mission and ministry
The Rev. Greg Wilcox, the Good Samaritan Society’s vice president for mission effectiveness and senior pastor, says he and others in the group were happy to help. But the week also was a tangible way to show God’s love and demonstrate the Society’s Christian mission, he says.
“Living and working together for five days in Wagner, was one of those life-changing events that both surprise you and leave you feeling grateful,” says Wilcox. “It was clear each night as the group sat and reflected on the day that although we were making a real difference with the work we were doing, we were getting so much more out of the experience than we could ever give. One definition of grace might be: reaching out to help another only to find that one reaching out to help you.”
Volunteer Gail Deckert says the mission trip was nothing short of life-changing, both personally and professionally. “This trip was God’s word made alive in those that I was with,” says Deckert, an administrative assistant at the Society’s National Campus in Sioux Falls, S.D. “I worked until my body ached, I laughed until I cried, and at night I lay upon my bed giving thanks to God.”
At the Wagner center, a majority of residents are eligible for Medicaid, the federal-state program that helps pay healthcare costs for low-income families, says Juffer. Under Medicaid, the federal government reimburses a percentage of what states pay to provide that care. But since the cost of care is more than what’s received in reimbursements, the center loses revenue. To date in 2011, the center has lost about $38 each day, per resident. So having a group of volunteers come to the campus and work contributed greatly to the center’s well-being, both financially and spiritually, Juffer says.
“I honestly could not begin to tell you how much all of our lives were touched,” says Juffer. “The group saw things that needed to be done, asked, and did. They were amazing.”
Trisha Kuchta, another volunteer, says the experience gave her an opportunity to help someone else. “I feel that in order to show gratitude for all the things I am blessed with in my life, I need to give back to other people who may not be as fortunate,” says Kuchta, who also works at National Campus.
Residents, staff members and people in the Wagner community continue to talk about projects accomplished by the mission group and marvel at the contribution, says Juffer. “My life will never be the same, having had the opportunity to have had these folks here,” she says. “I wish there was something I could do to really repay them. They touched so many lives.”
“One definition of grace might be: reaching out to help another only to find that one reaching out to help you.”
The Good Samaritan • 2011 • Vol. 45 • No. 2 17
List of tasks
Painted the outside of a garage. Painted a cooler and freezer. Scraped and painted windows. Removed overgrown bushes and completed other landscape work around the center.
Prepped an area for a sidewalk and poured cement. Removed two large trees and planted a new tree. Removed carpet and wallpaper from a resident room.
Removed wallpaper and wall guard from a section of the center, and plastered the walks.
Painted door jams throughout the center. Touched up painting as needed. Stained wood and repaired old doors. Painted and added new flooring in the time clock room.
Replaced lights in the Villa living room and chapel. Replaced ceiling fans in the Villa living room and chapel.
Cleaned drain gutters.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24