By Marilyn Risden
For 70 years, the CMML Clothing Center has been practically assisting the Lord’s servants, providing clothing, shoes, and accessories that meet the workers’ personal and ministry needs. The Clothing Center serves those with a current assembly commendation, including active and refocused missionaries and home workers. Monthly, volunteers from local assemblies sort and purge the Clothing Center to keep it in excellent condition and create a welcoming environment for our guests.
JUST THE THING MISSIONARIES NEEDED
We continue to witness the wonderful ways through which the Lord provides for His workers: Some find a specific shoe size and style, clothing items suitable for a family member with special needs, or “new” luggage. One family used the Clothing Center to replace its essential wardrobe after it had to suddenly evacuate its country of service, arriving at CMML with minimal clothing. Others select appropriate clothing for transitioning from one climate to another.
BLESSINGS FROM ONE COUNTRY TO THE NEXT
Often, missionaries find items they can use in their ministries. After the Clothing Center received a large donation of lightweight drawstring backpacks, Becky Hulshizer (Missionary Prayer Handbook Day 22) took a quantity to use as prizes in her Bible club and camp ministries. Jeanne Lipsi (MPH Day 19) has utilized the colorful backpacks in her children’s outreaches too. She has also selected clothing to pass on to a Brethren home for older people in Brazil. Small accessories, such as scarves and costume jewelry, are easy to travel with, and the women in Jeanne’s various ministries eagerly accept these items. A special-areas missionary family discovered some clothes that the staff at their school would find useful. Women from the nearby villages work at the school to support their families, and they appreciate the gently used or new items. Sarah and Jerry Mattix (MPH Day 25) took several suitcases of clothing back to Cyprus to use in their ministry to young women seeking political asylum and college-level education. Of the clothing donations we received for this ministry, several came from young women in one of our local assemblies. The ladies in Cyprus were thrilled to add to their wardrobes. Since luggage fees are expensive, missionaries may be un-able to take large amounts of items back to their field of service. We are sensitive to this fact. So, if a family member or group from a local assembly plans to visit a missionary, we will happily help them prepare items they can deliver.
GRATEFUL HEARTS, HAPPY CLOSETS
Our guests are grateful for the Lord’s provision, as seen in the following comments:
• “The Clothing Center has been a huge blessing to our family, and we all were able to find so many things that we really needed.”
• “We found clothing for our family for the next two years.”
• “We found everything that our boys needed for boarding school! We did not expect to find things for our son who is small for his age, but you had it all! You saved us so much money and time searching for his size.”
• “We thank CMML for sending our girls new clothes and lots of love from America.”
It is a blessing to be involved in this aspect of CMML’s care for the Lord’s servants. Truly, God does provide—even beyond what is needed!
Originally published in Missions magazine, July 2024. For more content, sign up for a free subscription (US) to Missions at CMML.us/magazine/subscribe
