Reputation and Serendipity

This afternoon I stopped in at the pharmacy to get the anti-malarial and antibiotic meds I'll need for my trip to Haiti with MMI in a couple weeks. There was some confusion about my new benefits coverage, so I had a conversation with the pharmacist. He asked where I was going and it turns out he had done a project to Haiti with MMI several years ago.He was very interested in the trip I'm a part of and took my copy of the project calendar to copy so he can consider going again sometime. He also offered a discount on some helpful medications for the people wee're going to serve.Two reflections:1. It is very encouraging right before an adventure like this that carries a certain amount of uncertainty to have these kind of "coincidences" happen.2. People have long and strong memories about things they put some effort into. It says a lot that the people I meet who have interacted with MMI have positive lasting feelings about the organisation. In another industry this might be called brand loyalty; in the non-profit sector it reflects very well on the character and competencies of a largely volunteer based group.I wonder how positively people who were involved in things I was doing a decade or more ago reflect on those experiences?I wonder how positive the reputation of Catalyst will be for those we're working with now when another decade has passed?