Why I Volunteer: Relationships
Steve King is a member of the Living Waters for the World (LWW) water team at Meadow Grove Baptist Church, Brandon, Miss. Meadow Grove has partnered with eight communities in Honduras to install water purification systems and health education programs. Q: How did you first get involved with LWW? I went on a mission trip in June, 2008 with Covenant Presbyterian. There was a LWW water team along with that group. When we returned home, Carolyn Thornton, now Carolyn Johnson, asked if I would like to start a team in our church. We went to Clean Water U in September, 2008, and did our first installation in March, 2009. Q: Why have you stayed involved? I have stayed involved with LWW because I feel that this is where God wants me to serve. I have been blessed in ways I could never dream of. Q: In what roles do you volunteer and why did you choose to take on these responsibilities? I have had the privilege of serving as a deacon in my church for 6 years and being involved with LWW for 11 years. These two keep me busy outside of running a small business that I have with my two sons.
Q: How has your involvement with LWW impacted your life? Working with LWW has given me some wonderful relationships that I would have never experienced had I not answered that call to serve in Honduras. When God's people come together for a common cause, it's amazing how He will lead if we are just willing to follow. Q: What's an experience or story from your time with LWW that stands out as one of the most meaningful? A story that illustrates your “why”? Probably the most rewarding experience of my 11 year involvement with LWW is the relationship that I have with Olvin Duron. Our first installation was at his church in San Buenaventura. He was a young volunteer who stepped up to help run the system. When we went back the next year to install at Buena Vista, I asked him to help us, and he gladly accepted. We had trouble getting there in our bus, but when he showed up on a bicycle, I knew right then that this was a special young man. Neither one of us were bilingual, so we would write down what we wanted to say and try and let the other one figure it out. He worked much harder than I did trying to learn another language, and thanks to that effort, he has become very good with his English. It's been rewarding to me to see him grow in his faith and become a leader in his church and his community.
Q: When you're not volunteering for LWW, where are we likely to find you and what would we find you doing? Running a small business, being involved with church, and volunteering with LWW, keeps me pretty busy, but my wife and I do find time to spend with our grandkids. Those of you who have grandkids know how special that time is.
