She had always been self-employed until the death of her husband necessitated her taking a job with benefits. She needed to provide medical insurance for her two children. She was hired by a local health-care association to work as a Dietician – the only paying position in her region. Her clientele was the migrant population in her region of Southwest Michigan. She served all of the migrant camps, one of few residents who even knew where they were located.
Many years past, and now retired, she continues her soul-work now with “Faith in Action”, an outreach to farmworkers sponsored by St. Joseph Catholic Church and Interfaith Action of Southwest Michigan. It is now in its 21st season. This year they had over 1,600 encounters with farmworkers in the counties of Berrien, Cass and Van Buren.
Note* Faith in Action is the largest grassroots, faith-based nonpartisan community-organizing network in the United States, operating across more than 200 cities and towns. Its work regarding migrants and immigrants spans national policy campaigns, local sanctuary networks, and direct community support.
Someone offered a quantity of Beanie Babies. Beanie Babies are a line of small plush toys created by Ty Warner and Ty Inc. in 1993, famous for being filled with plastic pellets instead of traditional soft stuffing. Unsure, because she deals with male farm workers, she took the donation.
The Beanie Babies were eagerly taken by the men…. and all were taken when one man tearfully shared his disappointment with her. As legal migrant workers these men spend about 6 months harvesting crops here in the US – all of that time without seeing their children.
Later that day, a call came in saying there was a smaller quantity of Beanie Babies that had been missed. Those were also being donated. She drove them all the way back to the migrant camp and when she saw that man, he joyfully selected three Beanie Babies for his children….
The Bible often describes kindness as an intentional, purposeful reflection of God’s character rather than a spontaneous or “random” gesture. However, scripture is filled with stories of unexpected, generous, and grace-filled acts toward outsiders, outcasts, and enemies.
This grace-filled act was a beautiful Beanie Babies blessing….
