salt and light

Matthew 5:13 - 16
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

I spent Saturday morning volunteering at a ministry in Champaign called Salt & Light. They were having a resource day to distribute school supplies to needy area families, and they needed people who could speak Spanish. I was thrilled for the opportunity to pull out my already-getting-rusty speaking skills and put them to the test, so I signed up.

It was really interesting. I actually ended up walking up and down the line with the Public Health lady. She was asking people if they already had a dentist in the area and I was translating for her for people who didn't speak English (but who did speak Spanish). One girl asked me what I would do if the people spoke Chinese. Um... hadn't gotten that far yet. Anyway, as much as I whine and complain about going to the dentist every six months (or more like once a year now that I schedule my own appointments) I realized that I should actually be thankful that I have reliable medical care.

Tonight at church, we also had a presentation about some work that a ministry called RGGMI is doing in the country of India. Essentially, the ministry provides people with much-needed health care and uses it as an opportunity to show people the love of Christ. For most people in India, the nearest medical care is 20 - 30 miles away. That didn't seem like that far to me until Dr. Parkhe explained that the transportation method is by foot. That changes things.

To make a long story short, we have a lot to be thankful for. There are a lot of people, overseas and right here in our community, that can't afford good medical care and a number of other things. We have been incredibly blessed.