Mennonite Voluntary Service in Oklahoma City

Mennonite Voluntary Service Changes Lives

Involvement with Mennonite Voluntary Service can be a life changing experience.

Leonard Friesen completed a three-year term of Mennonite Voluntary Service in Oklahoma City from 1978-1980. He did maintenance and repair work for inner city residents.

Leonard has never forgotten an elderly woman named Anna Mae Harper who needed all her rusting plumbing pipes replaced so she could remain in her home. She was having a hard time making ends meet and had no money to pay for the materials needed to replace her pipes. The voluntary service workers lent her the money and she agreed to pay them back at a rate of ten dollars a month. It took her years, but she faithfully made her payments until her debt had been erased. With each payment she expressed her heart-felt appreciation.

Leonard’s term of voluntary service provided him with an important milestone on his faith journey. He was exposed to so many kinds of people during his three years in Oklahoma City. He learned about the history of the Underground Railroad and met couples who were in interracial relationships at a time when many deemed them unacceptable.

His supporting church was a joint Mennonite and Presbyterian congregation. Leonard was exposed to such a variety of people each trying to live out their Christian calling in different ways and under different conditions. It helped him develop a greater understanding of his own faith and how to live it.

Has a term of service played a role in your life? Contact Bethel Storyteller MaryLou Driedger maryloudriedger@gmail.com if you’d be interested in sharing your story on this or any other topic.