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Editorial: Many Francs by Kevin Sims
Many Francs
Forgive my ignorance but, until recently, I probably wouldn’t have been able to tell you what the currency of Switzerland was, yet alone figure out its exchange rate against the UK pound. The daily news means I have a passing knowledge of the relationship between the pound, the dollar and the euro but the Swiss Franc (the mystery currency in question)? I don’t think so!
My interest in the Swiss monetary system stemmed from a letter that came into the office. The envelope was hand-written so I guessed it may contain something a little more interesting than the usual junk mail.
I pulled out a hand-written note that said, simply, ‘Would you kindly remit this amount to Eduardo and Susana Bariloche Argentina (See All the World July–Sept 2003). May God bless them and you.’
I looked again in the envelope and found, to my amazement, a banknote the likes of which I’d never seen before. Closer inspection revealed it to be a 1,000 Swiss Franc note. A quick check on the Internet told me this was worth around £500 or US$750. I was, to say the least, amazed.
I don’t know what I thought first – how generous, how trusting (to send currency through the post), how selfless. In all honesty, the thought of so much money being sent through the mail without any safeguards made me feel a little queasy.
I checked through the last issue to see who it was the donor wanted the money to go to. Captains Eduardo and Susana Madel de Nahuefil was the answer and I read again the story of their work in the Argentinian town of San Carlos de Bariloche. I could see why someone would want to help the captains, though the generosity of the donation still staggered me.
It was also quite humbling to me personally. Into every issue of All the World go stories of The Salvation Army being used to change people’s lives. I just try to make sure it’s readable and attractive. After that, who knows what could happen. I hope that you, the reader, are as moved by some of the stories as I am. I’m also aware that this special Development Issue will go to individuals and also to companies, to ‘doers’ and to the donors without whom they wouldn’t be able to ‘do’ as much.
I didn’t get a chance to thank the anonymous donor in person but I’ll do that here. Thank-you and God bless you. And to anyone else who reads and is inspired to give or to ‘do’ — God bless you too.
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