Alto Refugio: Volunteer Profile

The Alto Refugio website has a new section to display current volunteers. They asked me to write a testimony basically just saying why I was here and what I do at work. You can read it here or take a look at it on the actual website.

My name is Tim Regier. I have been volunteering at Alto Refugio (High Refuge) since the end of September, 2011. I am from the state of Kansas in the United States but I am here in Paraguay for 10 months doing voluntary service. I came with five other young people from the U.S. as part of a program of the Mennonite Mission Network.

I have felt called to serve my whole life. I’ve known for a while that I wanted to do a year of service after high school, but I did not know how or where. When I started looking at the options I had to choose between serving in the United States or abroad. I felt that being in a different culture with a different language would challenge me more, so I decided to leave the country. Mennonite Mission Network sent me to Paraguay, and I believe that my call here has been confirmed. It just happened that I ended up working here at Alto Refugio, the place that was started by David and Judy Schmidt, my relatives. I have seen the evidence of many of my relatives’ work here in Paraguay, and I feel that I am continuing my family’s connection with this country.

My work here at Alto Refugio is not strictly defined, but I always find places to plug in. In the mornings I do whatever is needed. This can be a number of things, including working in the pantry, carrying boxes, cleaning, or playing with the kids. In the afternoons I have been working on refining Alto Refugio’s website. I have always been interested in computers and I think this experience will help me decide whether it is something I am interested in studying in college.

One aspect of Alto Refugio that I really enjoy is the devotion in the morning. Every day, about half an hour before Alto Refugio opens its doors, some of the workers gather to sing, pray, read scripture and share together. Even though I sometimes am tired and have trouble focusing in the early morning, I appreciate the Christian focus and the sense of family the devotional creates. It allows us to start the day well, and to serve the patients as Christ would; as family.

-Tim

Forgiven

A few months back in July, I was at the Pittsburgh 2011 Mennonite Convention. One afternoon, I went to a seminar about doing short-term service with Mennonite Mission Network. The seminar was very casual; just a few former service participants talking about their experiences and answering questions. One of the former participants, Rose, had done Radical Journey in Paraguay. She told a story about her host dad, Alfred, who is a pastor. His house was robbed, and in the process he was stabbed by the intruder. Later, Alfred visited the man in jail. They made amends, and the man told him that he had found Jesus and wanted to become a pastor. When I heard this story I believed I was headed for Bolivia. Plans changed, and I'm now in Paraguay. I go to the same church as pastor Alfred, and have heard the story from him now too. Today in church, the Alfred stood up and said he wanted to introduce someone very special. The man who had stabbed him came to our church for the first time today, and he brought his whole family with him. After the sermon, Alfred invited those who wanted to give their lives to Christ to come to the front and pray with him. The man and his family all came up to pray. He and Alfred embraced as they prayed together. It was a very special experience. The man was forgiven by Alfred and by God, and was transformed because of it.