“And the Greatest of These is Love”

Two unexpected joys that have come from service this year have been feeling like I’m actually part of the team at Joseph’s House, and forming relationships with the mothers and children there. As a volunteer I wasn’t expecting to feel like an actual employee, but the staff welcomed me very well and made me feel like they truly valued my insights and work. The other joy has been by far the best part about working at Joseph’s House. I get to encounter the mothers in several different aspects of their daily lives, all of which allow me to really get to know them and to hear their stories. My favorite thing is when they have good news and come so excitedly to my office to share. I feel honored in those moments to be able to celebrate them and encourage them on their journey.

Along with these great joys, there have also been some challenges. I’ve had to rewire the way that I think about “success” in terms of helping others. I sometimes feel very limited with what I can really do to help these women which makes me feel small and hopeless at times. This has been a hard pill to swallow because on top of that, sometimes residents at Joseph’s House don’t really want our help, or don’t take the advice provided to help themselves which can be very frustrating. Although difficult, these challenges have been helping me surrender my short-comings to God and rely on him more fully to aid these women. This has taken the pressure off of myself to “fix” the unsolvable problem of poverty, and to instead just focus on loving the women before me as authentically and Christlike as I possibly can.

I have seen Christ in the mothers at Joseph’s House through their deep love for their kids. For a lot of these moms, their kids are their reason for waking up each day. Being a single mother as I have been learning is no easy feat. The exhaustion and sacrifices it takes reminds me of the same suffering Christ went through during His passion towards the ultimate sign of love. These moms have that same fierce love and resilience for their kids that Christ has for each of us. I also see Christ in those that work at Joseph’s House in how deeply they care about their mission to serve mothers and children in tough circumstances. No matter the challenges they come across, or how many times they get burnt out by helping someone, they continue to love and give of themselves just like Christ does for us.

Categories: Volunteer Stories

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