Volunteering

I am currently away in Mississippi on a work trip, with seven others from La Plata UMC. Believe it or not, we are repairing or rebuilding houses for people who are still out of their homes or living in conditions none of us would want.  The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) estimates there could be 10 years worth of work for volunteer teams to come down and do.  And not surprisingly, more hurricanes have come already, and will come in future years destroying homes and damaging roofs, from Texas to Florida and up the Atlantic seaboard. 

Volunteers make a huge difference in these people's lives and almost as important, volunteers witness to their kindness and caring spurred by the presence of Christ in their hearts.  We are witnessing to our faith, and Christ is touching these people with our arms and our hands, our smiles and our eyes.  

If you've ever volunteered to use your skills, no matter what skills you have, to help and bless others, then I thank you.  If you've never stepped out of your routine or out of your comfort zones to go on a short-term mission trip, or stepped out of your neighborhood to help someone in another part of the county, then I recommend you make the effort just once.  When you see the appreciation in their eyes, in their smiles, and in their laughter; and when you feel the profound joy in your heart from the knowledge that you have made a tangible difference (an improvement) in someone's life, you will want to continue blessing others for the rest of your life.  I hope that you will perhaps join us next year when we go down again.  And in the meantime, I hope you will practice helping others right near where you live.