Strength of a Connection

In early January, Laura Beck from The Canyons, a Sears Methodist Retirement center in Amarillo, called the Northwest Texas Conference Service Center to say Amarillo District Superintendent Todd Dyess said the Service Center could help her make a connection

to get 11,000 lbs of ready to eat meals (MREs) to Abilene. From there, the meals would be transferred to Dyess Air Force Base and delivered to Haiti to feed hungry people. Global Samaritan Resources, Inc worked with the base to coordinate the effort.

The meals had been stored at The Canyons in case of a disaster in the Amarillo area.

Beck and NWTX Director of Mission and Administration Ava Berry began the search for a charity drop in Abilene. Mother Nature didn’t help as some carriers could help on a certain day but were snowed out.

Eventually, Gary Evitt, a Disciple Bible study participant in a class Berry teaches at First United Methodist Church in Lubbock, said he had a friend who had big trucks and an office in Amarillo as well as other sites.

Enter Bill Evans of Mayfield Paper Company and an active lay person at First UMC, Lubbock.

Evans checked out the details with Beck and the site for delivery in Abilene. In mid-February, 11,000 pounds of meals were delivered to Abilene.

Think about it, a ministry of the United Methodist Church (Sears Retirement Systems, The Canyons), connects with a district superintendent who put them in touch with the Conference Service Center, who finds connections with Methodist lay persons in order that a mission of mercy can be completed through a military airlift.

“Don’t you just love it when a good plan comes together,” Evans said.

“Yes, I call that a God thing,” Berry added.

We give thanks for our strong connection and God’s leading in this effort.