July was a full month at Samaritan House! A new guest arrived on July 7th and remained with us until July 26th. Many volunteers, both seasoned and new, ministered to Shirley and her family. A total of 93 shifts were covered during her stay, thanks to the commitment of so many! A number of house renovations were completed at the end of July. A new (and higher) commode and a vanity were installed in the guest bathroom, as well as a new baseboard. A new blind will also be mounted in the near future. These additions make the house more attractive and welcoming. Julie Stager will lead an ‘ad hoc’ committee which will include Laurie Coffee and Kathy Schnell. This team will work on an ongoing basis to recruit new volunteers and raise public awareness about our ministry. As an extension of the volunteer drive, Samaritan House had a display at the 2016 Senior Expo on August 5th, hosted by Matt Baker. The booth was manned by Mel Rupert and Susanne Lamphier. Turn out for the event was huge and many people stopped to chat and ask questions about the ministry. A few took applications. Many compliments were expressed about the work done through Samaritan House. Assuming we participate next, Susanne and Mel have many ideas to improve our presentation. New testimonies have been added to our Samaritan House website. We continue to welcome and encourage others to share their experiences as volunteers or family members. Our new website can be reached at: www.samaritanhouseofwellsboro.com. We plan to gather all volunteers for a potluck dinner sometime this Fall. Watch upcoming emails/newsletters for a date and details. We look forward to seeing everyone soon! “Life is a pilgrimage. We are on the march, and sooner or later we shall reach our destination. That destination we call heaven. There we shall see God as He is, and that experience will be the cause of a happiness which will be complete and have no end. We are made for that.”
Cardinal Basil Hume, “To Be A Pilgrim” Dear Volunteers, The Summer season begins with good news from Samaritan House. Eighteen new volunteers have joined our ministry, twelve of whom have been trained to serve our guests. Thanks to all who have assisted with recruiting efforts, and welcome to those who have joined our family! Another orientation/training will be held on Wednesday, July 13th at one o'clock for those who were unable to attend prior sessions, as well as any volunteers who would like a refresher. Please RSVP to samaritan.house.3@gmail.com We are excited to introduce our new Samaritan House website at www.samaritanhouseofwellsboro.com. The website is still under construction; pages will be added as time allows, and we hope to add more volunteer testimonies. Please consider sharing your experiences to inspire and encourage others. Until we meet again, wishing you all a safe and happy summer! My Mission, by Cardinal John Henry Newman
"God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission—I never may know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain; He may prolong my life, He may shorten it; He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends, He may throw me among strangers, He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide the future from me-- still He knows what He is about." The Spring season has been a time of renewal for the Samaritan House ministry. Nine new volunteers were trained, and many more are pending. Please continue your recruitment efforts, as we need at least ten additional volunteers in order to sustain a schedule for future guests. A second orientation and training session for new volunteers (and those who would like a refresher) has been scheduled for Thursday, June 9th at 6:00pm at the Samaritan House. Please “RSVP” to this email so we can plan accordingly, and extend this invitation to anyone who has an interest in our ministry. Applications will be available at the training. The Samaritan House Steering Committee extends a warm welcome to Julie Stager, our newest member. Julie comes to us with many gifts and talents to share with our guests and their families, as well as our committee. All volunteers who served our April guest are invited to an "Afternoon Tea" next Sunday, May 15th, from 3:30-5:00pm. As always, sincere thanks to all of you who serve our guests and their families with care and compassion, and to all of our mothers – “Happy Mother’s Day”! From "Simple Truths" by Kent Nerburn When we come to the end of our journey, and the issues that so concerned us recede from us like the day before the coming night, it will be the small touches -- the child we have helped, the garden we have planted, the meal we have prepared when we were too weary to do so -- that will become our legacy to the universe. If we have played our part well, offering love where it was needed, strength where it was lacking; if we have tended the earth and its creatures with a sense of humble stewardship, we will have done enough. We may pass quietly, and rest gently in the knowledge that we have left the world a little warmer, a little kinder, a little richer in love. Though our moment was brief and our part small, somewhere in the fullness of time, our acts will bear fruit, ant the earth will raise up a bit of goodness in our memory. It is a small legacy, perhaps, but a legacy nonetheless. Somewhere, between a baby's cry and the distant brightness of a star, the mystery was alive in us for a moment. It was our privilege to feel its presence, and to have the chance to pass it on."
Tis like the birthday of the world, when earth was born in bloom; The light is made of many dyes, the air is all perfume: There's crimson buds, and white and blue, the very rainbow showers Have turned to blossoms where they fell, and sown the earth with flowers. —Thomas Hood |
Archives
January 2019
Categories |