Al & Diane Mellinger's Missionary Adventure

Overhead

February 17, 2024 – Every week we have a few people that stumble into the shop and take some time to look around and make all kinds of wonderful comments on the shop. They love the idea and they love what we are doing.  The folks then thank us and leave not buying a thing but almost always with the statement “We’ll be back.” The accolades are rewarding but they don’t pay the bills. 

As I stated earlier in the month about our options for staying in business. One is getting monthly contributors to cover the overhead expenses we have. This would include rent, utilities, insurance, and some labor costs.

(Our REED workshop space where we work to make things to sell)

(Some of the retail space)

We need about $3,500 a month to cover these.  I know it is not glamorous to give to this, but it is needed.  If you want to help even with a one-time gift during the really slow winter months that would be great.  If you want to contribute to this need monthly that would be awesome.  If you are not able to help please join us in prayer for these needs and wisdom to know if it is time to serve in another way.

Thanks for your prayers.

Looking for Volunteers – Could you be one?

February 8, 2024 – As we shared last week, we are needing to make some changes in how our retail operations function. 

We are looking for folks who would be willing to work at the shop one or two afternoons a month.  They would help us wait on customers, tidy up the displays, and minister to the folks who come in.  The volunteers will be trained and given all the information they need to serve. 

As a thank you on the days that they serve they will receive a 20% discount on anything you purchase.

One cool thing about working at the shop is that you get to learn more about our partners and the people who are being helped.  It is not just unique items that we sell they are also a way a family supports itself.  “Every tag tells a story and every story helps a family” is a saying I share often with customers.

If you would be interested or just want more information about being one of our Volunteers please email me at [email protected] or call me at 517-395-3054.

This week continue to pray about the store's needs and how we can continue to help the needy around the world.

Where we are at as a Ministry

February 1, 2024 – “Times they are a changing” is the best way to describe where Marketplace Manna is right now, at least for the retail operation. 

We do several things as a ministry:

• Retail Sales
• Service with those in need
• Travel and speaking to people about the poor.

The people in need and how we work with them will be something we do until we are called home. 

Traveling and teaching folks about how to serve the poor is also something we will do as much and as often as we can.

Our retail operation is going to need a change.  The overhead (rent, insurance, payroll) is all more than what we make.  It has been like that for a while, and we have been putting our own money in each month to cover the shortfall – thinking that things will turn around, but they have not. (We get no income from the store personally)

So, we are looking at several options:

• See if we can lower our overhead by staffing the store with Volunteers from the area.

• Get partners to donate to our expenses so that the sales can be reinvested back into helping the needy instead of paying our bills. Currently, it is about $4000 a month.

• Close the store and workshop completely and just sell what we have through pop-up shops in churches, fairs, and in Holiday Pop-up Shops.

• Liquidate everything and retire.

We had a vacation planned since last July for 15 days in January and part of what we did was try and figure out what to do next.  What you see is what we came up with.

The reason I am writing everyone about this is to ask for prayers for what we are to do next.  We are going to be staying as we are through February, but will then have to decide what happens next by the end of the month.

Diane and I have always been up for adventures and following God wherever He leads.  We have been through tough times so we are not worried about what is next for us if we do close things down.  We don’t really want to do that until we have explored all the options and let our supporters know what is going on.  Please join us in praying for God to show us what is next with this work.

If you have other ideas - we are open.

If you want to help by volunteering - email me at [email protected]

If you want to donate to our monthly store expenses, click here https://tithe.ly/give_new/www/#/tithely/give-one-time/3138219

Thanks for all your support and prayers over the years.

In His and Your Service,

Al & Diane Mellinger

Year-End Stories and Opportunities

December 20, 2023 – One place we work with each month is a home for low-income elderly women.  It’s called the Friendly House. Each month we go and give the ladies a project to complete, and we pay them for their time. Over the last couple of years, they have helped us create ornaments for Christmas.

This year we decided to pull a collection of the ornaments they have made and give them as a donation to the home so that the ladies can see their creations.  Here is a post and photo that the Friendly home made on Facebook.

Story Behind the Tree

Some of the ladies have been working for Al at Marketplace Manna Inc. They have been busy making ornaments, bags, heating pads, and other items which are then sold in store at Marketplace Manna in downtown Jackson. Some of the ornaments the ladies made were donated back to the home so the ladies could enjoy them this season. If you’d like to check out other items, they have made visit Marketplace Manna Downtown.

We are working to change the lives of these ladies as we not only have them work for us, but also share the love of God with them – at times offering prayers for the needs that they have.

Diane has also begun to engage with My Place in Jackson. It is a home for girls who have aged out of the foster care system.  She has been asked to do an early morning shift (6-8 AM) So she is the one who helps get these gals off to school.  It has just begun and Diane is enjoying the interaction and the influence she has on these girls lives. (and that is saying a lot as Diane is NOT a morning person)

Why do we share these kinds of stories?  It is not to make us look good but rather to let you know that there are places, people and programs all around us that need God‘s people to engage.  We are finding that God keeps putting opportunities before us so that we can learn more about the people in our neighborhood.  We think it is also about how we can bring the love and message of Jesus to folks who are not currently getting much support. Our goal is to take what we have learned and are engaging with to help train others in their cities to go and do the same.

We want to thank you for your support both financial and prayer.  We are many days on the front lines and without your prayers and support it would be much tougher. 

As you think about your year-end giving and commitments for the coming year we ask that you continue to consider our work and what we do.

To give to our work Click here https://app.aplos.com/aws/give/MissionIgniter/Mellinger

Pray for Wisdom as we engage and go deeper into the lives of the folks in our Town.

Pray for our support to stay strong this coming year

Pray for the store - Sales have picked up a bit and we need that to continue.

Prayer Needed

December 6, 2023 -

Okay prayer warriors, we need your help.  Sales this holiday season are not where they need to be for us to make it.  If they don’t pick up after the first of the year we will have to take a serious look at what we are doing and if it can be sustained.  Please pray first of all for wisdom, second for sales.  We need folks to come in and leave with product from the store.  It is nice to look and admire the unique items we have but they are there to be bought and taken home or given as a gift.

It is always fun to tell folks about the store as they come in to shop.  Almost everyone loves the concept and the fact that we are all about helping people care for their families.  Then after checking out the store and telling us that we have some really great items here, they leave without buying a thing.

I know times are tight for most people.  Inflation and income are making your spending dollars are not going as far.  But we are not getting the holidays sales we should and need the income to pay off some venders and to prepare for the lean winter months.

This is where we are at and so we are just being real.

Thanks for all you prayers and support.

A Couple of Stories!

November 25, 2023

 

The Impact of a Braided Chew Toy!

 

This fall a lady came into the shop. We greeted her as we do all customers letting them know about the shop and what we do.

 

As I was about halfway through, she interrupted me and said are you the one that goes to the shelter?

 

I said yes, we are. She then stated that she was there, and we paid her to make chew toys for the dogs. She continued I am getting married, and we are buying a home and I wanted to come by and make a purchase to help you guys out with what you are doing.

 

We thanked her for coming in and for her success, but inside I was holding back the tears.  We often do not get to hear how the folks we are helping, even in just a little bit.  Sometimes we do not know if what do is appreciated or even helping, but occasionally, we hear a success story that reenforces our drive to serve those in need that we encounter.

 

Your contribution to our development fund will help us do more projects to help folks and groups we can partner with. Click here

 

Woman’s Home

 

Every month we go to a local low-income elderly home near us.  We have 7 residents of the home that we work with each month.

 

We take in the raw materials and show them what needs to be done. The items that they made last month are picked up and paid for.  The skill set is everything from a 2-step project to sewing our Heating and Cooling pads.

 

These gals don’t have the funds to live alone and so what they do have coming in all goes to covering their living expenses.  The home does give them $60 a month for incidentals. That does not go very far so what they make from us helps them get some things they want but couldn’t otherwise.

 

What amazed me was we drove by this home for years never knowing what they do and what help they need.  As we have more donations we are now on the lookout to find more groups serving those in need and see if we can partner with them. 

 

To give to our development fund go to https://tithe.ly/give_new/www/#/tithely/give-one-time/3138219

 

Gratitude

November 20, 2023 – It is a couple of days before Thanksgiving, and we are looking forward to having our family at our house this year.  As we look over the past year, we are filled with gratitude for all that we saw God do.

We met so many people who were and are supportive of the ministry we have to the poor around the world.  Yet we also find ourselves exposed to so many more that we would like to serve and share the love of God.

One area is our local REED Workshops and Reed Workshop Center.  This is where we pay the homeless and low-income elderly to produce items that we sell in the store and online.  What we need to increase this ministry is start-up/development funds.  As we pay them when they produce the items not when they are sold.  That means we need funds upfront to start working with new groups.

This year as you think about Giving Tuesday and where you want your donations to go, would you consider a donation to REED Workshops?  Every amount helps us serve and encourage those who are in true need.  To give click here https://tithe.ly/give_new/www/#/tithely/give-one-time/3138219  all funds given this month will be used to expand the REED Workshops for 2024.

Upcycled angels out of sheet music in our Reed Workshops

Thanks again for your prayers and support!  We are truly grateful for your partnership!

Here is a Recent interview we did for our 5th Anniversary

 

 

 

5 Years and.....

November 13, 2023 – Happy anniversary to us!  It was on November 15, 2018, that the Around the World Shop opened and began selling handmade items that help the poor.  What started out as primarily knitwear now has more than 5000 items from more than 50 countries, partnering with more than 30 organizations.  When we started 5 years ago, we never thought of what it would become.

One of the major focuses we have now is working with the needy in our own back yard.  As part of the program, we now monthly work with the homeless and the low-income elderly in Jackson. 

We will go to the Interfaith Shelter (homeless) with the materials needed and teach the folks to make something that we then sell in the store.  They are paid $10 an hour for their time and it will run from 2-3 hours when we go.  We work with 4-5 folks each time.

We also go to a home for low-income elderly woman.  Again, once a month we go to their facility and give them the materials needed to make specific projects.  We pick up what they made the month before and pay them for their time. We give them new materials for this month’s project. We currently have 7 clients there.

REED Workshop

This year we have been working to create a workshop where bigger and more skilled products can be made.  We have space in the store and some equipment to create bigger and better products.  We are excited about this but also need some help.

Since we pay the folks, we are serving as they work, we need the funds up front to cover materials and their labor. We are asking that for GIVING TUESDAY this year you might consider a gift to the Development Fund for the REED Workshop.  This will give us funds to invest in people who are often down on their luck and need a hand up.  By having more funds up front we can better plan projects that are sustainable and will help us better teach more life long skills.

We project in the workshop it will cost us about $500 a month to manage the projects.  If you would like to give to this idea you can mail a check to Marketplace Manna 151 E Michigan, Jackson, Mi or give on-line by clicking here. https://tithe.ly/give_new/www/#/tithely/give-one-time/3138219

We want to share one story. This fall a lady and young daughter came into the store. We greeted her explaining what we do and why.  She asked, ‘Are you the ones who go to the shelter?”  We said yea and she told us she did the dog chew toys before but is now back on her feet, getting married and they are buying a home. She said “I wanted to come by and see the store, help by buying something and to say thanks.

When I encounter folks who’s lives, we had a small part in making a difference we are reminded why we do what we do!   Your support helps us to do what we dol.  Thank YOU, for the prayers and financial contributions you can make.

Here are some pictures of items made this year.

Summer Update 2023

September 29, 2023 - This Spring and Summer have been busy, but for us that is normal.  Highlights by the numbers We have spoken at 14 churches, attended 6 annual Conference, and our General Conference.  We have driven through 19 states (and counting) or about 15,000 miles.

All that is interesting but not the purpose of what we are doing.  We travel to share about the work that we are overseeing and about how the local church can intentionally be more engaged in serving the poor in their neighborhoods. Challenging them with a message entitled “Who are You For.”

When not on the road we are working with the local Homeless and low-income elderly in our backyard. We have found that God continues to put us in places to help us connect to serve folks in need.  Now as we travel and share it is not out of theory it is out of experience. 

The retail store also keeps us busy, but we are finding our place and connecting with the local Business leaders, including sharing our faith as a reason for what we do.

As we look to the fall, we are preparing for the busy Holiday season.  If your church or groups would like us to come or just send a table of items to sell for the Christmas season, we are always ready and up for that just let us know and we will make it happen.

We are sensing that God is about to do some exciting things with where He has us and we would appreciate prayers as we seek to follow and serve God in these nontraditional ways.

Long Over Due Update

July 17, 2023 – It has been a while since we posted to our blog. (Quite a change from when we posted every week) We have not been on vacation but rather – very busy with Store changes, Annual Conferences, Church speaking and product development.

With the closing of our Ann Arbor location, we have been repossessing all the inventory back into Jackson and looking at future business models of how to move product.

We have traveled to West Virginia, Wisconsin, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and multiple stops around Michigan. Speaking at 4 churches and attending 5 Annual Conferences since our last report.

We are also adjusting to living and being a part of the Interfaith Homeless Shelter community in Jackson.  We are renting a home from them and getting to know the folks in an informal way.  We are gaining a great deal of first-hand knowledge about what these folks are going through.

We are also getting more involved in the community beyond our church work. For more than 40 years we have always been Pastors/Missionaries.  We are getting involved with local Business groups and the Jackson Breakfast Rotary Club.  These have been helping us build great connections for future partnerships and work.

We are working with a couple of churches helping them figure out how to connect and impact the needy in their backyards.  Coming in with fresh eyes and helping them learn to ask the right questions to get to the core of their needs.

It has felt like it has been a pivot for us, and we are still in the process of figuring out what that pivot actually is.

We also celebrated our 40^th Wedding Anniversary on July 2^nd.   Time has certainly gone by quickly, but we also got to reflect on all that God has done and all that we have gotten to witness.

 We wake up most days excited about what it has in store for us.  Not to say there are not struggles – there are but we see that as normal and know that God has got this (Whatever “this” is!)

All this to say that we have no big breakthroughs to share and big problems to overcome just faithfully doing what we can each day to serve and reach the poor around us.

As far as things to pray about:

• We still have a great deal of traveling to do this year (Florida for General Conference 23, Minnesota, South Dakota, Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, and Massachusetts for presentations with family visits.)
• Wisdom as we Pivot and figure out how we do this thing with today’s economy and business Climate.
• Our Team we need so folks to come around and help us – Pray God sends who we need. (As we are not sure what we really need)