change for change

11/19/09 Our church is completing Imagine No Malaria, the United Methodist Church's goal to rid the continent of Africa of malaria by 2015, working with other global partners. This past Sunday, the children made their contributions to the campaign in the form of coins. A few weeks ago they were given Chinese food take-out boxes and were asked to fill them up. They did! We half-filled a huge red wagon with all kinds of coins. The counting of the coins has been the biggest problem. Our bank no longer has a coin counting machine in Austin. The coins would be shipped to San Antonio and counted maybe within 2 weeks' time. Counting machines at grocery stores usually charge around 9%. We didn't want to do that. So, office angels have been patiently stacking and rolling change. I know we have already counted more than $600 in quarters. I hope we can finish the dimes and nickels today. Yesterday we took the pennies to one of those couting machines. It cranked out more than $117, after taking out the 9%. It all adds up. Change for change.

Love,
Lynn