volunteer experience
volunteer experience
Susie Dyck volunteered in Monte Lake, British Columbia, in the fall. Since returning home, the member of the Sommerfeld Mennonite Church in Mount Salem, Ontario., had time to reflect on that experience. Now that I’m back to my regular life at work and home in Ontario, I’ve had some time to reflect and look back on my time with MDS. It was a wonderful experience! Through strong and wise leadership, I gained so much while serving with MDS: perspective, knowledge, friendship, experiences and personal growth. This was all made possible because MDS does a wonderful job at creating a safe and fun place for growth, fellowship and relationships. Getting to know everyone and creating relationships was probably my favourite part during the weeks I spent in Monte Lake. It truly was about laughing together, crying together, learning together, simply just doing life together with strangers who became family. I went to Monte Lake with the thought that I would be serving and helping others. But I left feeling served, refreshed and renewed, like I’d received more blessings than I had given. And yet, somehow, we got to be a blessing just by being a group of people who walked where they were called to and trusted God to do the rest. We all, along with everyone who worked on those homes, were small but mighty instruments in God’s plan for the people of Monte Lake—and for each other. I felt unified in spirit with everyone who worked on those homes and made restoration possible. A tiny piece of restoring hope in Monte Lake
MDS was his therapy
After his stroke, one of the things that made Abe Gotzke sad was not being able to volunteer with MDS anymore. Or so he thought. Gotzke, 72, of Abbotsford, B.C. suffered the stroke in April. Fortunately, it didn’t affect his mobility. But it impacted his speech. “I talk slow now,” said Abe. “It’s hard to make conversation.” The stroke also made him weak and tired and impacted his strength and endurance. For that reason, volunteering with MDS—which was busy repairing homes in the Fraser Valley damaged by the flood of November 2021—seemed out of the question. But he thought he’d give it a try. “I tried painting. I went slow. But after two hours, I was done. I couldn’t do any more,” Abe said of that first day. He apologized to Mark
“It felt good to be able to do things like that again.”
Rempel, who was heading up the work in the Valley as part of the MDS B.C. Unit. Rempel told him “he was welcome back anytime to do what he could.” Abe did come back. And each time felt a bit stronger.
– ABE GOTZKE, VOLUNTEER
“I was finally able to work myself up to almost a whole day,” he said triumphantly. “It felt good to be able to do things like that again.” For Rempel, Abe’s determination is inspiring. “It was good to see the smile on his face after he did some caulking,” he said. “It shows that anyone can do MDS. Abe proves it.” — John Longhurst
behind the hammer 11
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