Since we had all that major flooding here in Missouri two weeks ago, there is a lot of effort to help people put their lives back together. Personally, I was not flooded since my home is on a hilltop. However, I do have a very large 55 ft plus elm tree down out back. Thankfully, it came down due west, instead of to the north where my bedroom is. I am extremely thankful for that. The storms were very violent and wild, but I do not know of any tornadoes from that batch of storms. But many people were not so fortunate, and lost most of if not all of their worldly goods in that flooding. The Red Cross and many church, civic and government agencies came to see what they could do to help. They set up centers in various communities that were affected by the disasters. I worked at one of the local centers with my church. We have world-wide disaster and famine relief efforts, and we work at the local or national levels in all such circumstances. This was the first time that I have been able to volunteer at such an emergency, so it was very rewarding to be able to do something tangible to help people. Each agency or group has its own set of services to offer to people, and they are easily identified by the color of T-shirts they wear. The Red Cross provides food and water for those working, and for the people who come in needing help for the day. The person in charge of your group gives a brief orientation explaining what work you are doing, and then you basically hit the floor "running", and learn as you go. I rode with a friend, since I cannot drive any more (health reasons). Her and I put in more than 12 hours that day, but many others put in much longer. Some volunteers came from Wisconsin, or other states not close by. [My local church also has a community center with free clothing and household items for those who need them, and we got flooded also, so we were busy more than one day with relief and help efforts]. I worked several jobs that day. One is being assigned to persons/families who come for assistance, and staying with them the whole way through going to the different agencies. Of course, their information is private, so you stand back at a distance and let them tell what they need to privately. Most of them are traumatized, and some want a friendly ear to hear their troubles too. We just befriend them, and offer whatever comfort we can. We try to get answers for any questions they might have if possible. Another job, is at the welcome desk. We take first names and give them a number to wait in line until they can get to the main desk, where they are entered into the computers, which helps them get more assistance [then they do not have to endlessly repeat things such as name, address, phone number, SSNs, etc. because the different agencies have that when they get that far.] We also explain what agencies and what benefits are there for them. The day I was there, we had 128 people go through the center, and some had to be turned away because it was closing time when they arrived. By the time you come in, and get to the first desk, and make the rounds, it takes about 2 hours or so. And the head guy had been up since 3 am that particular day. [he expected it to take until after 10 pm before he could go back to his hotel room...] They do provide on-site free day care for families with children. The day care ladies are certified to do that kind of work--trained, FBI check, etc. The FBI check is required by law nowadays. It was a good day, and very tiring. And then I had another 5 hours of personal things to do when I got home... If you get a chance to work with such an agency, try it.
Helping others is one of the most rewarding things we can do, and it sounds as if you are going to be amply rewarded! The only danger is stressing/overdoing/getting involved emotionally. Please take care of yourself, too, so you can continue to help those who come to the various help centers. Bless your good, giving heart!
I am being careful on those things... And there is no end to one's own work at home. But helping others takes first place.
