bad weather either preceded or followed them wherever they went. Wally C. contributed for the brags he made the prior week. Dean M. told us that he and Deb M. and Brian T. met at the school to make arrangements for our Argentina Exchange Student; he also bragged that wife Beth (present to participate in the program) had finished seminary and would be installed as the intern at Tonseth Lutheran Church in Erhard on June 9th. Keith O. reminded us that Cal Larson's memorial service will be held this coming Friday, June 7, at 1:00 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church at Franklin Lake. He also happily reported that daughter McKenzie and son-in-law Christopher are the proud parents of a healthy baby girl born last week. Holly W. paid a self-imposed fine as did Hal L. for missing or having to leave a meeting early. Our program was presented by Dean and Beth Monke who travelled to Jamaica this past February with 14 other people on a mission trip. The original outreach commenced 35 years ago when a Lutheran church in Mahtomedi (with10,000 members) started helping at a children's orphanage and a boys' home as well as building simple homes (called Ja'Bodes). The volunteers ranged in age from 9 to 85 and different groups of volunteers go down over an 11-to-12-week period over January through March, with two full-time assistants working with them when they arrive for their week. There are 104 volunteers there each week and other churches in the area that sent volunteers included Zion (it has been involved 14-15-years) and Battle Lake First Lutheran. Dean called it a "vacation with a purpose," staying at an all-inclusive Holiday Inn. The people are extremely poor, with hotel workers being paid $60 a month as an example. While there, the volunteers worked at the orphanage and the boys' home, poured a 20 x 40' concrete slab, made picnic tables and built two different homes. Dean said we would view the homes being built as really nice sheds, with no electricity and very simple plumbing. The roofs are made of tin. The electrical system is cannibalized by everyone to get electricity running in whatever they live, making it undependable. As a result, 20% of the population is paying 100% of the electrical bill. Each home costs $7,000 and the person who wants one has to acquire the land and have to go through a stringent application process; most of the homeowners are single mothers or individuals with children. People will purposely leave their homes unfinished, because once complete they have to start paying taxes on them. Dean said that the out-of-pocket cost for a volunteer was about $2,400 per person. He and Beth are planning to go back this coming year. They take suitcases full of supplies when they go, as extra suitcases are cheaper to pay for than would be the cost of shipping stuff. Dean's prayer group has purchased miter saws to be used in Jamaica. The experience was described as more spiritual for the volunteers than the recipients of their assistance; it is not a mission trip, but they are just there to help. Nonetheless, the Jamaicans were described as having a strong desire for the word of God. |
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