After having a heavy heart to serve in this capacity the opportunity finally arose. This was something I had waited for a long time!!! Upon arrival to the church I found the first two stations they sent me to weren’t in need of a volunteer. After viewing the board for places to serve, I saw an opening for the Special Needs area. Low and behold….I’ve taught special education for 30 years and was told they were in need of someone who had some experience to serve in this area,. Although I didn’t have a clue how things were to work in this situation (Red Cross shelter), I felt the prompting to take charge somewhat. Even though I haven’t worked directly with adult special needs to a large extent and what little I had done in the past was a long time ago, I felt at ease stepping in and building a relationship with these wonderful people. It seemed to come natural to me. Many of them were without cots and blankets and with the assistance of the volunteer in the gym we were able to find both, for all that were in the special needs area. I hoped I wasn’t stepping on any toes by taking on this task myself, but it seemed to be an urgent need and I found a way to fulfill it. The special needs people certainly seemed to be very thankful for finally having a bed to lie down on and a blanket to cover up with. After all, I know some of them had been sitting and waiting for a bed for at least the 5 hours I had been there. I don’t know how long they were there before I arrived. They sat so patiently, they never complained or became upset about their situation. They are such welcoming, and jolly people. It warmed my heart to be able to reach some confused and lonely but kind and loving people. It’s such a blessing to be in the right place at the right time. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Now, I pray for those people!!!
Bonnie Benton
Asbury PDF class
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Monday, December 17, 2007
Story 10
I work at TV Guide in Tulsa. A friend at work, Frank Lackey and his wife, Karen own the Dinner Market in the Plaza Shopping center at 81st and Lewis. When power was lost to all of their refrigeration equipment Tuesday morning they knew they had to act fast to keep from just tossing out lots of really good food. First our co-workers at TV Guide were notified that free food (that required cooking) was available. Then hearing on the radio that Asbury was a designated Red Cross shelter and knowing the devastation it was obvious to Frank and Karin what kitchen could handle this kind of volume of food. One call to Virginia and things started rolling. "Just as soon as we get the noon meal served I'll be there in my van" was Virginia's reply.
Around 12:45 Virginia and her assistant arrived and surveying the situation. They said they could use just about everything. Asbury had expected to feed about 150 people but the number increased to 300+ as the day progressed. First the walk-in 10x15 foot refrigerator was emptied of beef, chicken, crab, eggs, milk, butter you name it, just like your home fridge only bigger, a lot bigger. Next they hit the freezers, three of them totaling over 200 cubic feet. Already prepared, but frozen, entrée's were loaded on carts and headed toward Virginia's van. In less than two hours enough food to feed five or six hundred people was headed toward good use at Asbury under the watchful and capable hands of Virginia and her staff - with a lot help from above.
The irony of it all - as Virginia's van pulled away and headed toward Asbury loaded with food for the hungry and temporarily homeless - the lights came on and power was restored at the Dinner Market. Anyone who thinks this was an accident - better think again.
Wendi Brasuell-Fisher (a PROUD member of Asbury United Methodist Church)
Around 12:45 Virginia and her assistant arrived and surveying the situation. They said they could use just about everything. Asbury had expected to feed about 150 people but the number increased to 300+ as the day progressed. First the walk-in 10x15 foot refrigerator was emptied of beef, chicken, crab, eggs, milk, butter you name it, just like your home fridge only bigger, a lot bigger. Next they hit the freezers, three of them totaling over 200 cubic feet. Already prepared, but frozen, entrée's were loaded on carts and headed toward Virginia's van. In less than two hours enough food to feed five or six hundred people was headed toward good use at Asbury under the watchful and capable hands of Virginia and her staff - with a lot help from above.
The irony of it all - as Virginia's van pulled away and headed toward Asbury loaded with food for the hungry and temporarily homeless - the lights came on and power was restored at the Dinner Market. Anyone who thinks this was an accident - better think again.
Wendi Brasuell-Fisher (a PROUD member of Asbury United Methodist Church)
Story 9
What a whirlwind of a week! We heard on Monday night that Asbury was providing shelter to those in need from the storm. On Tuesday, we learned that our church was actually the largest shelter in Tulsa. I am a RN and my husband a Tulsa Fire Paramedic, so we felt we could serve in some capacity. We hit the ground RUNNING on Tuesday around noon and after the first hug, we were hooked for the entire week. We met and served next to many members of Asbury that we would otherwise have not known ~ we have some AWESOME folks! We met many hurting people, took every opportunity to give a hug, share a laugh and received so much more in return. Thank you Asbury for all you have taught us. To quote a man we all admire, “It is good to serve.”
Traci and Michael Owen
Traci and Michael Owen
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Story 8
God has such an amazing sense of timing and often we are just a 'link in the chain' of events. Friday evening we were planning to go to a Christmas party hosted by another Asbury member. We had not thought to call ahead to make sure the party was still on and figured we would head out anyway. We stopped by Asbury to drop off our Angel Tree gift just in case the snow storm turned really bad over the weekend. Well my husband stayed in the car while I ventured in with the gift. I saw so many familiar faces at the Asbury volunteer table that I stopped to chat for a few minutes. Found out where to take the gift and headed then off to the south end of the building. I rounded the corner and an ice storm guest was standing all alone holding the Celebrate Recovery magazine. She promptly stopped me and asked about the people in the magazine and if they are all members at Asbury. She had just read the story from one of the pages and asked if I knew this person as she felt very strongly that the Lord told her that she should talk to this person. She had recently lost her brother and was having such a hard time with the grief. She felt after reading this story that this person would be someone she should speak with about her struggle. So she opens the magazine and shows me the face of the very person who was hosting the party we were planning to go to! I tell her that the funny thing is we are on the way to that very person's home. She gives me her cell phone number, I give her a hug and say goodbye. So as I'm walking away toward my husband waiting the car, there around the other corner comes the 'host' of the party! The party was canceled and he was there to help volunteer. I quickly grabbed him and said, "Have I got someone who is supposed to talk to you." We walk back around the corner and I call to her at the end of the hall. She was stunned and so was I. I chuckled all the way home, just thinking about God's timing in the whole evening. I was just a link in the chain of events for this weary soul.
God is so cool!
Karin
God is so cool!
Karin
Story 7
Red & I worked Tuesday afternoon and evening for about six hours at the checkout desk, and I worked another five hours Friday afternoon.
One incident I was involved in concerned a man who had been taken to St. John's hospital earlier in the week. A friend of the man came by the church Friday to pick up his belongings, which had been left at the church when EMSA transported him to the hospital. The friend had quite a long list of personal belongings, plus two tanks of oxygen, which the patient needed since he was now home. The friend had a woman's name that said that she would take care of the patient's belongings. Searching the church's records indicated that the woman was not a church member, and no one knew who "Betty Roberts" was. So "Gus" who had been in the Command Headquarters of the Red Cross and I went searching for the oxygen tanks. I told the friend to please stay by the check-in and check-out desk and we would look for the items. The friend said, "It's been a bad day. You would think that it wouldn't be hard to find oxygen tanks". Gus and I went to the medical area and asked if they had seen any personal oxygen tanks, and they hadn't even seen the man who had been taken to the hospital. So Gus went to the gym area to look, saying if the items had been left there, he didn't feel that they would still be there. Meanwhile, I saw "Rick", the church's security guard and asked if he had seen any oxygen tanks. He asked if I had asked Doni, who works in the church office if she had any knowledge of the items. Rick got on his radio, and I told Gus that perhaps the items had been put under lock and key in the administrative office.
Meanwhile, I went back and told the friend what was happening. He then said, "I may need to come and check out this church." I told him to come Sunday and that there would be a Christmas program with the choir and the church orchestra at 9 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. I told him about what we normally had and that the church was one that believed in volunteerism and mission work. He said that he had put up all the Christmas decorations at the facility where he worked. The man also stated he didn't ever like a minister who yelled when giving his sermon. I told him, "Oh no, our minister doesn't do that. He tells jokes!" That brought a smile to the man's face...
The man said, "Where could those men be? Did they have to travel to another city to find the office?" I explained that the church was quite big, and the men could have been approached with someone else's problem and been delayed. Soon Rick and Gus came rolling in with a cart that held a big machine, two oxygen tanks, shoes, a robe, and a knit hat. The friend of the man who had been hospitalized left with a smile on his face and very glad that he had his friend's belongings, which the church took good care of.
I have many other stories but I felt this one was enough to start with.
Phyllis Sheffield
One incident I was involved in concerned a man who had been taken to St. John's hospital earlier in the week. A friend of the man came by the church Friday to pick up his belongings, which had been left at the church when EMSA transported him to the hospital. The friend had quite a long list of personal belongings, plus two tanks of oxygen, which the patient needed since he was now home. The friend had a woman's name that said that she would take care of the patient's belongings. Searching the church's records indicated that the woman was not a church member, and no one knew who "Betty Roberts" was. So "Gus" who had been in the Command Headquarters of the Red Cross and I went searching for the oxygen tanks. I told the friend to please stay by the check-in and check-out desk and we would look for the items. The friend said, "It's been a bad day. You would think that it wouldn't be hard to find oxygen tanks". Gus and I went to the medical area and asked if they had seen any personal oxygen tanks, and they hadn't even seen the man who had been taken to the hospital. So Gus went to the gym area to look, saying if the items had been left there, he didn't feel that they would still be there. Meanwhile, I saw "Rick", the church's security guard and asked if he had seen any oxygen tanks. He asked if I had asked Doni, who works in the church office if she had any knowledge of the items. Rick got on his radio, and I told Gus that perhaps the items had been put under lock and key in the administrative office.
Meanwhile, I went back and told the friend what was happening. He then said, "I may need to come and check out this church." I told him to come Sunday and that there would be a Christmas program with the choir and the church orchestra at 9 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. I told him about what we normally had and that the church was one that believed in volunteerism and mission work. He said that he had put up all the Christmas decorations at the facility where he worked. The man also stated he didn't ever like a minister who yelled when giving his sermon. I told him, "Oh no, our minister doesn't do that. He tells jokes!" That brought a smile to the man's face...
The man said, "Where could those men be? Did they have to travel to another city to find the office?" I explained that the church was quite big, and the men could have been approached with someone else's problem and been delayed. Soon Rick and Gus came rolling in with a cart that held a big machine, two oxygen tanks, shoes, a robe, and a knit hat. The friend of the man who had been hospitalized left with a smile on his face and very glad that he had his friend's belongings, which the church took good care of.
I have many other stories but I felt this one was enough to start with.
Phyllis Sheffield
Story 6
A couple we blessed!
As a volunteer I was sitting at the south door monitoring those who came in. A couple came walking down the hall from the east- they needed a place to stay during the day & ate three meals a day with us & went home during the night and slept by their fireplace. They had done this for three days. The wife had been a member of the old Asbury and her husband died and she met a Catholic gentleman and were married and they attended his church sometimes but they were really thankful for our hospitality in their time of need and I invited them to come to our Sunday service. They said they would like to and asked many questions, regarding the services and communities,and I gave them the monthly issues of our magazines.
~Sincerely,
Pat Gunningham
As a volunteer I was sitting at the south door monitoring those who came in. A couple came walking down the hall from the east- they needed a place to stay during the day & ate three meals a day with us & went home during the night and slept by their fireplace. They had done this for three days. The wife had been a member of the old Asbury and her husband died and she met a Catholic gentleman and were married and they attended his church sometimes but they were really thankful for our hospitality in their time of need and I invited them to come to our Sunday service. They said they would like to and asked many questions, regarding the services and communities,and I gave them the monthly issues of our magazines.
~Sincerely,
Pat Gunningham
Story 5
One more experience - I met a man who's new to Tulsa. He came from Michigan and was amused at the fact of being in a shelter because of an ice storm here! He moved following a house fire that took the life of his father. He recently got a job but couldn't start until he had passed a drug test. He had been there three times as of Wednesday and was out of gas. He had a little money in the bank that he couldn't access because all of the ATM's were down. He really needed this job and was worried that he would lose it. I asked him if I could give him a little money to get some gas and he said, "Three dollars would be great. I'll pay you back - I promise!" I gave him a five dollar bill and he was so, so appreciative. I told him that it had never felt so good to give away money and that he owed me nothing. He commented on the generosity of our church and teared up when offering a heartfelt, "God bless you - God bless this church."
Well said.
Well said.
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