This past week in Gresham has truly been one of counting one’s blessings.  Just when you get a little fussy that the mask you are wearing does not work with your favorite earrings – reality sets in. We realize we are blessed beyond belief as all of our families are all healthy and our cupboards are full.   

Two years ago, when we visited Jerusalem we were reminded of the story of the Widow’s Mite. As a matter of fact, Bob bought me a necklace with this very, very small 2,000-year-old coin embedded in it.  As the “mite” was less than the penny in the time of Christ, it was used for him to give this lesson to his disciples, “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury.  For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth. But she, form her poverty, has contributed all she had. Her whole livelihood.”  

This past week, ladies, some of them widows, and certainly all of them “Angels Without Wings”, began sewing masks at the request of Nelly Rodriquez. She is a TV personality and leader who has dedicated much of her life to helping the Hispanic Community in Oregon. So, when Gresham Ford stated we would buy the fabric if others could sew the masks, Nelly jumped at the chance to help and her army of volunteers created hundreds of masks that have been donated to non-profits and senior health care facilities and others who are not able to purchase them.   The story here is not the masks but the ladies making them. One is currently taking chemo with not a good diagnosis. One barely has the ability to make ends meet and has little food in the cupboard, but all were so willing to help others with their talents. They were so careful to construct them in a smoke-free environment and wash them prior to bringing them to us for distribution. In an effort to assist some of these “Angels Without Wings”, Nelly Rodriquez has set up a GoFundMe page in an effort to give something back to these dear people who have given so freely of their talents. So, if you have the occasion, please look it up at https://www.gofundme.com/f/y2s2z-angeles-sin-alas.