You may have seen Juanita at our parish dinners. She lives with two of our parishioners, but she is not able to come to church; however, she does minister to us and allows us to minister to her.
Each Wednesday about noon, Juanita and her special-needs worker Julia come to the church. They have a key and they follow their set routine. Juanita, encouraged by Julia, sets to work to gather the bottles and cans from the recycling box.
They carry them out to the car and if there are lots they make a second trip. Beverley pops downstairs to say hello and Juanita, who is always very shy, recognizes our parish secretary and will now respond to her.
One day there were no bottles in the recycling and Juanita was distressed. The rector and Beverley scoured the offices and finally found a nearly empty water bottle. It was quickly emptied and Juanita carefully carried it out to the car. Her routine is important to her.
After they leave the church, they drive to Port Coquitlam where the bottles are returned and the refund amount is credited to the church account for our ongoing Legacy Project at St. John's.
With Juanita's help and the participation of congregation members, we have now collected over $2,000 by recycling bottles. Juanita has regular activities and can contribute to the church community. Thanks Juanita and Julia!
- St. John's Apostle