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Current Newsletter (Click here to view past Truck of Love
newsletters.)
Would you like to be placed on our mailing list and receive the Truck of Love newsletter? Please contact us!
February 2010
Dear Friends,
I came across a quote from Henri Nouwen the other day that struck home: “…community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but of one another. Community is the fruit of our capacity to make the interests of others more important than our own. The question, therefore, is not ‘How can we make community?’ but, ‘How can we develop and nurture giving hearts?’”
We thank you for your giving hearts. We thank you for being part of our community of Truck of Love. We thank you for your ongoing support of this work of reaching out to people who are experiencing difficulties in their lives. Your notes of encouragement, your donations and your prayers are an inspiration to us.
Each day that we wake up here in Rock Hill, South Carolina and read our morning paper, we are gifted with stories of people helping each other. We quickly discovered here in our new town, that there is a great outpouring of help for people in need. It has been our task these few months to see where we can fit into what is already happening. We continue to find little places that seem to be invisible.
Today, Pete is working with a family of four who live in two tents in the woods. They came to Rock Hill with the promise of a job that did not materialize. They have been in the woods about a month. In that time we have had two weeks of nights below freezing temperatures as well as about six inches of rain. The Dad looks for work with a seat-less bike as his transportation. He is attempting to make money any way he can. Today Pete was able to help him transport two water heaters (that a homeowner wanted to get rid of) to a recycling center where he was delighted to get $35.00! Pete has helped the family with tarps, sleeping bags, shoes, cooking fuel, and a bike seat. One step at a time…
We are learning more about where to send people for help with their utility bills, where to find shelter and where to get a meal. There is always a need for transportation and a listening ear. It looks like there is plenty of work for Truck of Love here in Rock Hill.
We are looking forward to this summer and the 24th annual TOTOL (Tohono O’odham Truck of Love ) summer day camp and leadership training. There is a dedicated group of “Truck of Lovers” who are who are responsible for the operation of this yearly event in the Arizona desert: Chrissy Rinki, Cathy Baker, Meghan Wilson, and Scott and Mandy Bell with Truck of Love South. Camp costs about $24,000.00 to operate for two weeks. The money goes to transportation/gas (some children and counselors come from villages more than fifty miles away from camp), food (there is a kitchen staff that prepare breakfast and lunch for over 200 participants), and materials for arts and crafts and sports.
During the summer, this is the largest gathering of children on the O’odham Nation. Over the past 23 years summers there have been thousands of O’odham who have come to camp. There have been hundreds of volunteers from all over the world who have come together to make camp happen. We have witnessed a generation grow up. We have been honored to be able to be a vehicle for sharing O’odham heritage. Some of our campers have gone on to college. Some work in tribal agencies and live and raise their families in their villages. Each summer former campers come back - if just for a short visit - to reconnect with the staff who they know and with that feeling of love and acceptance that is present throughout the camp experience.
The O’odham campers have benefitted greatly from TOTOL Camp. But our volunteers also have had life changing experiences. Truck of Love South is interested in hearing your stories and keeping in touch with you. You can e-mail them at TOTOLCamp@gmail.com .They want to create a place where you can be in touch with others who have experienced camp on the Tohono O’odham Nation. They would love to hear our stories about time with Truck of Love. They also want to build a network of people who want to see camp continue.
Truck of Love will send at least $12,000.00 to help camp this summer. Truck of Love South is looking for more donations to the reach the actual cost of camp.
Thank you for your giving hearts. We love hearing from you and we will continue to help you in our prayers. Please pray for us.
God bless you and your families,
Pete and Sue
We are grateful to each of you for your continuing support of the work of Truck of love. We appreciate your spreading the word. Please pass on this newsletter to someone you think might be interested in our mission to serve God’s poor. Or refer your friends to the Truck of Love website: www.truckoflove.org