Volunteer Corps is Not Just for the Youth!

To all empty nesters and retirees: Do you ever feel that you have nothing to offer? Or that you are too old to make a difference? Do you feel that you have lost your zeal for God? Has it been a while since you felt inspired? Here is a suggestion: Apply for HOPE worldwide Volunteer Corps!
We are two retired educators who decided to push past our fears and apply for India HVC 2018 in Bangalore. And it is the best decision we have made in a long time. As we packed our anti-diarrheal medicine, emergency eye drops and multi-vitamins, we found ourselves saying “Yikes! We are going to India!” The coordinators prepared us well with quiet times from the book of Mark, a reading list and videos to watch, a packing list, instructions for obtaining our visas and setting up a WhatsApp group for all the volunteers in the months leading up to our departure.
We flew from Chicago to Abu Dhabi to Bangalore, arriving about 20 hours after we left. We were met at the airport by two staff, who were the first of many Indian disciples to take extremely good care of our whole group. During our two week stay, we made lasting connections with the other volunteers, as well as with the Bangalore brothers and sisters. By the way, the majority of the other volunteers were ages 15 to 20-something.

Our daily routine looked something like this: wake up at 7:00 a.m., breakfast at 8:00, devotional at 8:30, leave for the day 9:30; work until 3:30, afternoon activity at 4:00, d-group at 6:30, dinner at 8:00, family time at 9:30, lights out at 11:00. In spite of our full schedule, we stayed healthy and enjoyed the variety of projects we worked on. Being the only two seniors on the trip presented no barriers to our involvement and we felt like we were treated the same as any other volunteer.

We visited several programs, including adult training centers, a village school, and a water project. We spent the most time at the HOPE Foundation School, located in a high-poverty neighborhood that serves first generation students from pre-school to grade 10. The goal of the school is “Cradle to Career,” so the vision is to prepare students for a job or for further schooling. The main projects completed at the school were building basketball and volleyball courts, painting hallway murals, organizing the preschool classroom, and facilitating a total re-do of the school library. All the projects required hard work and intense teamwork, which bonded us and built lasting friendships.
We learned SO much! We learned the value of spontaneity – seeing a need and taking a step, even if it is a small one; also letting God have control of the details and the outcome. We learned the difference between compassion and pity. We learned to pray to have our hearts and eyes open to those materially poor. We learned to have faith in God’s timing and trust in the power of prayer. We learned the importance of having diversity in our relationships – across ages, cultures, and experiences.

We have all been to many conferences and heard many inspiring sermons. But we both feel that HOPE worldwide Volunteer Corps has had a deep and lasting impact on us that will not fade over time. Nothing can replace going and doing it yourself. So just GO!