As I drive around Leamington and see all the trees budding, I’m refreshed with the spring rains and hopeful for the warmth of the coming summer season. The smell of renewal is in the air. May was a busy month! Linda Ruby, Low German Liaison for MCCO visited, LiTunjia did a volunteer recruitment event at Nature Fresh Farms Rec Centre, and we received all kinds of help from North Leamington United Mennonite Church Youth Groups and UMEI’s In Service Day.
I am happy to report that our customer
counts are up 222 over last year and we are steadily increasing in sales revenue. A very happy Father’s day to all you men who pour your wisdom and love into the next generation. There is nothing like a Father’s love!
Volunteers, your continuous service here is such a blessing to the poor and needy that it is with heartfelt gratitude we say THANK YOU. We truly cannot do this work without you!
PennyHanslien
General Manager MCC Thrift on Mill
Volunteer Appreciation Events
As promised, April survey participants can expect their Steinmar donuts June 2–7! Your feedback matters and is appreciated.
See LiTunjia Olubusi to collect your sweet treat during that week. If you’re unable to receive it during that time, please let her know as soon as possible so we can accommodate you and ensure you get your goodies!
Health and Safety Reminder
June brings warmer weather, so please make sure to drink water after your coffee breaks. We want you healthy and hydrated!
Enjoy fresh filtered water (found in the fridge), or grab bottled water—always available in the crisper or on the shelves next to the fridge.
New Systems & Organization
Make a big impact in just a few hours. Help us fill critical shifts! Evenings and weekend volunteers urgently needed—join us when it matters most! Get involved by speaking with LiTunjia Olubusi.
NLUMC Youth Contribute at our shop - thank you Joanne, Linda and Dave as well as Youth Pastor David Hrnyk
UMEI In-Service May 9. 2025
Find Nemo? Herb & Ken found a Hummingbird Pro Fish Finder!
Linen Ladies: Teresa, Cheryl, Erma, Louise Linda & Arlene: Linens
Around the Shop
Judy and Eva: retail and cash
Melissa and Agnes Share the Love at ToM. Did you know Agnes completed the half 5K for Hospice?
Have questions or feedback you’d prefer to share anonymously? Share your thoughts in the suggestion box (located in the breakroom). We’ll address them in next month’s newsletter.
Nancy’s Rocking it out in Softlines! Penny and LiTunjia at Volunteer Recruitment Event
Caryl and Helene: Jewellery Processors
BIRTHDAYS
Linda Driedger
Elizabeth Schmitt
Dennis Enns 6/3 6/18 6/18
Theresa Mastronardi Sadie Renwick
Karen Mee 6/19 6/23 6/24
June is here, and with it comes a fresh chance to grow—inside and out.
Whether it’s getting outside more, spending quiet time with God, or reconnecting with people who lift you up, this month is about steady progress.
Life doesn’t always move in big leaps—sometimes growth is just taking a breath, showing up, and doing the next right thing.
Simple Ways to Stay Grounded This Month:
• Take a Pause: Step outside for a walk or sit in the sun and say a short prayer or affirmation.
• Check In: Text a friend you’ve been thinking about or say something kind to a stranger.
Final Thoughts
• Refuel Your Spirit: Listen to music that lifts you up, journal a few thoughts, or read one verse a day.
Whatever June brings your way, remember—you’re allowed to grow slowly. Keep showing up and keep your heart open.
Wishing you peace, joy, and victories.
LiTunjia Olubusi
Volunteer Engagement Manager
MCC Thrift on Mill
June doesn’t always arrive with fireworks or fanfare—but it carries a quiet kind of beauty. The days stretch longer. The trees stand taller. And if you pause, you might notice the world is gently reminding you to do the same.
This month invites us to breathe a little deeper—to let go of the rush and notice the good that’s already here. Maybe it’s a familiar smile in the hallway. A cool breeze after a long shift. A moment when you remember you’re not alone in the work you do or the life you live.
In the Bible, growth is often described like farming: slow, seasonal, and sacred. June is a reminder that not all progress is loud—some of it looks like faithfulness in small things.
So wherever this month finds you, give yourself the gift of grace. Keep watering your roots. Keep showing up. And know that even on the days when it feels like nothing is happening, growth is still taking place.
New Faces Around MCC Thrift on Mill
Bella Kurtis
A Voice for the Voiceless: Justin’s Journey from DRC to Canada
Your work in volunteering at MCC’s thrift shop allows MCC to support refugees and their sponsors who are generously choosing welcome to support refugees resettling in Canada.
Justin Zihindula is one of those people. Justin has not only sponsored folks to resettle in Canada, but he himself was a refugee once and carries the weight of decades of war, displacement and survival. A nurse practitioner from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Justin fled his homeland in 2003 when the conflict that began with the fall of President Mobutu in 1997 turned into a prolonged humanitarian crisis.
“The entire country was invaded… people were killed… the displacement is unspeakable,” Justin says. According to reports, over 6 million people have been killed in the conflict since 1997.
He lived in Uganda for six years, witnessing thousands of Congolese trapped in refugee camps without basic needs. He eventually resettled in Canada in 2009 with his wife, children and niece. Determined to help others, he sponsored additional family members and, more recently, a young woman and her children whose lives were threatened after she resisted a job offer from an illegal organ trafficking operation.
continues to advocate for those still waiting for safety. “There are very many Congolese currently in Uganda who have been there for over 10, 20 years… They have no clean water, they have no food, they have nothing.”
The ongoing crisis in eastern DRC has reached a new level of urgency. In January 2025, the rebel group M23 escalated violence in Goma, displacing hundreds of thousands. “My family members had to run for their lives,” Justin says. “Children saw corpses lying in the streets. It’s horrifying.”
Through it all, Justin remains deeply grateful:
Bahati Kamara Chance, receives food from MCC partner ECC MERU during the distribution to war-displaced people at the Poste camp in Minova, South Kivu, DRC. She received corn flour, salt, and beans. MCC has been working in DRC since 1960.
“Thank you to MCC for the tremendous work they have invested in… helping many refugees who are stuck and who have no voice. I pray that MCC continues to connect with new sponsors—people with the heart to help. We need them.”
Despite the trauma, Justin has not turned away from the needs of his people. He returned to DRC in 2020 to assess the impact of displacement and famine and
With more than 8 million people displaced inside DRC and over 1 million seeking refuge abroad, MCC’s commitment to peace, advocacy and sponsorship offers a lifeline of hope. In addition to supporting refugee sponsorship here in Ontario, MCC is also responding to the humanitarian crisis in DRC with hygiene kits, cash distribution, and long-term livelihood trainings and development projects for those affected by the violence.
