A sweet way to remember World AIDS day

On December 1st, Lisa Strahl remembers two special events. One is her birthday, the other is World AIDS day. And this year, Lisa and several members of her congregation, South Abbotsford Mennonite Brethren Church, came up with a sweet way to commemorate the day: they made jam. Nearly 120 jars of it.

Lisa (left) and Michele sit amidst the dozens of jars of jam made for people in Abbotsford who live with HIV/AIDS.

The jam will be distributed to people who have HIV/AIDS by Michele Brockman, the HIV/AIDS program coordinator for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in B.C.

“I had a very special cousin named Evan who died when I was 10. Evan had AIDS, which eventually took him from us,” Lisa says.

“He is the reason I have a love for people who I probably will never meet.”

In recent years, Lisa became aware that her birthday coincided with World AIDS Day and she wondered if there was a way she could honour her memory of Evan, her birthday, and others who live with HIV/AIDS.

Last year, Steve Berg, senior pastor at South Abbotsford MB Church challenged the congregation to participate in a “Kingdom Assignment.” They were to begin with $100 and choose a cause to raise money for. The seeds of inspiration were planted for Lisa.

She raised close to $700 for AIDS Walk in 2002. This year, after exploring ways to support people with HIV/AIDS with Michele, Lisa came up with the idea of comfort food.

“Homemade canned goods are always a special treat and I love to can,” Lisa says. “I think it’s a lost art.”

She put out a call for help to others in the congregation. In no time, she had over 120 jars of homemade jam ready to go out to the community.

In the future, Lisa hopes to collect produce from chain stores or local farms and expand to pickles, sauces, relishes and whatever else can “bless the heart of someone who so often feels unloved and isolated in our society.”

It is her hope that “expressions of love to those who are hurting both physically and mentally would flourish in the Christian community.”

—from report by Angelika Dawson, Communications Department, MCC BC