Bethlehem Connect March/April 2019 | Page 4

Faith & daily life At the heart of our faith is the belief that God meets us where we are in all the places and relationships in which we live, work, play and relate. We pray, support and encourage one another as we grow deeper in faith and learn to trust God with our whole lives. Some of us are new on the journey; others have been at it for a while. All of us can find inspiration and hope in the stories of our fellow travelers. FAITH & DAILY LIFE is featured with stories of God at work in YOUR life. The Blessings of Volunteering by Rosemary Dean It was ten years ago that Bethlehem agreed to host and staff a new program called The Gathering, a program for people with early to mid-stage memory loss. I was approached to participate as a leader and after learning more about what would be involved, I felt called to be a part of what I saw as a real need in the community. I liked the uniqueness of the program in that in addition to a lead team, each participant would have a volunteer with them for the entire day. I had been looking for a volunteer opportunity which would fill a need and be a good fit for me. Rosemary Dean ...Even though I don’t know where this journey is leading us, I do know that Jesus is walking it with us. At the outset I had committed to serving for a year, but God had other plans for me. One year became two, and then three, and by the time I had retired from a lead position, I had served nine years. I have been incredibly blessed by being a part of this ministry. Friendships have been cemented, I have used gifts I didn’t know that I possessed, and my faith has grown as a result of how I have seen God at work through the dedicated volunteers and the families we have served. Plus, I was really having fun and looked forward to Thursdays with our little Gathering family! Along the way, as our team chose themes for each Gathering session, I was learning new things and being challenged and invigorated. I was also learning about patience and compassion. Then somewhere along the way, I began to notice subtle little changes in my own life. My husband was beginning to show signs of memory loss. In retrospect, I feel that God was training me for my new role as a caregiver. I still have a long way to go, especially in the patience category, to be the kind of caregiver I want to be. Pastor Mary’s sermon referring to Jesus being in the boat with Simon Peter helps me to understand that even though I don’t know where this journey is leading us, I do know that Jesus is walking it with us. I am incredibly grateful to my Bethlehem faith community and all the wonderful volunteers at The Gathering for being there for me. I am practicing giving thanks for the little blessings in life and for my own amazing family for being my major support system. Indeed, God sometimes works in mysterious ways to accomplish his purposes. 4