Rice And Beans Dinner Provides Opportunity To Share The Harvest

At the third annual Rice and Beans dinner, held Feb. 25 at Good Shepherd Parish in Evansville, Mary Ann Davis began by sharing the words of Samuel L. Lewis,  "I feel like a gardener who planted a bunch of seeds and nothing came up; and again the next year he planted a bunch more seeds; and so on and on and on.  And then this year, he planted a bunch of seeds: not only did they all come up, but all the seeds from the previous year came up and all the seeds from the year before, so I've just been frantically running around trying to harvest all the plants until God came to me and said, ‘Don't worry.  Harvest what you can and leave the rest to Me.’”

This message was fitting as the evening progressed and attendees heard about the international missionary works being done throughout the Diocese of Evansville.  Presentations highlighting current and upcoming medical, technical, workforce-development and humanitarian efforts were delivered by volunteers serving as project leaders.  The many projects described shared a common trait: all were provided to not only meet a current need for the residents of Haiti but also contain educational components to teach sustainability.

Davis, a member of Good Shepherd Parish, gave an overview of her January trip to Hopital Esperance de Pilate in Haiti to assist with cataract surgeries, a process that left visiting volunteers as changed as the people receiving the surgeries.  Other speakers included representatives from local parishes and Hands Together for Haiti, a combined effort of parishes in Vanderburgh and Posey Counties.

Diane Moll, a member of Corpus Christi Parish, told of “Just Pretties,” a clothing manufacturing company having great success.  Starting with meager funds, the effort has grown to include two sewing schools, with merchandise being sold in the gift shops of the Royal Caribbean Cruise line.  Her husband, George, spoke of micro-financing projects that have provided the people of Haiti to build their own businesses, such as chicken farms.

Steeve Jean, a pre-med senior studying biology at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, knows first-hand the opportunities the Haiti missions in the diocese are providing.  He is one of 22 students whose higher education has been sponsored by St. Joseph Parish in Vanderburgh County.  The goal is to give students an education that can help the people when they return to Haiti after graduation.

Jean spoke of his gratitude to the people who have helped him, and of his goal to return to his homeland to facilitate change. “I wish to play my part and be there for the people,” Jean said. “The people I love a lot, and Haiti as well because that’s home.”