Serving with Love: The Heart of a Volunteer in God’s Mission
“Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, ‘Here I am.’”
1 Samuel 3:4
The Lord’s call to Deb Butcher came through the radio… in a spot promoting Joni and Friends Family Retreats in her area in 2001. She had been looking for a missions trip to take with a few fellow church members. And because she knew about the life and work of Joni Eareckson Tada, Deb took a step of faith and signed up to volunteer at Family Retreat.
“Here I am…”
Not knowing what to expect, Deb arrived at Family Retreat where she received training and was paired as a one-on-one buddy with a participant living with disability. And, as Deb says:
“One trip was all it took for me to be hooked!”
From 2001 to 2010, Deb faithfully served as a volunteer buddy. In this role she especially enjoyed getting to know one individual, their family, and their age-group program deeply. Then in 2010, she made a step to overseeing aspects of programming that allowed her to get to know more of the community during each retreat.
“I loved being able to see all the campers and their families. Since I have been involved with crafts, I have had time in the afternoon and evening to participate in a wide variety of opportunities like the coffee house and karaoke, the Thursday family game, the dance… I also got to spend some time getting to know families I never had a chance to know before,” says Deb.
Growing as a Christlike Servant Leader
“I thank God for all the abilities he has given me and the opportunities to use them!”
Deb
After ten years of faithful service at Family Retreat, Deb felt called to serve at multiple Joni and Friends events every year. In 2015 she and her husband stepped up to serve Veteran families at Warrior Getaway in addition to their weeks at Family Retreat. And for the past two years, Deb has served at all five Retreats & Getaways hosted by Joni and Friends Pennsylvania! She shares what these experiences have meant to her:
“I have grown so much a person, a Christian, and a leader because of the opportunities Joni and Friends has given me. I feel seen by the staff, and they have given me opportunities to serve my God in so many ways. Some tasks have stretched me beyond what I thought I could handle but with the support I receive from the staff we have done it.
Because of my experiences at Family Retreat and Warrior Getaway, I am better equipped to volunteer back at my home church. I feel more comfortable with people who are different than me… I truly know that everyone has an ability to do something God has intended them to do. I have also come to greatly value a support team who really cares, wants you to succeed, prays, and works for that end.
I have so many friends I have met through this experience that I wouldn’t have ever met outside of it. They have become family to me. And I agree with the families that this is ‘a little slice of heaven.’”
Step out and follow God’s call to serve…
God called his Samuel—and our beloved friend Deb—to live out his kingdom purposes. And when they answered, “Here I am,” he poured his love into and through their lives. Today you can answer God’s call too, leaning into the commission Jesus gives his followers in Luke 14:21,23:
“Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.… Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.”
Luke 14:21, 23 (NIV)
Volunteer with Joni and Friends
Join us as a volunteer to bring hands-on help and Gospel hope to people with disabilities, at home and across the globe.
