Naomi Koerwitz Dassow’s Journey of Faith and Service

 

Remembering Naomi Dassow and her life of faithful service

A brief reflection of Naomi and her early life

Naomi Koerwitz Dassow. A Journey of Faith and Dedication.

During the early to mid 70’s Naomi worked in Buckhorn, and Hazard Kentucky, a region known for its rugged terrain and underserved population. She joined forces with Lucile LeBeau at a rural health clinic. Armed with her jeep, s he navigated the hollers, or narrow valleys, to make mother-daughter visits. These visits were more than just routine check-ups; they were lifelines for many families who had limited access to medical care. Naomi’s dedication during these years was driven by her Christian faith and values, which propelled her to serve in such a challenging environment. Her work in Buckhorn laid a strong foundation for her future endeavors in Public Health or community healthcare. As a result, Naomi Koerwtiz Dassow made a lasting positive impact in Buckhorn, Hazard and Milwaukee.

Seeds were planted.

Naomi was encouraged by Urbana and The Frontier Nursing Service in Kentucky, but it apparently wasn’t in the Lord’s will for her to pursue midwifery with The Frontier Nursing Service. From 1975 to 1977, Naomi Koerwitz RN worked in Buckhorn with Lucille LeBeau at a small rural health clinic . Lucille LeBeau, was a midwife.   Armed with her jeep Naomi navigated the hollers, to make mother/baby visits. These visits were more than just routine check-ups; they were lifelines for many families who had limited access to medical care. Naomi’s dedication during these years was driven by her Christian faith and values, which propelled her to serve in such a challenging environment. Her work in Buckhorn laid a strong foundation for her future endeavors in public health.

Naomi’s time in Buckhorn was marked by numerous heartwarming and challenging experiences. She often recounted the stories of families who had never seen a healthcare provider before her visits. Her presence brought not only medical care but also hope and reassurance to the community.

The clinic ran out of funding and Naomi was forced to make a difficult decision and despite her deep love for the community she had come to serve, she reluctantly returned to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she soon met and married Richard. All part of God’s providence. She knew that her journey in healthcare was far from over. The skills and experiences she gained in Buckhorn would continue to guide her in her future roles.

Multiplying the seeds Naomi planted…

Naomi planted countless “seeds” during her short time in Buckhorn. The impact of her work may not have been visible to her, but those seeds sprouted and grew, creating a lasting legacy. She provided essential healthcare, emotional support, and spiritual guidance, touching the lives of many families. I remember what her highschool and college friend Lauri wrote about their graduation: “In June of 1971 on our sunny windy graduation day, we stood together joyously on the campus lawn. As our parents snapped pictures of us, we both knew we were taking something “out into the world” with us that was far better than an education!“ Furthermore, Naomi Koerwtiz Dassow continuously inspired others throughout her career. Naomi may never have seen the full harvest of the seeds she planted, but I believe heaven has kept a perfect record.

Spirit of Buckhorn

Back in Milwaukee, Naomi’s reputation as a compassionate and dedicated healthcare provider preceded her. She quickly found opportunities to continue her work, always carrying the spirit of Buckhorn with her.

Naomi with baby from our mission trip to Oaxaca

Behind the Scenes: Interview of Salvation Army Volunteer Chaplain Naomi

Richard & Naomi Dassow: “It was a great experience to be serving as chaplains in a diverse multi ethnic Christian group: Now 50 plus brothers and sisters representing over 44 different churches and 19 or more denominations. A diverse group, culturally, socially, economically and geographically…just like Heaven will be like and we can experience a little of it right here in Milwaukee! What an opportunity to serve, using our spiritual gifts, strengths, abilities, passion and are we are still learning.”

Our experience serving from 2015-2021. I hesitated to write this article because…”Jesus must become more important, while I become less important.” Contemporary English Version. An article from The WarCry magazine.

https://centralusa.salvationarmy.org/wum/news/behind-the-shield-richard-and-naomi-dassow-the-salvation-army-of-milwaukee-co-chaplains

Sorry: Looks like The Salvation Army removed the link!

Naomi Dassow Service Award. 2015-2021

Stone panted by Dorie Bahr for our wedding.

The Rich View for today

Waiting on the Lord. https://faithvisionservice.com/ “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:3-6 English Standard Version (ESV) My motto or major scripture verse of the past few years. “When the time is right, I the Lord will make it happen.” Isaiah 60:22 Before you leave! A short message and prayer for our children and grandchildren! Yes, you can change the world for eternity! Someone before us did by praying for us! We are who we are and where we are because of someone in the past who may have prayed for their offspring…children and grandchildren. ..and may still be praying for us wherever they are.  “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.” ’ Numbers 6:24-26 NIV Let’s do the same!

What does it mean to "Bloom Wlhere You Are Planted?

  Read a good book recently, Night Light by Terri Blackstock.

●A short quote: "I realized, as all that was  happening before my eyes, that this was what I wanted to convey in this series. That each of us is put in place for a particular time in particular circumstances and prepared in a particular way, not knowing what God will need us for. Some of us have experienced tragedies and crises with no answers from God about why he would drag us through such pain, only  to find that it qualified us uniquely to do some mighty work of God when the time of someone elses's crisis came. And that's how the body of Christ works."

 Some reflections on my early life when my family grew about 2 acres of field grown pansies.

   ●Pansies are Bi Annuals, meaning they go through the winter and come back to life the next spring. We also go through some trying times..sooner or later. 

 

The beautiful field of flowering  pansies in the fall and then again in the spring were ready to be dug up and then were transplanted in other people's gardens. God sometimes transplants us also...due to changing life situations...marriage, career, death and other events. 

 
 ●But WHY should we Bloom Where We Are Planted?

 
 ● As a believer in Jesus Christ and desiring to be a good steward and a faithful "follower" of Jesus on our way to glory...we can be a light for others to see the Truth.

 ●At the end of our lives, I would like to say or have said, "I  have fought the good fight, I  have fnished the course, I have kept the faith." (2 Tim. 4:7)

 ●"The Lord created each of us individually with different Spiritual Gifts, Passions, Abilities, strengths and a unique personality with different experiences.  Helping each other put the pieces of the seeming puzzle together so we each can be most effective in our families, church, community and the world and finish our lives well and leave a legacy that gives glory to the LORD so when we stand before Him one day, we will hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

 ●Isn't that what we would like to hear one day?

 ●"God has created each of us with a unique contribution to make in our world and our times. No other person has our same abilities, motivations, network of friends and relationships, perspectives, ideas, or experiences. When we, like misplaced puzzle pieces, fail to show up, the overall picture is diminished."   Richard Stearns: President of World Vision U.S.
Quote from his book: The Hole in our Gospel 


 ●  We are Jesus's hands and feet in the world. 

 
 ● "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10

  ● As I was looking back at the pictures of the pansies...and thinking about the phrase.."Bloom where you are planted"...I was thinking of all the steps that went into producing these beautiful flowers...and how our lives are like that.

 

●Was  looking for some spiritual  principles or analogies. 

  

●As there are different varieties and colors of pansies, so too is the human race.

 

●Some varieties of pansies only had a few flowers on the plant and other varieties had a mass of flowers..it made me think of how we can go through life with only a few other close friends and we can also have many more friends to encourage us. 

 

● The pansies were seeded for a purpose...to bring joy to the people who bought them.  Just like our father "plants" us for a purpose...

 

 

 

●  Pansies are Bi Annuals, meaning they go through the winter and come back to life the next spring. We also go through some trying times..sooner or later. 

 

●The beautiful field of flowering  pansies in the fall and then again in the spring were ready to be dug up and then were transplanted in other people's gardens. God sometimes transplants us also...due to changing life situations...marriage, career, death and other events. 

 

●God, the master gardener created each of us unique...plants us here for a short time...for a specific purpose...and cares for us. "Lord, open our eyes and heart".  "Come Holy Spirit, Come, you are welcome here" 

 

●Many other analogies can be drawn. Would love to see your comments!

 

●A few pictures of field grown pansies...from our farm many years ago.

 

●The individual beautiful pansy plants grew well in the field where they were planted for the allotted time they were there. They were seeded in the field for a purpose...The  next year they were individually dug up, put in containers and sold to people who then transplanted them to their gardens to be viewed.

Copied from my Storyworth story!

Thinking more of the “Transplanting” process:
It doesn’t happen instantly, but progress’s over time.
When the pansies were dug, boxed and delivered to the Sentry and Kohl’s warehouses…Took a day’s time. Then they were in the warehouse or on the dock for a day or two. If outside on the dock in the sun for a period of time, stress on the plants. Then they were delivered to the stores, up to 200 miles away in some cases…again over a period of time. Then unloaded at the store. Hopefully, there was someone there to water them and keep them alive and looking good until someone purchased them. The beautiful pansy plants didn’t go instantly from our field into someones garden immediately and keep looking great. A lot of stress. So too with our changing events in our lives, be it a job change, starting college, starting a new business, a new exciting volunteer opportunity or challenging interpersonal relations. Sometimes or even all the time, we don’t realize what others are or may be going through until or unless we also experience a change in our lives. We need personal “self care”. And to continue to “Bloom” where the LORD has planted us, and not fade, die in spirit or become discouraged…until the transplanting process is completed and we continue to grow and “bloom” as we did before the transplanting process started. We need to stay close to the LORD and have friends and family that encourage us. Then when the transplanting process is completed, if it ever is, we will again bloom more beautiful than we did before. Just like the pansies in the field. They were not designed to be grown in a controlled environment free of stress, but to be grown and bloom beautifully in someone’s garden!

Encouraging & challenging people to be “rooted”, “grounded” and “grow” and so bloom” where they are “planted” in their neighborhood, world and career…using their Passion”,” Abilities”,” Gifts”, “Strengths” and prior “Experiences” God has gifted them with and thereby bringing glory and honor to the LORD. 1st Corinthians 10:31

Peace.

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Grates of 5 -2 quart baskets of pansy plants. 6 plants to a quart basket.

We could not supply enough to Sentry Food stores at the time and a neighbor got into the business and packaged the same with lessor quality product and also sold to Sentry. I put labels on our crates so the individual stores could ask for our pansies! 

 Sounds like "Branding" 

 

10 Steps to creating your own job!

 Over the course of time...past 20 plus years...working with people looking for a job...meeting with individuals as a group and also one on one, I have proposed the following process in some way, shape or form:

This is WHAT I would do IF I were looking for a job.

I never got a job with a resume. 

AND your probably wondering if anyone got a job following my advice.
Don't really know...My good friend Wayne said once. "You can teach a person what to do but you can't make them DO what is in their best interest to do". That's a paraphrase of his comment after my voicing disappointment that with all the help & advice I have given many people especially about updating their Linkedin profile, few people follow through.  

You don't get a job because of your Linkedin Profile. It's just a tool to connect with the right people who can help you.  AND to see who the people are that are doing the job you might love to do...but only better!

So, here are  my 10 steps to Finding a Job You Can Love!

1. Identify your passion. What are you interested in...What makes you get up in the morning?

2. What company or  non profit would you ideally love to work with...NOT for. There IS a difference.

3.  Explore their website. What is their mission  and vision?

4. Connect with people working for that organization. It's really not hard to do.

5.  Take your new "connections" out for coffee...Again not hard to do. Use your creativity.

6.  What are the challenges that organization is facing...short term and long term.

7.  After taking the Strengthfinders. 2.0 Assessement...you now know or have a clue to your "Strenghts' and HOW to use them!  So you are now going to use your "Strengths"to solve their most pressing challenge!

8  Remember, You are unique! There is no one else like you.

9. Forget about  the "job description" IF you are pursuing a job with an opening... Positions that are advertised are probably already taken. Why compete...It's a losing game. 
So don't spend alot of time with that goal of submitting applications to job openings. You can do that, but...  

10. So you are now going to use your "Strengths"to solve their most pressing challenge! AND
You are going to create your own "position" and Job Description!

 On our journey with Jesus! "The trail is long, and we won't arrive at our destination in this life. Still, we're on the journey with Jesus for the greatest thrill of our lives." Zig Ziglar

Ok, if you have reached this far in my blog post...do you think it's luck, fate or providence?

What are you now going to do?

Here are a few of my prior blog posts that can help you in the process:

If you are looking for a great volunteer opportunity: 

 

If you doubt that you are unique and special. 

Helping you accomplish your vision and mission

 

How to Evaluate an organization.

 

You are partially satisfied with your present position...

 

Still looking for "Peace" in your life? 

 

Lacking joy in your quest for that job you can love? 

 

If any of this post has been helpful...please let me know.

 

 Meet for coffee?

 

Always willing to meet for coffee

 

Finding A Job You Can Love

A great book. Probably out of print.
Copyright 1982 by Ralph Mattson and Arthur Miller

It's all about Passion!


We often hear the words, luck, fate, and providence.
Theologian Dr. R.C. Sproul.  "God's sovereign providence stands over and above our actions. He works out His will through the actions of human wills, without violating the freedom of those human wills." 

You found this page...by luck, fate or providence...? 

Your answer to this question will probably determine if you are going to continue reading this post to the end and take some action
Are you actively looking for a job?

What follows can also be used as a guide to finding a great volunteer opportunity. 


The book, Finding A Job You Can Love  explores the SIMA process:

SIMA System for Identifying Motivated Abilities
but I also see other process's as
  
1.  Strengthfinder 2.0
2.  S.H.A.P.E    Strengths, Heart or  Passion, Abilities, Personality, and Experience.
3.  Spiritual Gifts Assessments

 Over the course of time...past 20 plus years...working with people looking for a job...meeting with individuals as a group and also one on one, I have proposed the following process in some way, shape or form:

These are my ideas...NOT from the book.

This is WHAT I would do IF I were looking for a job.
I never got a job with a resume. 

AND your probably wondering if anyone got a job following my advice.
Don't really know...My good friend Wayne said once. "You can teach a person what to do but you can't make them DO what is in their best interest to do". That's a paraphrase of his comment after my voicing disappointment that with all the help & advice I have given many people especially about updating their Linkedin profile, few people follow through.  

You don't get a job because of your Linkedin Profile. It's just a tool to connect with the right people who can help you.  AND to see who the people are that are doing the job you might love to do...but only better!

So, here are  my 10 steps to Finding a Job You Can Love!

1. Identify your passion. What are you interested in...What makes you get up in the morning?

2. What company or  non profit would you ideally love to work with...NOT for. There IS a difference.

3.  Explore their website. What is their mission  and vision?

4. Connect with people working for that organization. It's really not hard to do.

5.  Take your new "connections" out for coffee...Again not hard to do. Use your creativity.

6.  What are the challenges that organization is facing...short term and long term.

7.  After taking the Strengthfinders. 2.0 Assessement...you now know or have a clue to your "Strenghts' and HOW to use them!  So you are now going to use your "Strengths"to solve their most pressing challenge!

8  Remember, You are unique! There is no one else like you.

9. Forget about  the "job description" IF you are pursuing a job with an opening... Positions that are advertised are probably already taken. Why compete...It's a losing game. 
So don't spend alot of time with that goal of submitting applications to job openings. You can do that, but...  

10. So you are now going to use your "Strengths"to solve their most pressing challenge! AND
You are going to create your own "position". 


 On our journey with Jesus! "The trail is long, and we won't arrive at our destination in this life. Still, we're on the journey with Jesus for the greatest thrill of our lives." Zig Ziglar

Ok, if you have reached this far in my blog post...do you think it's luck, fate or providence?

What are you now going to do?

Here are a few of my prior blog posts that can help you in the process:

If you are looking for a great volunteer opportunity: 

 

If you doubt that you are unique and special. 

Helping you accomplish your vision and mission

 

How to Evaluate an organization.

 

You are partially satified with your present position...

 

Still looking for "Peace" in your life? 

 

Lacking joy in your quest for that job you can love? 

 

If any of this post has been helpful...please let me know.

 

 Meet for coffee?

 

Always willing to meet for coffee