Downtown

Today is Scott's birthday, and Jackie arranged to have cake with candles and ice cream at lunch. She baked the cake late last night, God bless her, and went for ice cream early this morning before we left for work. Then she hid the treats in the staff fridge at the UMCOR depot.


We packed more school kits and flood buckets (they call them cleaning buckets now) this morning and again for an hour after lunch. Then we took off early to meet Linda at the Crossroads Thrift store. This spun off from the Crossroads Urban Center. Anyone can shop there, naturally, but it really functions as a mission in two ways: first, people who come to the urban center can receive vouchers for clothing at the thrift store, and second, needy people identified by other agencies, including schools, can send people to the thrift store for free underwear, blankets, towels, dishes, and other very basic items. These items, when donated, are never sold, but always put in the "free room," which is opened to people with vouchers. Linda says that about eleven times as much stuff is given away as is sold. The store does not operate for profit. It was inspiring to learn about the way this operation serves the needs of the poor.

Then Linda took us to the Salt Lake City public library, which is a phenomenal modern building with a panoramic view of the city from the roof garden. Then we said good-bye to Linda, who we will not see again this week, and went back to the church to change for an evening on the town.


We wanted to see Temple Square, the heart of the Latter Day Saints church, and to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehearse, which they do on Thursday nights. We also planned to have dinner downtown. We stopped into the genealogical library and the LDS history museum, had dinner, and then went to Temple Square. We found out that the choir had changed their rehearsal time at the last minute, unannounced, and we missed them. That was a disappointment. But it was amazing to see the Assembly Hall, the Tabernacle, and the Temple (from the outside). They are all beautiful buildings.




Tomorrow is the big Pioneer Day parade. Many things are closed. We have been encouraged to see the parade, but we do not want to get up at 5:00 a.m. to stake out a spot along the parade route. Instead we will sleep in and watch the parade on t.v., which is what Linda recommended. After lunch we will go back to the UMCOR depot for a few more hours work. (Brian, the director at the depot, will be watching his church's float in the parade and will not be at work until 12:30 p.m.) In the evening we will pack up and be ready to leave on Saturday. Of course before then we will help with the food co-op's food distribution. Many of the usual volunteers will be out of town for the holiday weekend, so the director is very, very glad to have our help. It does take a lot of labor to do the work we've seen being done here this week, from the food pantry to the food bank to the food co-op and at UMCOR, and we feel like we have made a real contribution. Also, we have learned a lot about differents ways that mercy and social justice are done. We are feeling like we've accomplished a lot this week--and that we deserve to sleep late tomorrow!

--Rebecca