BECOMING A FRIENDLY AND FAMILIAR FACE AT MIRACLE HILL
- Olivia Mendiola
- Apr 2, 2024
- 5 min read
It is my pleasure to say hello to you again, as I write our second blog post ever! Once again, my name is Olivia Mendiola and I am the Outreach Director for ZOiË VIE Ministry. I come to you today so excited to share about the experience that we have had at Miracle Hill Rescue Mission - Spartanburg thus far. As a team, we have visited and volunteered now 3 times. Personally, my work schedule has only allowed me to be present and participate once, but I know that God will bring me back again soon!
At the launch of ZOiË VIE, Vallery St-Phard, our vice president, had compiled a list of organizations for me to contact once I accepted my God-given position with the ministry. After I received my confirmation and decided to obey, I emailed each of these organizations and then began to research further. It is no surprise that God laid Miracle Hill on my heart first. My husband Efren and I pass the Rescue Mission four whole times a day, during our commute to and from work throughout the week. All this time, I never knew what exactly the building was until God revealed its purpose to me through my research. After I knew, I could not unknow.
Upon recognizing the alignment of our missions, I proceeded to submit a form through the Contact Us page on the Miracle Hill website. I soon heard from Mr. Caleb Massey who extended waivers and forms for us to sign, prior to connecting us to Mr. Benjamin Raines at the Spartanburg location. Ben, with great kindness and enthusiasm, set us up to volunteer as a team in the kitchen on Saturday, March 23rd. But, before the 23rd could arrive, we decided to call Ben back to see if there was an opportunity to commit one day per week to volunteer at Miracle Hill. That being said, ZOiE VIE made its first appearance at Miracle Hill Rescue Mission on Friday the 22nd of March.
Vallery, Sinise, and Efren arrived at the Rescue Mission around 11 a.m. and after greeting the front desk secretary, were met shortly after by Ben. He gave them a brief tour which ended in the cafeteria and kitchen, where they were introduced to the individuals on rotation who had kitchen duties that day. A man named Mark, whom I got the pleasure of meeting the next day, gave my friends their assignment for the afternoon. Vallery was asked to organize the pantry by replacing expired items like bread with fresh loaves and sorting cans. Sinise was asked to assist Mark in seasoning and frying french fries, and Efren, to take care of washing dishes as they came back dirty.
When it was time to serve lunch, the women came in to eat first, scheduled for 11:20 a.m. At Mark's request, a headcount was taken by Sinise, and recorded in a log. 13 women and 1 child were served, and when the men came down to eat an hour later, she counted 23 men that were served lunch that day. The lunch menu that Friday was pizza, garlic bread, and french fries. Although our team members did not get to interact much with the residents on Friday, we all had an opportunity the next day. Vallery and Sinise finished up by cleaning/sanitizing the tables and sweeping the floors, while Efren completed his task leaving all of the dishes clean and put away.
With what time was left over, the team was able to speak with Mark and get to know him on a more personal level. He travels in from out of state, just to serve bi-monthly in the kitchen at Miracle Hill. "It's good to see people traveling from different states to serve other people. We at ZOiE VIE are very fortunate to be able to serve our community in the name of Jesus," Sinise says.
On Saturday, we returned to serve dinner. Since my teammates were already familiar with the space and routine, they were able to give me a quick rundown of what would need to be done and where there was room for me to step in. Sinise had me join her in frying french fries before I was called over to help Val in serving the food. We served the women their food and then Sinise and I were able to go speak and fellowship with them as they ate. I engaged in a lengthy conversation with the only woman who sat alone, about something similar we'd both been through and how God has the ability to grow us through what we go through if we invite Him and allow Him to. Sinise sat and enjoyed time with another group of women who asked her to pray for them in their journey toward healing.
When the men came in, Val and I returned to our positions to serve them their plates. Again, we noticed that there was a greater amount of men than women. Both the men and women expressed much gratitude for our willingness to serve. Some residents thanked us several times, and we gave all of the glory to God. When all the men had gotten through the line and we finished making to-go boxes for residents who were either out working, or working elsewhere in the building, Sinise and I went to relieve Efren from dish duty so that he could have the same opportunity to interact with the male residents that we had to interact with the ladies. A humble resident named Richard helped us ladies get familiar with the dishwashing system. He had an attitude of gratitude to him, and we were all delighted to work with him.
At the end of clean-up, once all of our divine conversations had come to an end, we headed out, lifting the needs of God's people to Him. Every Friday, ZOiË VIE will be at Miracle Hill to serve lunch. We look forward to relationship building and earning the trust and mutual respect of our friends there; including the staff, current residents, and future residents. Please join us in praying for each of these wonderful individuals. The power of prayer is absolutely unexplainable and so immense. We know that the Spirit of God has been moving within the walls of Miracle Hill Rescue Mission long before we got there, but we are so grateful to not only be witnesses of it but also to strengthen it by being vessels for the Lord to use.
Together, we thank you Miracle Hill Rescue Mission of Spartanburg, and Mr. Ben Raines for inviting us in to be a part of something so miraculous and special!
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