Out of the Ordinary
Volunteers learn what "missions" means to the Adventist church.
By: Fylvia Fowler Kline
education have been added. A Vanderbilt-affiliated BSc Nursing School will begin in August 2005. The only Adventist primary school in the country was opened three years ago. Many creative evangelism methods are in place in this land where it is illegal to proselytize.
We could not have started or sustained any of these endeavors without the help of volunteers. At Scheer, volunteers are welcomed on the premise that volunteerism is not always about meeting short-term needs of the hospital. It is also about establishing long-term relationships and creating an environment of nurture for those seeking meaning in life through service. As a result Scheer has been blessed with a variety of volunteers. Below are a few examples of the more than 200 volunteers we've met at Scheer in four years.
1. The atheist: She found Scheer on the internet. A couple of months after arriving, she began coming to church. Her term ended and she left. A year went by before I heard from her. She said that Scheer had helped her decide to become a doctor and serve the poor, and that she was attending church now! We also received a donation from her family and a letter thanking Scheer for the part we played in helping their daughter find meaning in life.
2. The non-practicing Christian and Muslim couple: We needed coverage in two clinical departments for six months and couldn't find a traditional Adventist couple to fill this need. This newly-married couple didn't quite fit our Adventist campus mold, but we accepted them and they accepted us with all our quirkiness. During their stay, their ecumenical spirit taught us straight-laced Adventists a few lessons in Christian lifestyle. They even told children’s stories at Divine Service and joined our choir!
3. The free-spirited hippies: An unmarried couple sought us out on their vacation, willing to do whatever needed to be done. They did everything with a wonderful spirit-painting, cleaning, teaching, whatever we needed. They came, they volunteered, they left. We have never heard from them again, but we believe that their stay here was
purposeful to them, to Scheer, and to God's bigger plan.
An eclectic mix of volunteers experience Scheer. Some of them provide invaluable services, others meander through our lives looking for something missing in their own lives. But they all leave with an understanding of what "missions" means to the Adventist church.
Editor's Note! Yes, what is happening in Nepal is a little out of the ordinary. Normally the General Conference only accepts volunteers who are baptized Seventh-day Adventists. But there are occasions when the need is urgent and a member cannot be found, and the rule is broken. Due to the rapid growth at Scheer Memorial Hospital, they have elected to use all kinds of volunteers and as you can see, it could have eternal dividends.
Fylvia Fowloer Kline with her husband and children, moved to Nepal in 2001 from Maryland, USA, and serve as missionaries.
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