Blessing a Fire Truck
Rev. Marilyn Robb blesses the Glenview firetruck before it starts its first leg of the trip to Guatemala. (Photo Courtesy of Northern Illinois Conference)
© 2025 The Northern Illinois Conference of The United Methodist Church. Used by permission | April 16 2025
The Rev. Marilyn Robb, a retired elder who worships at Glenview United Methodist Church, was reading a mailing from Midwest Mission when she saw a notice that intrigued her.
The organization, which sends tangible resources to those in need, reported that it accepts used firetrucks, firefighting gear and equipment, and ambulances in good shape and ships them to Guatemalan towns that need them.
Rev. Robb thought that Glenview UMC’s Mission Team, of which she is a member, would like to participate. She had heard that the Glenview Fire Department was going to replace an older truck with a new one. On behalf of the Mission Committee, Rev. Robb visited the fire chief and encouraged him to donate the used truck.
Then she visited the fire chief in the nearby town of Niles and convinced him to donate a used ambulance.
The village boards of both of these towns approved the donations.
On the day that the Glenview Fire Department released its truck, Chief Tony DeRose said, “The village of Glenview and the Glenview Fire Department bid farewell to one of our trusty fire engines this morning, but it is not the end of the story for this reliable truck. After serving Glenview these past two decades, this tried-and-true engine will help respond [to needs] overseas.
“Thanks for all you've done for Glenview, old friend. And thanks to Glenview United Methodist Church and Midwest Mission for giving new life to this fire engine.”
Chief Marty Feld of the Niles Fire Department said, “We are honored to donate an ambulance to Midwest Mission. Thank you to the Glenview United Methodist Church for blessing the ambulance and for organizing its transportation overseas. We hope this ambulance continues to provide care and assistance for many years to come.”
Once the church received the generous donations of each vehicle, it cleared the titles with the state. Church members blessed the firetruck and ambulance and then sent the vehicles (separately) on flatbed trucks to MM in Pawnee.
Bound for Guatemala
The fire engine is loaded onto a flatbed truck for its journey to Midwest Mission in Pawnee, IL. (Photo Courtesy of Northern Illinois Conference)
The firetruck left MM on March 24 and the ambulance on Feb. 14. The next legs of the journey entailed a trip to port cities, carried by Food for the Poor. From there, the Order of Malta, a centuries-old humanitarian and medical ministry, accompanied the vehicles to Guatemala.
“Everything we send is specifically requested and necessary, so everything is a blessing to people on the other side,” said Brad Walton, MM’s director of operations. “But on days like this, when we get to send items like fire trucks, we know that the impact is huge. The amount of lives saved because of this donation . . . you can’t put a value on that!”
Rev. Robb maintains contact with the fire chiefs in case they have more gear to donate. She is also working to develop a relationship between the church and the receiving towns in Guatemala.
“Our church [Glenview] is excited about this,” Rev. Robb said. “They are very mission-minded.” The church plans mission projects several times a year and people enthusiastically attend them.
“Thank you, Glenview United Methodist Church, for boldly asking,” the MM newsletter story said. “It’s amazing what happens when you simply tell people the good that can come out of the items they no longer need. The great folks at Glenview UMC did just that, and so many blessings came out of their conversations.”