I have the privilege to serve and lead some incredible Christ like people here at Mud Creek. Below is a response to an effort to meet a need in the lives of people that serve our country and county. Below the response is an article from our local newspaper that will put it more in context.
Candis,
So often I stand silence and never seen in the night watching for danger so others may sleep in peace. And wonder if ever those that I am prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for will ever be grateful. I will never wonder that again. Your gift meant allot to me, knowing that you are concern about my comfort while wearing my body armor. I love the vest it works great, Thank you.
Jonathan Tankersley
By Leigh Kelley
Times-News Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 12:23 a.m.
Volunteers with Mud Creek Baptist Church’s Military Ministry received thanks for a thankless job Tuesday as the Blue Ridge Detachment No. 848, Marine Corps League presented them with a certificate of appreciation.
The group has supported U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan since the war began in March of 2003. Volunteers began sending “care packages” of books, food, crossword puzzles and personal hygiene items to service men and women who were members of the church, but the ministry soon expanded to include anyone who needed a letter of encouragement or some homemade chocolate chip cookies, said Mud Creek Baptist Church Care Ministry Director Candis Patterson.
“After the packages began to arrive over there, we would be contacted by units asking us to adopt them,” she said. “The response was just unbelievable. The heartbreaking thing is we would hear of someone over there that hadn’t received mail or packages from anyone the entire time they had been there, so we would adopt them.”
But the most unique and popular items sent by the church’s 100 members who work with the military ministry are cooling vests and scarves, which are all handsewn by volunteers.
The camouflage vests and scarves have polymer crystals sewn into them which expand when the vest or scarf gets wet, keeping the wearer cool for 24-48 hours, said Barbara Willis, the inventor of the scarves and vests. Willis has applied for a patent in the church’s name to make sure the vests can always be made available, at no charge, to the people who need them, she added.
“We’ve already gone through one sewing machine on these,” she said, laughing. “We’ve had boys write us saying to please send more. We’ve made more than 700 vests and 1,300 scarves. I don’t want anyone to start selling them and make money on it when we can make them and provide them to our soldiers free of charge.”
The Mud Creek Baptist volunteers provide an “invaluable service” to America’s men and women in uniform, said Bob Roubaud, with Marine Corps League Blue Ridge Detachment No. 848.
“These gals have done an unbelievable thing, taking care of our people in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he said. “This is just a wonderful thing and we are very grateful to them for all that they do.”
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