Amazing Heart

Why I signed up to go on HOPE worldwide Volunteer Corps and what HVC Kenya has meant to me…

I made a decision on New Year’s Eve to blow out my 60th birthday year with one thing that I love doing the most — serving the underserved. On New Year’s Day, I quickly looked up all available dates on the HOPE worldwide website, as well as local programs, and created a draft plan.

That plan was to do one service project each month with six HOPE worldwide Volunteer Corps or Brigades, alternating with local community service. So far I have completed three of the six HOPE worldwide CSB (Honduras/Guatemala) and HVC (Kenya) and I am set to complete the next three (Tijuana CSB, El Salvador CSB and Haiti HVC) by December 2019. Similarly I have completed three local community service activities (DC Feeding Homeless, POVA Community Outreach and Camp Volunteer) and I am slotted to do three more community service engagements.

Why do I love to serve? I love to serve because it connects me with the people who have so little but are grateful for what God has provided for them. I love their zeal for life, their hope for a better future and their love for one another.

During my time in Embu, Kenya, I got to assist with building benches and dining tables for the students so that they wouldn’t have to stand and eat their meals. The fact that four- to five-year-old kids were standing and eating tore me up inside as a mother, so every chisel/hammer was to help change that for them.

Home visits of the kids that attended the school were very humbling, as most had an 8 x 10 foot space that accommodated all members of the family. Yet, they welcomed us and shared their life with us and their heart-wrenching struggle, but their faith in God remained unwavering.

The owner of the school (referred to as Mr. Manager) is a generous, compassionate and loving man. He provides the school to a community that can barely afford to pay him but he does it to change their trajectory. The parents in the community are filled with gratitude and praises for him.

I loved to witness their desire to learn. During career day, we shared about our career and how we got there. Each child was jotting down the information we shared and asking great questions. These kids don’t take education for granted.

I also love their love for God’s word, even though they don’t possess a Bible. They have memorized verses that they recited to us during vacation Bible school.

On our last day at Modern Green School (Elementary School) we had a farewell ceremony after completing the renovation project. We left the school with mixed emotions. What touched me the most after we drove off and reached our hostel, is that a few minutes later, ten kids from the school walked approximately two or three miles on foot (one of them carrying an infant on her back) to bid us farewell again. We had only spent ten days with them but their love amazed me.

Their heart renews mine to be more loving, compassionate and grateful for what God has blessed me with.

The HVC in Kenya had a special group of volunteers. As diverse a group as we were geographically (Australia, France, US West Coast, Midwest and East Coast) and age wise (the youngest was five and the oldest sixty), we connected because we chose to grow together. We connected daily by having quiet times in pairs, discipleship time daily in small groups, and morning devotionals to prepare our heart for the work. I truly feel this helped us get connected because we made it a safe place for us to be vulnerable.

Our life story is a journey of what we elect to do daily. I thank God for this time and opportunity. I was able to serve even though during this trip I had challenging circumstances. A close family friend passed away and my mom was diagnosed with cancer that would require treatment upon my return. I am grateful to the group of women who were able to pray, cry and comfort me during this difficult time so I could surrender it all to God daily.

I intend to continue to use this experience of being vulnerable with my immediate group, grow in my faith, and be frugal with my resources, so I can serve more and love unconditionally at all times.

Philippians 3:12-14 (pressing toward the goal): “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”