HURON — Seeds that were planted as part of a youth group ministry and mission project have bloomed into a lasting reminder of how the smallest act can be meaningful beyond belief.
Amanda Roberts, the seventh grade teacher of First United Methodist Church’s Wednesday Night Alive group, and her students were looking for an outreach project last year. Many ideas were floated in the group, but then someone suggested creating what became the FUMC Chemo Kits.
Her group made six of the kits over the year, and the need for more has spilled over into the church’s vacation Bible school, which begins Sunday. Registration for VBS is still open and kids need not be a church member to participate.
“The kids got to talking and it turned out that many of them had a friend or family member who had been touched by cancer,” Roberts said. “We started with a fleece blanket, and then the kids shared things that had been important to the person they knew, while they were going through chemotherapy. It kind of grew from there.”
The first five kits were delivered to the chemotherapy department at Huron Regional Medical Center, where they quickly found appreciative recipients. About that time, church member Ted Schlecter was diagnosed and began chemo treatments, spurring the group to quickly assemble another Chemo Kit. Schlecter had been involved with the Christian Education area of the church for several years, so there was a connection with the kids.
“It was kind of a dose of reality too,” current church Christian Ed director Jared Cass said.
The students, with the assistance of Roberts, her daughter Emma and Elaine Bales, tied fleece lap blankets for the kits. Bales used her sewing expertise to create small zipper bags in which the students put a package of tissues, hard candy, chapstick, a bottle of water, some hand sanitizer and a journal.
All of the items are designed to lessen the hardship of chemotherapy sessions for patients, which can last up to four hours.
The students also created a letter, which accompanies each kit, describing the meaning of each item and confirming that each has been prayed over and blessed for them.
A short prayer is also inserted in the kit, for the patient to retain and read through, to gain a bit of comfort.
Creating the kit was just the tip of the iceberg, however.
“Doing something like this is great,” Roberts said, “but having a heart for missions is very important. We are encouraging the students to coordinate their service to others, through God with a humble heart.”
“And it’s not enough to tell someone that the items have been prayed over,” Bales added. “If you are telling them (the patient) that you are praying for them, then that needs to happen. You need to back it up.”
“The kids’ hearts weren’t pure to start,” Cass said, “but it grew. Now it’s actually become a building block for our future.” Cass noted that with the upcoming VBS, younger kids will be doing the kits and it has become a goal for them to be able to participate in the project.
The journal was a late entry to the kit, and Roberts said that patients can write down thoughts they are having, or perhaps questions for their doctors. “Or even a grocery list. Being able to write something down when you think of it is important.”
Cass noted that the project shows that service to others can be fun as well as fulfilling. “This is something that fit perfectly into our curriculum, as our kids see what can be done with a little caring and dedication. It has turned service into a goal.”
At the conclusion of the first kits, the pastor blessed them before delivery. The students and staff of FUMC don’t know who will receive a kit, but have received heartwarming thank you notes from recipients.
The goal for VBS camp is to create four kits per evening. Different stations will be used - tying a blanket - inserting items and such - and so forth.
A total of 30 kits will be delivered to HRMC when completed. For Roberts, she would be perfectly happy if none of the kits were ever needed again. “That’s my dream,” she said. “but it’s all around us.
Several donations have made it possible to compete the kits thus far. The church has also benefited from a helping hand from the Java Hut Quilt Store, getting a healthy discount on the fleece used in the blankets. The students themselves contributed from their savings when the idea of the breadth of the service struck them. Collections taken during VBS will be dedicated for the Chemo Kit project. Anyone wishing to support the project can make donations through the church, and mark the donation for the Chemo Kit project.
In the meantime, everything is in place to put together kits during Bible school. Teaching the students why it is important is part of the lesson as well. And coming together for a common cause makes things work well.
“Many hands make for light work,” Roberts said.
PHOTOS BY CURT NETTINGA/PLAINSMAN AND AMANDA ROBERTS A few of the people from First United Methodist Church in Huron, who have been instrumental in the creation of Chemo Kits for patients undergoing treatment at Huron Regional Medical Center, pose with a few of the fleece blankets. From the left are Jared Cass, Elaine Bales, Amanda Roberts and Emma Roberts.
Next is a sampling of items that make up each kit.
Next, tying the edges of the fleece blankets became part of the fun activities for the First United Methodist Church’s Wednesday Night Alive class.
And next, members of the First United Methodist Church’s Wednesday Night Alive seventh-grade class delivered the first batch of Chemo Kits to HRMC this past spring, taking a moment to offer a prayer in the treatment room, for those who will be using the kits.
