I’ve been having conversations with many of our volunteers talking about warmer weather, gardens, flowers, weeding, and potato plants that have burst through the soil already. Along with those comments I’ve also heard comments related to soreness and stiffness that comes with rediscovered Spring gardening passion. And yet soreness and stiffness mean I’ve been getting exercise that is good for my body, keeping me healthy. It seems like that could be a lesson for life. So often joy and blessing is mixed with challenge and pain.
In a recent conversation a friend observed that I had used the word “struggle” multiple times while sharing about a personal challenge. As I reflected on my circumstances, I wondered what would happen if I
were to reframe my struggle and begin to see it as a gift. What a change in perspective that is bringing! There’s a Bible verse that says, “Consider it pure joy… whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2,3).
Is there something you been viewing as a struggle or pain that might actually be a gift to you, resulting in good fruit? May you find joy in your current season of life, even through the struggles and pain.
Tim Albrecht General Manager MCC Thrift, St. Catharines
Henry and Clara Siemens – Candles and Fire Starters
Henry and Clara Siemens can usually be found at MCC Thrift on Thursday evenings. First, Henry unloads boxes of firestarters and candles that he and Clara have prepared at home during the week. Clara spends some time on the retail floor tidying up the candle section and then carefully places their wax creations on the shelves for our candle-loving customers. By the end of the evening, Clara has gathered a few teacups or empty candle holders to take home to fill with candle wax. Henry calls this his “homework.” :) Tim asked Henry to reflect back on their volunteering years:
How long have you both been volunteering at MCC Thrift?
Clara started before me. I started when our Shop moved into the Hartzel Road location (2003). How did the idea for making firestarters begin? I used to make them for Springfest (a fundraiser) at church, and then I just keep on going. When the Shop moved into Hartzel Rd., a manager called me up and asked if I could bring some. So that’s when I started to bring them to the “Benefit Shop.”
What departments have you volunteered in over the years?
Shoes, then Christmas pricing, and now what we do at home with firestarters and candles. Clara came up with the idea of using good wax for candles, and the odd colours used for firestarters.
As you reflect on your years as volunteers at MCC Thrift (formerly Christian Benefit Thrift Shop), what are your most fond memories?
We really enjoyed doing the shoes and we really enjoyed moving into Grantham Ave. We didn’t have room at Hartzel Rd. We used to take shoes home clean them up and bring them back. Phil and Joan (former managers) were fantastic.
Henry and Clara’s legacy is a strong legacy of service and passion. They would love to see their recycled wax projects (firestarters and candles) continue when they are no longer able. If you or someone you know might be interested in learning the creative art of Firestarter-making, please let one of our managers know. We’ll help you get connected to learn from the best!
Henry and Clara Siemens’ contribution to our Shop has been long-term. In recent years they have focussed their attention on to do recycled wax, firestarters, and candles. These photos capture some of the work that they accomplish in their garage every week. May 2025. MCC Photos/John Himes and Wes Couture-Burke
Unique Finds of the Month
Wes did the research on this unique find, which quickly sold for $500 after we posted it to Facebook Marketplace.
“That’s bananas!” Jason M., a volunteer in our book and receiving departments, models a recent unique find… a pair of pants to match his banana shirt. May 2025.
MCC Photo/Chris Richardson
Newest Jr. Team Member
Ice cream, anyone? Our Health and Safety Rep., Chris Richardson, models a unique way to protect your hair while in the shower.
Wes Couture-Burke (our Team member for Processing, Hard Goods) and his wife, Nicole, welcomed their first child, Wyatt Wesley Couture-Burke into the world on his due date, Thursday, May 15. Congratulations, Wes and Nicole! We share in your joy.
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. 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
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.” 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.
