Volunteers are beautiful

What would any non-profit organization be without its volunteers? We are so blessed to have many people who give of their time and energy in a variety of ways that support our ministry. I love that there are opportunities for people of almost any age to help out. Some volunteers are teaching or assisting in our weekly English classes, others help with childcare, many have helped with work projects over the years, others donate their professional expertise (accounting and computer tech support are at the top of my list), and some give money and materials for our programs. Countless others are praying for us and the people we serve.

I'm humbled by the number of people who support us, but I do need to say that we could use more helpers, if you or someone you know is available - students needing to pick up some extra volunteer hours, underemployed people who want to contribute while they are looking for work, retired folks with a bit of extra time available.

In Spanish, at least among the people I speak with, the words ugly and beautiful show up a lot. Almost anything bad that happens is feo and if you want to report on a good time you had on a trip, at a party, or even just a dinner with friends, it was bonito. I speak Spanglish better than either Spanish or English, so let me just say that in the midst of a world where feo things happen, Acorn volunteers are muy bonito.

Reflecting on friends and food

Now that we have this blog, I guess I'm supposed to be posting on it regularly. The problem is that I'm too busy living life to stop and reflect on it. Peter and I have just returned from a 25 year reunion where a group of us who were friends in our carefree 20s spent three days together reflecting on our friendship and where our lives have gone over the years. It was a great experience, and on the drive home, Peter and I both expressed that while we loved being back in the Bay area because of all the friends, we are so happy with the life God has given us here in Corvallis, that there was no sadness in leaving. Rather, we were excited to get back to work and back to the people we care about here.

Our open house on the 21st was a wonderful time of appreciating where God has led the ministry in the past 10 years. There were about 40 people who stopped by, and I was able to introduce some of my awesome volunteers. Blanca (in red apron) made pupusas for everyone.

She wants to work from home selling this traditional food from El Salvador, so let me know if you're interested, and if you still don't know what they are, just ask and we'll invite you to our next pupusa party.

We also served amazing Mexican sweet breads that my friend Manuel from Iglesia Emanuel bakes in his home. Yes, I am shamelessly advertising for my friends.