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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2015-07-30, Page 3THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2015. PAGE 3. Local youth group serves in Washington, D.C. A group of youth from the Blyth Christian Reformed Church and the Living Water Christian Fellowship youth group recently travelled to Washington, D.C., to serve the less fortunate in the community. From July 11 to 18, the group of 15 youth and three leaders travelled to the United States capital after fundraising for the past year. “We fed meals to the homeless and at homeless shelters, helped at drop- in centres for people with mental illness and worked at shelters and rehab centres,” Pastor Gary van Leeuwen of the Blyth Christian Reformed Church, one of the leaders, explained. According to van Leeuwen, Washington has a very high homeless and working poor population because of the services that are known to be available there. At some of the shelters the group visited they would serve 300 or more people in a sitting. Participants also worked with children through specialized programs and cooked and served a reconciliation dinner where everyone from the homeless to community members got together to brainstorm a way to make the city better. There were a total of seven churches from across Canada and the United States involved and groups were put together. According to van Leeuwen, the randomly created groups were that way so that people would be working with new people. Being split up helped the participants focus on the people they were working with and it led to them learning that the reasons for homelessness are varied, according to van Leeuwen. “They learned there were working poor, those who were abandoned, some facing substance abuse and people who have lost everything,” he said. The group worked with churches and centres in the National Mall, where many federal buildings are located. “There is the IRS, the FBI, the United States agriculture agency and monuments there so there are lots of people who are well-dressed and they are right beside the homeless,” van Leeuwen said. Being close to the homeless and those facing adversity led to some interesting stories for the participants, according to van Leeuwen, who said that some of the tales have stuck with the youth. “We were given water bottles to hand out and my group met someone, through sharing water, who was abandoned when he was 13 years old,” van Leeuwen said. “He lived on the steps of [the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle] and looks to be around 40.” Van Leeuwen said they learned the man had a wife who was pregnant so he was working to find shelter. “There are stories you just don’t run into here,” he said. The theme for the week was called “The Other 51 Weeks” and encouraged the participants to not just help in Washington, but also to help in their own communities throughout the year. The group completes service trips annually, focusing on one further- away locale every three years and two closer-to-home projects in the interim. For more information contact van Leeuwen at the Blyth Christian Reformed Church at 519-523-4743 or to follow what the students got involved in, check out DC Serve Fairfax on Facebook. UCW drive-thru supper set Aug. 1 Happy anniversary to Larry and Myrtle Badley, who celebrate Aug. 8; Steve and Joan Caldwell, Aug. 10 and Conn and Lois van Vliet, Aug. 11. Happy birthday to Doug Craig, Atwood, who celebrates July 30; Emily deCorte, July 31; Rick Elliott, Aug. 1; Sara Kerr, Aug. 5; Don Edgar, Wingham, and Zoe Onn, Aug. 6; Jeff Howson, Aug. 8 and Lorna Whitmore, Aug. 9. Many members of the churches in Blyth attended an open air church service on Sunday, July 26 at the Blyth Lions Park. Streetfest was another success on Saturday. Many enjoyed the entertainment and food along the street and also enjoyed the pig kissing contest. The Blyth United Church Women are having a drive-thru supper on Saturday, Aug. 1 from 4 to 4:30 p.m. Menu is ham, potato salad, two salads, a biscuit and pie for $10. Call Joann MacDonald if you wish to order at 519-523-9274. Downtown Blyth 519-523-4740 Bainton’s Old Mill Motorcycle Chaps By Marilyn Craig Call 523-9318 From Marilyn’s Desk Learning and loving A group of Blyth-area teens who are part of a youth group from the Blyth Christian Reformed and Living Water Christian Fellowship churches went to Washington D.C. as part of the DC Serve initiative got up close and personal with the large homeless population in the area. The group helped by working at shelters serving meals, loading and shipping bikes to impoverished countries and just being there for people like Linnea Nonkes, shown hugging a child she met an hour before. (Henry Dreise photo) Business Name Anonymous Jigsaw puzzle Jayne Dunlop Arbonne/Sharon Westburg Ultra Hydration hand/foot cream Donna Caldwell Bainton’s Old Mill Wool blanket Gary van Leeuwen Ben Lobb Full size Canadian flag Connie Goodall Blackburn Radio CKNX Radio & Television history books Jayne Dunlop Blackburn Radio CKNX Radio & Television history books Bryce Glousher Blyth Building Supplies Insulated Cooler Karen Scott Blyth Corner Café Gift Certificate Karen Scott Blyth Festival 2 Tickets for play Margaret McInroy Blyth Inn Gift Certificate Joe Hallahan Blyth Lions Club 2 Tickets/Christmas Dinner and Dance in December Joe Hallahan Blyth Massage Therapy Cold gel pack & massage cream Lissa Kolkman CIBC Picnic bag container and umbrella Deb Wilson ESTC CO detector Karen Scott Howson Mills Schwinn Tango 21" bike, with folding frame Peter Gusso Huron Adventures Inc. Mug and coffee gift package Randy Fraser Jimmy Johnston Wooden stool Jayne Dunlop Lisa Thompson’s Office Voisin’s Maple Products Bev Blair North Huron Recreation 1 month membership John Nesbit Orr Insurance First Aid kit, travel mug and bag Karen Scott Part II Bistro Gift certificate Rick Howson Purple Poodle Broach Vicky Bremner Queens Bakery Golf shirt Joe Hallahan RPM Promotions Doug Gilmour picture and ball cap Kathy Abell Scrimgeour’s Food Market Pair of summer skates autographed by Ryan O’Reilly John Stewart Scrimgeour’s Food Market Pair of summer skates autographed by Justin Peters Melanie Wilson Sharon’s Cars In Miniatures Teddy bank Jayne Dunlop Sharon’s Cars In Miniatures Teddy bank Jackie Caldwell Sharon’s Cars In Miniatures Ottawa chip dish Brian Power Spa Essentials Side by side pedicure Lissa Kolkman Sparling’s BBQ set Jayne Dunlop Stitches With a Twist Shawl Carol McDonnell The Citizen Birdfeeder book Carol McDonnell The Peters Family Autographed goalie stick Rick Howson Towncrier Ladies’ coat Donna Caldwell Towncrier Sweater Denny Scott Towncrier Soccer ball Dana Wilson Wonky Frog Studio 2 gift certificates Jayne Dunlop Bike Rodeo prizes donated by Blyth Laundromat and Blyth Building Supplies - Winners (boy) Braidon Abell and (girl) Alyssa Bromley. Old car prize donated by Blyth Laundromat - winner Todd McDonald. Items Silent Auction Winners Thank you to Blyth Printing for the posters, Rick Elliott for the hydro and Crystal Whyte for the loan of the corn box. Additional thanks to the Blyth Lions Club, BBIA, Linda from Blyth Décor Shoppe, Joe Hallahan and the town fellas for all their help. A special thank you to Roger Hopper for our star Miss Piggy. Winners Prayer through song Rick Howson, left, and Gayle Poore performed a musical number as part of the outdoor church service held at Blyth Lions Park on Sunday morning. The event was a multi- denominational service hosted by several local churches. (Denny Scott photo) The Citizen is now closed for its annual summer holiday, which has historically taken place over the Civic Holiday weekend. There will be no Aug. 6 issue of the newspaper, but never fear, The Citizen will be back for your reading pleasure on Thursday, Aug. 13 with its next issue. Both The Citizen’s Blyth and Brussels offices are now closed, but will reopen on Monday, Aug. 10, the Blyth office at 9 a.m. and the Brussels office at 10 a.m. The Citizen wishes its readers, community members and supporters a happy and safe Civic Holiday weekend. The Citizen is on vacation How to pray in our own Gethsemanes (J.R. Miller) “And being in agony — He prayed more earnestly!” Luke 22:44 This is the record of our Saviour’s Gethsemane experience. Like a bright lamp, this Scripture shines amid the olive trees of that garden — to show us the path to comfort in our time of sorrow. Never before nor since, has there been such grief as the Redeemer’s that night — but He found comfort in His prayer. His agony lessened as He prayed, and sweet, blessed peace took its place. The ‘gate of prayer’is one of comfort. There is no other place for true comfort and help. We learn from our Lord’s Gethsemane agony — how to pray in our own Gethsemanes. God never blames us for asking to have the bitter cup removed, nor for the intensity of our prayers; but we must always pray with submission to His will. When we sincerely pray, “Not my will, but may Your will be done” — comfort comes, and then peace. A Grace Gem Submitted by: Immanuel United Reformed Church, Listowel, ON 519-291-1956