Today is Wednesday, February 6th, 2008; Karen's Korner #1243
In mid-December, Clarion graduate John Meyer, who lives and teaches in the Des Moines area and is currently serving one year in Kosovo with his National Guard unit, contacted his mom about getting some books, paper, colors, and coloring books for the children there.
Kathy contacted the M & Ms, an ecumenical group of gals here, about collecting his list of items. The group and the Clarion community began collecting and dropping things off at the Clarion Library. In mid-January, we shipped off eight flat rate boxes to John and some of his Guard bodies.
Yesterday I received this note from him, telling us of their outreach. It deserves a bigger readership, as John, in particular, and our soldiers, in general, represent all of us to the rest of the world:
Dear Karen and Marys and Marthas (M & Ms):
I would like to thank you for all the books and school supplies you have sent and helped to send. They are a great help for the young people over here. Kosovo is a very poor area and they have a very weak economy, so it is hard for the schools to get the funding they need.
A few weeks ago my squad went up in the mountains along the Kosovo-Serbian border to visit a small village. Only two families were left. Everyone else had fled the village. The two families literally had nothing. They slept on the floor, had no furniture, no electricity, little food, and the children had no toys. A couple weeks later we took them blankets, some clothers, hygiene supplies, food, and toys for the children. You shuld have seen the smiles on the children's faces and the parents wouldn't stop thanking us. I know we didn't change their lives forever but hopefully we provided some joy and comfort. My hope is WE (The United States soldiers) are a light to the people (Albanian or Serbian) who live in Kosovo.
Jesus said, "That which you do unto the least of my children that you do unto me."
Thank you again for your help!
SSG John F. Meyer
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