by Dick Probst, MCV, Catholic Charities
I
am serving with the diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee in northwest Florida.
I work at Catholic Charities in the Panama City regional office,
which covers six counties. Our programs include: a homeless shelter, a boarding house
for low-income single men, a two-building thrift store, emergency
financial and other assistance, the largest food pantry in Bay County (the
location of our office), adoption services, and several other programs.
A twelve-person staff and several dozen volunteers provide these
services at three locations in Bay County; and some of them on an
as-needed basis at locations in the remaining five counties of our region.
I arrived in Panama City, Florida in August 1996 to begin my
service as a Missionary Cenacle Volunteer at the Catholic Charities
regional office. After
completing an initial visit, the MCV director and I agreed that this
mission site and I “fit” each other.
My given job title was “Agency Support Person.”
I guess the “fit” must have been completely custom-tailored,
because August 2003 saw me begin my eighth year of service with Catholic
Charities.
In the course of my first ninety (!) months, I have driven four agency vehicles thousands of miles; lifted and moved hundreds of tons of donated items (clothes, furniture, food, cars, organs, household and kitchen items, appliances, pianos, exercise equipment, etc.); helped our clients in more and diverse ways than I can possibly list (distributed food, given furniture, listened a lot, offered advice, driven them everywhere, tutored schoolwork, etc.); entered homes ranging from multi-million dollar edifices to almost third-world hovels; discovered a dead body; eaten fabulous (and some not so fabulous!) food; and watched marvelous sunsets. I have become so much more aware and appreciative of God’s presence in my life, the immensity of His love, the incredible results of trust in His Divine Providence, and the absolute truth of the statement that “God will never be outdone in generosity”.