A little ditty about dirt and Diane

I received the following in an e-mail from Ted Corby. Ted is a member at San Jose Bapt. and he and his wife have participated in Mission Teams to Haiti. They are wonderful supporters & encouragers and we love them- read what God led Ted to do at work and you'll get a glimpse at his heart and willingness to serve!

And Mesi Beaucoup South Jax Post Office !!!

A little ditty about dirt and Diane

written by Ted Corby

I wasn't sure what to bring to celebrate Diversity day at South Jax Post Office.  Once a year we have a party to celebrate our diversity by sharing the cuisines of our respective cultures.  Being from Canada I was unsure of what would define my culture best.  I thought about bringing in a keg of maple syrup or a slab of bacon, but then I remembered a story I had read about some Haitians who had resorted to eating mud cakes to survive.  The more I thought about the people in Cité Soleil, the more burdened I became to tell their story of hunger than my story of immigrating.  I felt like the Holy Spirit was prodding me to share this with my coworkers, and I begrudgingly accepted the invitation.

making mud cakes

I walked through the door at work on Diversity day, and I was overwhelmed by the strong aroma of food.  We have more than one good cook down at the South Jax Post Office, and many people had brought food in to share with their fellow employees.  It's the one day at work where stress takes a backseat to fellowship--at least for a few fleeting minutes.  The floor supervisor announced over the intercom that it was time for us all to convene in the swing room to dabble in the delights of the many ethnic dishes.  There was a lot of noise in the building as carriers and clerks joyfully meandered towards the powerful aroma emanating from the swing room.  And then I spoke.

 

I asked Maureen (our boss) if I could say a few words over the intercom, and she obliged my request.  I don't remember exactly what I said, and I'm sure it wasn't delivered in an eloquent fashion.  But I was obedient to what I felt God was calling me to do.  I was nervous and stuttered as I asked the workers on the floor to look at the dish I had brought in for them to try.  Once I had their attention I lifted a Glad bag full of dirt from my back yard.  It suddenly got very quiet.  Equipment stopped moving, and people stopped talking.  The silence was deafening.  It was like someone had scrapped the needle across the record as the party came to a screeching halt.  I quickly told the story about the Haitian ladies who were cooking mud cakes and feeding them to their children, and I asked if anybody wanted to sample the dirt I had brought in.  There were no takers.  I then encouraged everyone to get involved with the mission trip I was taking to Haiti, and I asked them to donate peanut butter, clothes and baby formula.

Diane Von Schondorf

The response to my plea was incredible.  Several people came up to me during the diversity celebration and told me they would donate something to help the cause.  One particular carrier took it one step further.  Diane Von Schondorf brought in a large Rubbermaid storage bin from home and challenged everyone to donate one jar of peanut butter or the cash equivalent thereof.  She wasn't loud or boisterous about it, but she led by example.  She put the bin by her work area and donated the first jars of peanut butter.  Not long after making her challenge the bin was full of peanut butter, clothes and formula.  It seemed like everyone was getting involved--even the postmaster.  I've emptied the bin many times and it keeps getting refilled.  I finally had to leave the bin at church to hold some of the food donated, and I came into work this morning to find more clothes sitting on the floor where the bin once was.

 

I hesitate to calculate the numbers here because I'm not done receiving donations from these enthusiastic postal workers, but it is safe to say that they more than met Diane's challenge.  I have taken in over a dozen bags of used clothes, a bag of brand new clothes, a bag of new underwear, several tins of baby formula, several bags of batteries, 36 jars of peanut butter and $297.  Isn't it amazing how God can turn a bag of dirt into a blessing of provision?  That is exactly what He has done here, and I don't think He is finished yet.

Richard Iodice, Eugenica Ingram and Pam Fisher

I think that it is fair and accurate to say that my friends and coworkers at South Jax didn't donate all of the supplies and money because I made a good speech.  No, I think that they felt the spirit of God urging them to help out.  Most of the guys and gals I work with are top notch people in and out of work, but I don't think that generous and caring people work only at the post office.  I think that scripture will support my belief that people don't have to be religious either to feel the power of God move in their lives (though I certainly am not knocking religion).  But I think there are others like Diane who are willing to do the Lord's work but just need to be called into action.  That's what we have to do.  We have to call them into action!  We have to let people outside of our churches know that there is a great commission and they can be part of it.  The more people who get involved, the lighter the burden and the greater the impact on the world.

Ed Correa sorts the clothes

ps--Thanks South Jax!