Not all have been called to walk alongside men and women in trauma every day. But some have been, and their perspectives and insights are usually well worth listening to. There’s something about the stories of first responders, emergency personnel, and crisis counselors that draws us in. Maybe it’s because life and death moments awaken us to what’s truly most important in life. They uncover spiritual realities that are otherwise numbed by life’s distractions.
These are the moments where Loretta Salchert lives every day. She’s been serving as the Executive Director at Ribbon of Hope for 15 ½ years, where she leads her team in bringing help and hope to cancer patients, families, and caregivers. What does that actually look like on a day-to-day basis? It’s so much more than crisis counseling; along with their team of volunteers, Ribbon of Hope provides:
· Personal attention
· Monthly encouragement notes
· Phone calls
· Hospital visits
· Occasional household assistance
· Transportation to medical appointments
· Faithful prayers and spiritual encouragement
· Bereavement care
· Cancer resource information
· Child/youth support (parental coaching)*
*List source: https://ribbonofhope.org/patients/
Here’s the best part: God has given Ribbon of Hope a position of influence at Elkhart General Hospital to not only partner with patients, meet practical needs, and provide encouragement, but also to share the message of a Savior who brings hope. “I could tell you so many stories,” Loretta shared. “The unsaved almost always come back with a ‘Why would you do this for me?’ statement. And we get to tell them how much God loves them and wants a personal relationship with them.”
C.S. Lewis wisely wrote,
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
The pain and heartbreak of a cancer diagnosis, in the hands of a loving God, can awaken a hurting heart to the goodness of relationship with Jesus Christ. Ribbon of Hope has seen it happen over and over. Loretta gets to watch Christ breathe life into the hurting and restore hope to the hopeless, and that never, ever gets old.
Trauma care isn’t easy. Loretta told us, “I had a professor who warned me many years ago while in class that those who are called into trauma/crisis care are being asked to work in the catacombs of the tombs. This work is dirty, depressing, dark, hopeless, and can be lonely. She charged us with learning to work in the tombs and not live in the tombs.” And while Loretta and her team help individuals and families wrestle with some of the most difficult realities of life in a fallen world, she wants the church to know, “Your support is a great reminder that we are not physically in this alone. Your prayer support is PURE GOLD!”
Local churches like FBC provide many of the volunteers that fuel the ministry at Ribbon of Hope. In fact, one of the things that impacts Loretta and her team most deeply is “watching churches roll up their sleeves through prayer and practical involvement in ways that ‘lift up our arms’ as we serve every day in cancer care.” First time volunteers often respond with comments like,
“I was a little scared when I signed up, but now that I’m trained, I’m ready!”
“I had no idea it could feel this good to serve strangers.”
“Serving others for Christ is challenging me to draw closer to Him.”
Loretta shared with us that Ribbon of Hope is preparing to open a second office on County Road 17 near FBC in early 2022! “We need more volunteers who love Jesus to help us bring hope to our community through practical acts of kindness,” said Loretta. “God is letting us ‘meet people at the well’, and we don’t want to miss the chance to do that.”
It’s been said that pain is humanity’s “lowest common denominator”. Whether touched by cancer or another trial, everyone needs the hope that is freely offered in Christ. Loretta reminded us, “Our community is hurting. So much is uncertain: politics, economy, jobs, family, etc. The one absolute we have is Jesus.”