Dedicated to service-in and out of the office

Here at LifeCenter we take our core values very seriously.  The standards of integrity, respect, service, collaboration and courageous leadership set the basis for everything we do on the job, however, it doesn’t just stop there.  We are proud of the many ways our staff displays these values beyond our doors to better the world and serve the greater good.

This summer, our 2014 Values Award Winner and Executive Program Manager, Rebecca Tunkara, traveled to Myanmar as part of a service trip.  Read about her experience below:

In August, I had an amazing opportunity to visit the country of Myanmar on a mission trip with five others from South Everett Foursquare Church. I was presented with this opportunity by the pastor of the church because we serve together on a weekly basis at a local children’s after school program. I had been considering taking a missions trip for a while, but I was hesitant to accept at first because I was nervous. I knew we’d be teaching and that I’d be speaking in front of a church, which I had never done before. But I also felt like this was a trip I was being called for, and I didn’t want to turn down an opportunity just because I was afraid. And I’m glad I didn’t let fear stop me because once I was there, I wasn’t afraid at all and it was an incredible experience.

We spent two nights in Thailand, one at the start and one at end of the trip and eight nights in Myanmar (four nights in the former capital city of Yangon and four nights near the small town of Thandwe). Our hope in going on the trip is that we would be able to encourage the people of the churches in Myanmar by teaching seminars, spending time and sharing meals. In total, we visited two churches in Yangon and another in Thandwe. It was so moving to be able to share laughter, stories, and love with them. The people were so welcoming, always smiling and greeting us with a friendly “Mingalarpar” and a wave. We also were able to spend one of our evenings in Yangon with a local pastor, his wife and their eight orphaned children. Hearing the stories of the children’s rescue from the lives they lived before and seeing them being so well-cared for now was so encouraging.

Before I departed on the trip, my full intention was to serve and be an encouragement to them, but deep down, I knew that I would be the one who would be receiving of so many precious gifts. And it’s true. The memories of their kindness, the faces of their beautiful children and the incredible landscape of their country are still with me. I conquered my fear and am forever grateful for the chance to have visited such an indescribably wonderful place.