{"id":262,"date":"2022-10-18T10:16:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T10:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/upliftindy.org\/?p=262"},"modified":"2022-11-02T15:07:08","modified_gmt":"2022-11-02T15:07:08","slug":"this-shepherd-volunteer-is-on-a-fantastic-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/upliftindy.org\/index.php\/2022\/10\/18\/this-shepherd-volunteer-is-on-a-fantastic-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"This Shepherd volunteer is on a fantastic journey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From stuffing envelopes to coaching students, this Shepherd volunteer is on a fantastic journey<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Bob Hemsley walked through the doors of Shepherd for the first time in 2012. He was there on a mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a smile on his face, Hemsley said to the receptionist: \u201cI just retired a week ago, and my wife told me this morning she didn\u2019t care where I went, but I wasn\u2019t allowed to come home until dinner time. So, I am here to volunteer and help in any way possible!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was the beginning of a fantastic 10-year journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hemsley started as a volunteer by stuffing and addressing envelopes. Then Shepherd needed someone to volunteer in the kitchen, and Hemsley prepared and served food for more than three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He then became an assistant in the Shepherd Academy, helping first graders learn to love learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you volunteer where the Lord\u2019s work is happening, it is double satisfaction to your life. You are doing something of value and making a difference,\u201d Hemsley, who lives with his wife, Chris, in Fishers, said. \u201cI never thought I would work in a kitchen, but I enjoyed it so much. Seeing the kids joyful because they received food filled my heart with an indescribable feeling. It was also very satisfying to help the students in the classroom. I knew I was helping them and everyone with something so simple.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hemsley, who retired after working in the insurance industry, first heard about Shepherd when Executive Director Jay Height spoke at East 91st Street Christian Church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Volunteering at Shepherd has made a difference not only for Hemsley but also for his family. Every year, he brings his family, including his five grandchildren, to Shepherd to serve the Thanksgiving Day meal to neighbors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cServing with my family on Thanksgiving makes us all so thankful for what we have and helps them see why I love serving here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How has volunteering affected Hemsley\u2019s life? \u201cVolunteering changed many of my perspectives because I got to know the families with which Shepherd works,\u201d he said. \u201cI met many Hispanic families and saw how loving, caring, supportive, and hardworking they were. They were such a tight-knit community. I didn\u2019t grow up around a very diverse group of people, so getting to know people different than me helped me learn and grow, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Hemsley loves most about serving at Shepherd are the friendships he made. \u201cThey are lifelong friends I bonded with over helping people,\u201d he said. \u201cI also love the smiles. Every time I came to serve at Shepherd, I had fun and left feeling better than when I arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what would he say to someone who is thinking about volunteering at Shepherd? \u201cPut actions behind your thoughts,\u201d he advised. \u201cUse what God has given you and make a difference today. None of us are promised tomorrow. So, do it now, while you are able and healthy. Before you know it, you\u2019ll be 79 and unable to give as much as you could in your 60s.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To learn more about volunteering at Shepherd, visit: shepherdcommunity.org<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From stuffing envelopes to coaching students, this Shepherd volunteer is on a fantastic journey Bob Hemsley walked through the doors of Shepherd for the first time in 2012. He was there on a mission. With a smile on his face, Hemsley said to the receptionist: \u201cI just retired a week ago, and my wife told […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":320,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-volunter-profile"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/upliftindy.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/upliftindy.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/upliftindy.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upliftindy.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upliftindy.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/upliftindy.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upliftindy.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/upliftindy.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upliftindy.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upliftindy.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}