I think God has a sense of humor.
After 4 years of college and 4 years of teaching, I found myself working part-time at Love in the summer months for some extra income before my first baby arrived. (I had never even thought about working in non-profit).
I was tasked with writing about the history of Love. This turned out to be a 14 page newsletter (no, it’s not smart to write that long of a newsletter).
One of the fun facts I learned was that Love Your Neighbor actually started in a doctor’s office basement. And it just so happened to be my Grandpa-in-law’s office. (Seriously, what are the chances?!)
When I wasn’t busy writing my 14-page newsletter, or helping create entertaining content like this, I was helping at the Life Skills Program on Thursday nights. Every week at a local church 50+ local families struggling to make ends meet would come to participate in classes, earn resources and talk one-on-one with a volunteer about reaching their goals and getting out of survival mode. Families would typically stay for 9-12 months at a time.
It was here where my stereotypes of “poor people” went out the window.
The young, pregnant mom I met didn’t make a series of bad choices to get to where she was today. Her partner started abusing her and she made the brave decision to leave.
The family of six wasn’t mismanaging their money. They were going through intense medical struggles and facing growing medical debt.
The elderly woman who made the trip down to the church basement with her walker every week wasn’t trying to take advantage of resources. She lived on social security and ran out of food for her and her grandkids before the end of each month.
These participants started out as strangers, but quickly became my friends.
By simply being present, I began building relationships with them – people who were different than me and trusted me with parts of their story. It allowed me to hold an openness for people I didn’t have before, and grew my faith in so many ways I didn’t even know I needed.
Gaining this new perspective and holding an empathy I didn’t have before is one of the greatest blessings Love has given me.
Fast forward 10 years, and I’m still here (sorry about only teaching for four years, Dad!) trying to convince others to find a way to be a part of what’s going on here in a relational way. I am so incredibly convinced that God uses relationships to transform lives. And that being down in the struggle with people when they are facing challenges is when you will feel God’s Spirit and draw closer to Him.
Will you give it a shot? We know we’re asking a lot. Volunteering is a huge time investment (does anyone have extra time?!), but let’s also trust that what God will allow you to receive from the experience will be even greater.
Did you know we have an urgent volunteer need for:
-Weekly or monthly childcare help
-Weekly or monthly meals prepped/served (small groups, where are you!?)
-Churches to provide financial support for dairy food cards
-8-week commitment to facilitate a class (curriculum provided, variety of topics)
-9-12 month commitment to peer support (walk alongside and encourage a family as they work to reach their goals, no expertise required)
Programs are held on Monday (bilingual), Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights 6:30-8:30pm & Wednesday morning 9-11am at local churches and schools.To learn more, contact [email protected] | 616.662.3300 x120
We’ll be sharing 40 stories of transformation leading up to our 40th Celebration Block Party on September 24th. Please join us!