October 22-28 is Pastoral Care Week.

We are about hope. Where do you find it? World events, personal struggles, and suffering obscure it.

Hoosier author Scott Russell Sanders’ book Hunting for Hope underscores that hope cannot be transferred or infused. It is discovered.

Our task is to help in the hunt for hope.

Sanders tells about a lady who was astonished to reach 30.  She started doing drugs at 10, joined a gang at 12, killed a rival and went to prison at 15, and never expected to reach 18.  A rehabilitation program took her into the wilderness. 

“Having seen parts of the earth that promised to endure, she came to believe that she herself might endure, and that belief saved her.” 

She discovered hope in the wilderness.

Hope is a matter of finding heart, space, and touch. It is about intersections, finding meaning, starting to believe that you will be OK. We are privileged to join the hunt for hope. Through the gift of supportive presence, we enable others to discover it.

Celebrate hope with us.

Dean Heisey, EGH Coordinator, Spiritual Care Services, has served Elkhart General Hospital since April, 2014. He can be reached at drheisey@beaconhealthsystem.org