Member Kimberly Pepmiller will be heading to Tanzania in April to work with a Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod’s Mercy Medical Mission team. From April 8–17 this team of medical professionals—like Kimberly—church workers and lay people will be providing desperately-needed health care to hundreds of patients each day. This is the first time a team has visited Tanzania!

Watch our Hesed Journal at www.StJohnsFC.org for her blog entries!

Supply Collection

As usual with these mission work trips, the congregation will have an opportunity so support the work of the mission team through a supply drive. Since Kimberly will be traveling alone, we can’t load her up too much with bags upon bags of donations. So we will be collecting for one Sunday only: April 3. You can bring any of the items on the list, below, and drop them in the collection box. We will also be taking a special offering downstairs during the fellowship time to make supply purchases. Thrivent Financial will be paying for the morning’s refreshments so that all donations can go to this need.

Any items that Kimberly can’t bring with her to Tanzania will be saved for the Heseder construction and medical trip to Peru in July.

If you can purchase or procure any of the following items, please bring them next week and drop them in the collection box! Make sure that items have not expired and are in good condition.

• Paper towels
• Stethoscopes, otoscopes
• Scales
• Blood pressure cuffs, adult- or child-size
• Pill trays
• Thermometers
• Pulse ox
• Glucometer and strips
• Pregnancy tests
• Intake forms
• Baggies
• Trash bags
• Sharpies
• Scissors
• Bulb syringe
• Clorox wipes
• Pen flashlights
• Batteries
• Pens
• Urine dip sticks
• Gloves, various sizes
• Spatula
• Pill cutters and trays
• Alcohol wipes
• Nebulizer with albuterol treatment
• Lidocaine
• Earwax removal drops and curettes
• Adult vitamins
• Band-aids
• Children’s vitamins
• Antacids
• Prenatal vitamins
• Toothpaste and toothbrushes
• Hand sanitizer
• Bar soap
• Antibiotic cream
• Dulcolax/stool softener
• Hydrocortisone cream
• Anti-fungal cream

“Hesed” is a Hebrew word that means “kindness”, “mercy”, “loyalty”, “loving-kindness” or “steadfastness.” It’s the way God intends us to live together—a “love your neighbor as yourself,” active, selfless, sacrificial, caring-for-one-another brand of living contradictory to our fallen natures. The “Heseders” are continually looking to work together to share some small measure of God’s extraordinary love. Won’t you join us?