Guy Volunteers Needed
JONI: Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a clarion call for more volunteers.
And to give that call today is my friend and coworker, Jase Magarifuji who works in Human resources here at Joni and Friends. I wish you could see his award-winning smile. Because Jase’s desk is near the front door of Joni and Friends, this guy is always ready with that smile when we come to work for the day. Welcome Jase…
JASE: Thank you much, Joni. It’s a pleasure to be here.
JONI: Great! Here at the ministry, as you know, we are always encouraging our employees to take part in either a Wheels for the World trip or perhaps serve at a Family Retreat. And you did that this past summer. You had quite an experience, didn’t you?
JASE: I sure did, Joni. It was my first Family Retreat, so I really didn’t know what to expect and there is always nerves going in to meet a camper, but the second I met Alex, my camper, it just clicked immediately.
JONI: Well, tell us a little bit about Alex.
JASE: Well, Alex had CP. He couldn’t walk — he was in a wheelchair — and he also had a learning disability, but he was very, very smart. He remembered everything. He asked me every morning what we did the day before and if there was anything that I forgot, he would make me start all over again because he remembered everything.
JONI: Now you had to observe his parents. What did they think about all this?
JASE: Yes, so his family had actually been at family retreat for 11 years now, so they were the family that all the new families went to and asked for help and advice and I really needed to see that … You know you go to family retreat thinking that you are going there to give so much to your camper, but they actually end up being the one to give so much to you.
JONI: Now, tell me how old Alex is.
JASE: He is 20 years old.
JONI: Could you see that as an advantage for Alex at retreat?
JASE: Yes, absolutely. I think we connected on that level because we were close in age and we did a bunch of guy things.
JONI: Well you know we have a great photo of you serving at retreat with Alex and we are going to put it up on our radio page, so friend listening just go to joniradio.org and see Jase and Alex in action!
JASE: To all young men and the fathers and the college students out there listening we need you and these campers need you. And even if you don’t think you have a lot to offer, you really, really do. One of the biggest things God taught me was that you don’t need specialized training to be a friend. You don’t need a PhD to love somebody. And that is all we are calling you do to, is to love somebody and be a friend.
JONI: You came away blessed — in what way?
JASE: You now, Joni there were so many things that Alex and his family taught me that I never would have learned if I hadn’t gone. I remember talking to one of the STM’s after Family Retreat was over and he came up to me and he said, “You know, Jase, I’ve been to other Christian camps before, but you are there for yourself and you are there enjoying things for yourself, but this was the first camp that I have been to where our purpose is to serve someone else the whole entire time.” I could tell by the look on his face that he had the same feeling that I was having; that this was one of the best things that we had ever done.
JONI: Pure sacrificial service, right?
JASE: Yes, and that’s the way that Jesus came to earth and He served; He came to serve and we got to experience that and that really, really impacted me because I saw how families with disabilities have to serve their kids or their other family members day after day. It doesn’t just end after one week. And so to just be a small part of that, to help them out it was such a blessing and it meant so much to me.
JONI: Well I tell you what friend listening, as Jase says, we really do need men: young men, dads, uncles, college kids. We need you in a big way. So take a minute today to visit our Family Retreat page at joniandfriends.org and get all the details guys. Now is a good time to sign up, because there are plenty of retreats coming up next month in July, and then in August where we are short of men to help out (right, Jase)? Thank you, Jase, for all your help and for serving as a guy volunteer and for making the call today so clear to our listeners. We need young men like you and we sure would like them with their smiles, right? To be the hands and heart of Jesus at Family Retreat! Friend listening, if you are a guy and you want to volunteer you can get all the details at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends
