volunteers

Last week, six new volunteers started to work at the center. This was a record number of people who came all at once to volunteer. All of them came with an attitude of great humility and a willingness to do whatever God wanted of them. As the week progressed, I observed that each of them fit in perfectly with everything going on there. Three are registered nurses, two wanting to do ultrasound, one to counsel. Two got busy sorting clothes. One is working on organizing our files. Another recent volunteer took on the project of organizing the entire center, cleaning out areas filled with "stuff" (as opposed to junk!). Once she's done, she wants to help with fundraising. What a blessing these people are, as are all who work there! I often say it's the volunteers who do the real work. I'm merely the cheerleader.

What I've come to realize is that people come to volunteer at the center exactly at the moment their unique gifts and talents are badly needed right then. In this case, the board and I have been praying that we would be able to open up more hours during the week for ultrasound because it's been proven, over and over again, that, once a woman sees her baby on ultrasound, she will begin to bond with that child and turn away from any thought of abortion. And, to have another counselor is ALWAYS a blessing because we are one of the busiest local centers for pregnancy test requests and can easily get overwhelmed by the demand for them. We've been inundated with lots and lots of clothes donations lately and have had no time to sort them. The client files needed attention because, apparently, many of us do NOT know the alphabet when we put files back (!). Too, I find it's more stressful when there is a lot of extraneous clutter in a work environment. The new volunteers are pitching in with all of these things and more.

I also have great respect for the volunteers who have been there for years and years, quietly doing their part to promote life. It's because of them that the center has met with much success. My job has been made a ton easier because of their willingness to share their talents and I appreciate them so very much.

Since October, I was worrying about getting the leaves outside raked before the snow falls, trying to find a volunteer to do it or the time for me to do it. One day, out of the blue, 3 people came, saying they wanted to rake and out they went! I had to leave before they finished but, on my return, I saw there were 15 bags of leaves out back, ready to be taken to the compost place. Now, I looked at my little car and figured it would probably take me all day and a few trips if I loaded them in my car. Just as I was contemplating this challenge, a volunteer drove up with an EMPTY SUV, saying she'd be happy to do the task herself. We loaded her car and off she went! Along with this, I had been noticing for a while that there were lots of weeds growing along the edge of the parking lot. It looked terrible. Shortly after the raking was done, I was told the board president and his wife had spent a Saturday, pulling weeds and cleaning out the gardens. I hadn't even noticed the fruits of their hard work! (Maybe it is like going to someone's house...when it's filthy, you notice. When it's clean, you don't. This is my defense, anyway!) I almost cried when I took a look around. It must have taken them all day to do it all. It was all so beautiful...And, THIS is how things get done at my center.

I believe the Holy Spirit is behind all of this. Many volunteers have told me they were thinking about us for a while and they felt called to come in right when they did. God certainly knows our needs and how to offer opportunities to people to help us! It is a privilege to work with such wonderful, generous people.