Some Unseen Joys of Serving
I had the chance to chat with one of our client advocates the other day, and I’m hoping her insights will be a blessing to you.
Her journey to volunteering as client advocate with us began with her mom. She says her mom always stressed selfless service and spent much of her life serving others. When our volunteer realized she had a personal passion for the sacredness of life, she wanted to serve on site with us. She started as a babysitter – watching our clients’ children while they took parenting classes. She wasn’t sure she had it in her to work more closely with clients, but her mom cheered her on. She completed our client advocate training program several years ago and has been meeting with clients ever since.
Sadly, her mom passed away last year. Each time our volunteer enters our center, she thinks of her mom. She says, “It’s hard. I have so much joy for my mom…that she’s in the presence of Jesus now. At the same time, I miss her so much. I miss the joy of being with her.”
This volunteer also loves the time she gets to spend with our clients and faces a rolling sense of loss with them, too. “I’m so happy to see them progress and succeed! It’s rewarding to watch them learn to parent their children well. They often leave us happier and healthier than when they arrived. It’s when they move on from us, THAT’s when I find myself missing them and the time we had together. And yet – there’s always someone else new to help right behind them. ”
To her and to all of you who volunteer your time to serve others – here’s some encouragement for you: Hebrews 6: 10 – “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” We have all been Created for Him.