Jan. 19 Bulletin (Jan 14, 2016)

Posted on January 14, 2016

What do we mean by vocation,
anyway?

Obstetricians from England use their vocational skills to train medical staff on emergency care for pregnant women and newborns as part of a vocational training team to India in 2013 organized by Districts 1120 and 3240.

By Evan Burrell

The question we face almost from the time we are old enough to
talk is “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

It’s a question most often put to us by our parents, teachers,
and friends. When we are young, we are content to keep our
answers pretty vague or even whimsical. When I was 10, I
wanted to be a Cowboy Astronaut Zookeeper!! Sometimes I
wish I was one, if only to see the look on the face of Rotar-
ians who ask me what my vocation is.

The word “vocation” gets bandied about quite a lot in Rotary
circles. When I saw the word for the first time in some dusty
old Rotary manual, I thought to myself “someone keeps mis-
spelling vacation”!

Vocation really means “a calling,” a strong desire to
spend your life doing a certain kind of work or oc-
cupation.

Vacation and vocation don’t have to be that far apart if you
are doing what you love. Honestly, I think a lot of people
confuse the word vocation with what we actually do to earn
a buck. But vocation really means “a calling,” a strong de-
sire to spend your life doing a certain kind of work or oc-
cupation. In other words, spending your life doing what
your mind and heart feel called to do.

When you’ve found your calling, you know it. You are driv-
en by a passion that fills your life with fulfillment and satis-
faction. And it’s that kind of passion that drives Rotary mem-
bers to celebrate serving through their vocation.

Someone who has a gift for fixing things and working with
their hands might be passionate about building. They might
use their vocation to build outdoor toilets to improve hy-
giene in a third world country with help from fellow Rotary mem-
bers and a grant from the Rotary Foundation.

A person whose gifts are in entrepreneurship and who is pas-
sionate about working at home might use their vocation to de-
velop web projects to assist disabled people in their local com-
munity.

Whatever your vocation or true calling is, Rotary can help
you grow and develop as a person, and reach your full
potential.

Your unique gifts and talents can be applied to Rotary service.
And in Rotary, you can find opportunities that allow you to exer-
cise your talents and use your capabilities to the fullest extent
possible.

Ultimately, whatever your vocation or true calling is, Rotary can
help you grow and develop as a person, and reach your full
potential. And that is something we would all like to accomp-
lish, isn’t it?

About the author: Evan Burrell is a mem-
ber of the Rotary Club of Turramurra, New South Wales, Aus-
tralia, and a former member of Rotaract. He has been involv-
ed with Rotary since he was 18 and served Rotaract in almost
every capacity possible before joining Rotary. He currently
manages social media for Rotary Down Under, the Rotary
regional magazine of Australia.

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Eternal God, as a prelude to our experience together today, we bow humbly before you in acknowledgement of your never -ending mercies. Gratefully we received the gifts which flow from your beneficent hand.Eagerly d we anticipate the fellowship which awaits us, the food which will sustain us, and the opportunity to renew our commitment to service.

Help us to be receptive to your guiding spirit in our personal lives and corporate situations. Amen.

Birthdays and Anniversaries:

Birthdays

Tony Klinger January 20

Anniversaries

Bill & Susan Osborne January 20

Trost and Sarah Friedler January 24

Membership Anniversaries

Suman Das 2 years, January 22