I learned that Mercy is not simply being understanding or empathetic in a trying situation. To me, it’s about acting for the greater good of all people involved, and being a support for those trying to get to the next level of life.
~Nicole Bendistis - '00, '01
Lower Westside Public Health Clinic, Chicago, IL and The Learning Bank, Baltimore, MD

During my first week working with Mercy Housing, I managed to slam my thumb with my hammer three times. Honestly, I came into this year with the idea that I had some wonderful gift to offer these families. I had this skewed idea that I was somehow more qualified than they were. I quickly realized that I was utterly wrong. Aside from being extremely humbling, my experience with Mercy Housing, and living in the diverse city of
Sacramento, has enabled me to attain a greater understanding of the many different levels of poverty that exist in the United States.  Mercy Housing is a non-profit organization that focuses on providing various types of affordable housing throughout the United States. I work specifically with Mercy Housing’s Self-Help  Program. This program enables low income families to attain the dream of homeownership by having the families assist in construction of their new home. On the work site, I assist the construction supervisor. In the office, I have been spending most of my time developing a survey that will essentially measure the impact that Mercy Housing has had on the families that it serves through its Self-Help Program. I truly enjoy this part of the job because it allows me to explore in depth whether or not homeownership really uplifts the lives of low income families. This year of service has allowed me to shift my focus in such an extraordinary way and has changed my perception of low income families. I have learned the true importance of providing assistance not only to those who are severely impoverished, but also to those who are overcoming poverty as they take crucial steps toward a better life.
~ Annie Mooney - '06
Mercy Housing, Sacramento, CA

Hello to all the friends of MVC!  My name is Sara Worden and I’m a 2006-2007 Mercy Corps Volunteer.  I’m also a 25 year-old CPA and in August of last year, I moved from Corporate America in Atlanta, Georgia to Cincinnati, Ohio to work with the homeless. I was born and raised in Bucyrus, Ohio, though, so I’m not exactly new to the state – just Cincinnati.

I volunteer at Bethany House Services emergency shelter for women and children. 
I like to read, cook and, recently took up gardening. I used to enjoy traveling and frequenting the newest sushi restaurants but, like my budget, those “hobbies” have been cut.  People frequently ask me to name a few things that are different for me from my previous life.  Um, ok. Everything!

I think the two most distinct differences are the work environment and the work “product.”  In my previous employment, I worked in quiet cubicles of sterile, skyscraper office buildings.  We worked and ate at our desk, all at a frenzied pace. Here, I run up and down steps, play with kids on the floor, organize closets, wear casual clothes, and sometimes even listen to heated arguments. It’s anything but quiet and sterile and I love it!

As for the “product” at the end of my day, it’s changed from the report, the journal entry, the footnote, or the financial statement to the note I left for a woman to cheer her up, the child I entertained with pretend “swimming lessons,” or the conversation I had with the scared, pregnant woman sitting in the hallway. It’s not about the product and the bottom line here – it’s about the people and the life line. I am so thankful I was given this
opportunity.
~ Sara Worden - '06
Bethany House Services, Cincinnati, OH

Social work here is quite different from social work in a city like Philadelphia where there are a multitude of resources to refer people to as well as a number of regulations and lots of paperwork.  In Guyana, the resources are limited.  A lot of what I do is listen and help people find ways to cope.  I have been reminded through my work of the power of a caring, compassionate presence.  "God’s poor have claimed your heart.”  That phrase resonates in me and helps put into words what has happened during my time here in Guyana…the Guyanese have claimed my heart.  I have a sense that a plethora of new worlds have been born in me from this experience, and I suspect that I will be discovering them for years to come.
~Lisa Stellino - '02, '04
St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and St. John Bosco Orphanage, Guyana, South America

To get to know a person well requires patient giving of my time; intentionally focused listening; a realization that my agenda does not take precedence; and a desire to “be calmly and respectfully present” to the other. Also, my desire and effort do not guarantee success, acceptance, or reciprocity. 
~ Sherman Otto - '06
St. Joseph’s Candler SOURCE, Savannah, GA

I found a deeper understanding of people less fortunate than myself, their sufferings and problems, and reasons for them. I learned the full meaning of humility and compassion which I put to use then, and today in the mission I now serve in New Jersey.
~Dot McAvay - '95, '96
St. Agnes Home, West Hartford, CT

One afternoon at the end of an exhausting day (so many pairs of socks to fold, arguments to diffuse, showers to provide and diapers to give out!) I needed a little silliness. So I dug through a bag of donations and donned a neon orange cap. I threw a gold plated disco-style belt around my waist for style, and, with a deadpan expression, continued to attend to the questions and requests of the homeless women at Maryhouse, a program within Loaves & Fishes that provides survival services in Sacramento.  One very quiet, reserved woman came to the window to whisper her somber request for some clean socks, but when I appeared at the door her face reddened and she broke into a silent laugh. I asked what was so funny, and she said, guffawing, “Your HAT!” That was probably the biggest accomplishment of my year thus far – bridging the gap (personal, not economic) between the homeless and the privileged. I’ve learned in my few months attending to the everyday physical needs of homeless women that if you’re talking with a homeless person because it’s a good deed, treating her or him with some forced kindness, the relationship will be unrewarding to both parties. But if you approach them with the same greeting, jokes, and sincere respect as you would approach coworkers and classmates, that is, as equals, you can develop relationships that are no more and no less meaningful than the best relationships outside the realm of “charity.” Although, should there ever be a relationship outside the realm of “charity?”
~ Caroline Paddock - '06
Loaves and Fishes, Sacramento, CA