gratitude
[grat-i-tood, -tyood]
noun 1. the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful:
She expressed her gratitude to all of the donors and volunteers of Maggie’s Place.
When I first interviewed at Maggie’s Place last November, I remember being overwhelmed by the generosity of the donors and volunteers. I knew that God had called me to commit a year of my life to learn about living in community, to get out of my comfort zone, and to be a blessing to others. But I had no idea the number of people that God calls to help the MissionCorps do what we do!
Without God placing the desire to serve others on all of our hearts, Maggie’s Place could not exist. I know I speak for all of the MissionCorps when I say we are extremely grateful for the call He has placed on the hearts of all who give their time, talent and treasure to the needs of Maggie’s Place. Our donors and volunteers provide the means necessary for the homes to function. It is seriously more than you can possibly imagine…I encourage you to come for a visit and take a tour of any of the homes to get a glimpse of what I’m talking about!
Our donors are amazing! They actively keep up with the needs of our homes. They often just “drop by” with huge packages of toilet paper, paper towels and diapers. We rely on donations for just about everything…and God always provides through the generosity of our donors! At the Michael house we currently have 6 moms, 4 babies and 4 MissionCorps…we go through a lot of toilet paper! Occasionally, we also need larger items like washing machines and dishwashers…and God provides. Some things you and your family may take for granted, but we still rely on God’s Providence…so He sends someone with ink pens, scotch tape and sharpies, too. We are so very grateful for all of our donors!
Our volunteers are equally as amazing! They provide all sorts of services to help out at the homes. We have Level I and Level II volunteers and both are needed to do all that we do. They assist with things like chores, meal preparation, donations, programs and activities of all kinds…from speaking at “Community Night” to building shelves. They clean with us on “Serve Saturdays” and are present to the moms to listen to them talk about their day or their baby, their good news and bad news.
They hold babies, love on babies and actually babysit during “Community Night” or whenever they are needed. And as Level II volunteers, they provide “house coverage” meaning they are “in-charge” of covering the phones and accepting donations at the homes so that the MissionCorps can do other things like attend meetings, formations and trainings. All of these amazing people spend time away from their own family to be an active part of our community! They get to know us and allow us to get to know them.
Jesus tells us to love our neighbor…and our donors and volunteers answer that call every day!
By Jackie Jennings, a MissionCorps member
