Red Shield Appeal doorknock a "miracle" for Myrna
Red Shield Appeal doorknock a "miracle" for Myrna
18 October 2017
The Moneycare services and practical support and love of Gungahlin Salvos gave Myrna just what she needed to make a fresh start.
A knock on the door from the Salvos was a “miracle” for an elderly couple in Canberra.
Myrna Henkel and her husband Harry were at home, hungry and praying to Jesus for help, when a Salvation Army couple knocked. “When I answered the door the woman said, “This is the Red Shield Appeal doorknock appeal, would you like to help?’ and I said, ‘It’s me who needs help!” Myrna remembers.
The doorknockers were Salvationists from Gungahlin Corps, Jillian and Bill. They accepted Myrna’s invitation to come in and she told them everything – how they had just moved back to Canberra from Queensland after living there for years looking after Myrna’s sister who died of cancer, and how the costs of the move, plus living expenses and Harry’s medications (he had Parkinson’s disease) were crippling.
“Every day was stressful for us, but we battled through it,” she said. “I got the pension and it all went to the rent and there was no petrol money so I had to catch the bus, often in the rain, and with my knee replacement, it was hard.
“$780 a fortnight went on the rent and I was only getting $950. We couldn’t even pay the telephone and the water bill and the power bill was getting up and up and up.”
Jillian and Bill invited Myrna and Harry to The Salvation Army where they received emergency assistance for food and bills. Members of the local Salvos started regularly dropping around food hampers and bread. The couple also began worshipping at Gungahlin Salvos and were overwhelmed by the welcome they received.
“I like the services and I like the spiritual upbringing and the closeness of the members of the church; they are always there saying ‘hello’ to you and just being friendly,” Myrna said.
When Harry passed away a few months later, Myrna’s new church family rallied. The funeral was held at Gungahlin Salvos and as Myrna’s financial situation deteriorated, she found practical and emotional support at The Salvation Army’s free Moneycare financial counselling service and No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) service.
“It was Jillian who referred me to Joi Picker [The Salvation Army’s Moneycare financial counsellor],” says Myrna. “Now Joi became my best friend. She is always there, ringing me [to see] how I am. She helped me with my budgeting, she did a great job.”
Myrna was unable to remain in a private rental on a sole pension, so The Salvation Army advocated on her behalf and secured public housing. Members of the Gungahlin Salvos assisted Myrna with a garage sale and helped her move. Moneycare was able to speak with Myrna’s utility suppliers and arrange a payment plan so that she could pay off unpaid bills, and also advocated on her behalf to assist with a bill for nursing expenses accrued during the last weeks of Harry’s life.
“The Salvation Army gave me a lift and it was really very helpful to me,” says Myrna. When Joi discovered that Myrna was unable to drive her car because it had become unroadworthy, she referred Myrna to the Army’s loan service. Through NILS, Myrna was able to take out a loan and get her car repaired, and pay off the loan through regular direct debits from her pension, while still able to balance her budget.
Myrna doesn’t know where she’d be without the support of her local Salvation Army, who have become like family. She says that God was answering her prayers the day that The Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal volunteers came knocking at her door. “It is really an amazing gift from God. It just teaches me to keep on praying to talk to him and praise him.”
MoneyCare Days are held in many different locations. Read more information about Moneycare.
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