People are making a difference

I sat at one of the tables in the community center yesterday afternoon and listened as three men talked.  Yes, some of their talk was complaining about the present economic crisis.  But most of the discussion was about positive topics...their plan for this week, jobs they had discovered but did not qualify for, but perhaps another did, what they needed to do to find a job.  One of they had work in the same factory for 17 years, another 12 years, and the third over 20 years.  None had looked for a new job in ages, and never expected to have to do so.

All three had also discovered one think which they needed to do before starting a new job.  They needed more than their drivers’ license to prove they were legally qualified to work in America.  Did you know that to start a new job you needed at least two forms of identification?  Driver license, passport, birth certificate.  One of those men was quiet, then remarked that he did not know how he was going to pay to get his birth certificate. Every penny from his unemployment went to pay for food and utilities. Right then he had just enough money to buy the milk on the way home.

Without any hesitation, and together, both of the other men reached into their pockets and put a few dollars on the table.  “This should help.”   Their plan for today is to go to the court house up the street and get their birth certificates. They are in this together and they plan to get out of these hard time together.   People, all people, can make a difference in the lives of their friends and neighbors. Are you making a difference?

Discover how you can make a difference in the lives of your friends and neighbors.  Email us at monastery@synesius.com, or call the community center and church at 574-540-2048.