Three years ago this month, I had one of the more remarkable experiences of my professional life. I was working as the on-site work team coordinator for the UMCOR affiliate in South Mobile County. It was my job, at that time, to make sure that volunteers who came to assist the communities impacted by Hurricane Katrina had places to stay and work to do. It was also my job to make sure that the work teams had tools with which to work, if they did not bring their own equipment. Several things occurred during the week of Veteran’s Day that confirmed to me that I was doing the work that I was supposed to be doing.

As Veterans Day is a very personal Holiday for me (my grandfather, father, stepfather, father-in-law, brother and sister-in-law all served or are serving in the military, in addition to my own service in the Army), I was in a very reflective mood as I thought about all of those who had given so much in service to our Country. I was also worried because I had volunteers coming to the area that same week and I had no tools for them to use because I already had volunteers using everything that we had on hand. As I worried and tried to figure out what I could do, I got a call from a potential client who claimed to be in need of help. I drove to the home of the individual who called and learned that she was the wife of a recently discharged Marine who had been severely injured while serving in Iraq. The wife was expecting their third child, the Veteran could not work, and their home had been flooded by the Hurricane and had been sitting, untouched, for over two months. Needless to say, it was a bad situation. What made it worse for me was that I had volunteers who were coming to help, but I had NO tools with which they could work. I told the family that I would do what I could, knowing that it would probably be a while before anything could be done. I was not in such a good place, mentally, as I wracked my brain trying to figure out how to make things happen. On my way home, I got another call from a number that I did not recognize and I immediately thought “Not another client calling for help!” No, in fact, it was one of the work crews that I had in town who were getting ready to leave. The guy on the phone told me that the group had decided to DONATE all of the equipment that they had brought with them, a trailer full of tools! I did not know what to say. When I started to tell my wife the story when I got home, I broke down. I was so overcome with emotion and I realized that no matter what I did, I was not in charge and that because I was not in charge, I did not need to ever worry about how things were going to happen. All I needed to do was to continue to serve, and that is what I have continued to try and do over the last three years in this recovery work. Needless to say, there was a happy ending to this story, as the family of the Veteran was taken care of by the many volunteers who continued to pour their love and effort into the area. I will not forget that Veteran, and I pray that each case manager working in this program can have an experience like mine that confirms the importance of your work.

Blessings,

Stephen