It has been a long time since Tom and I have been able to volunteer to serve at an event with our church. But this past Saturday we actually signed up and were able to be there for Funtoberfest 2024.

There have been many reasons why we haven’t been available.

The most obvious one—we couldn’t expose ourselves to large crowds of people for our grandson, Elias’ sake. He was born immunocompromised during the COVID pandemic. When he was finally cleared from that, he was diagnosed with cancer in 2022. I’m happy to say that this year we have an all clear to serve.

You’ve heard it said that each marriage usually consists of one who says yes and one who more often says no. I am the yes person in our home, so having to say no so many times was hard on my heart.

Our church’s mission is to be a light to the world both locally and globally.

We have done both in the past and have loved every opportunity.

We have gone overseas a few times to The Netherlands, Ukraine and Nassau, Bahamas. We love getting to know friends in other cultures because it has shown us how alike we are.

When we serve others, our hearts are knit together in ways nothing else can.

Volunteering is costly. Your heart resonates with others’ stories connecting you to them in their time of need.

Our friends in Ukraine were staying with us the day the war began. Experiencing such a tragic event with them has made this war with Russia so much more personal. And our love for all Ukrainians too.

While we were passing out candy at our Candy Land decorated car, I said, “Welcome to Candy Land. Pick your two favorite candies!” The smiles said it all.

One mom and her son were obviously from another country based on their broken English. When I asked where the were from she said, “Ukraine!” My face lit up happy to meet them. The only thing I know how to say in Ukrainian is, “Slava Buho”, which translates to “Glory to God”. When I said this their faces lit up too. It was a connection that made the night special.

Volunteering together is a privilege that unites us in a common cause.

Have you volunteered together? We’d love to hear about it in the comments.

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Welcome to our new followers. We pray you’ll find our posts helpful in growing a healthy marriage for “slava bulo”, glory to God!

Blessings,

Tom and Debi