Magda
Housemother - with all her heart, each and every moment
Magda has been working at the Ebenezer Home since 2012, and three of those years as the house mother. Her daily tasks are very diverse, like those of a mother ... ;)
She makes sure, the residents are well off, their rooms are furnished according to their needs, and if they have specific needs, she goes and shops for them. Another part of her daily work is domestic economics. Every week Magda meets with the kitchen staff to plan the menu, taking into account the diets of the individual residents. Magda also is the first person to contact about laundry and house cleaning. In short: She oversees everything related to the domestic economy. During the year, she organizes various feast celebrations for the residents in the Ebenezer Home or the adjacent garden. Magda is also in regular contact with suppliers, compares prices, and orders food.
The ambience at Ebenezer is very friendly. It feels like a second home to her, and Magda enjoys being at Ebenezer. She explains, "In my daily work, I experience how God gives me the strength, wisdom, and joy to accomplish all tasks. He brought me here. For me it's a privilege to serve Him and the residents here, and it's incredibly fun for me. I want to work for Him with all my heart, each and every moment."
Johnny & Shoshana
Manager and his wife
Johnny has been the manager of the Home since 2003, and he is the first Israeli to hold this position. He was born into a Christian family, to an Arab father and a British mother. Shoshana is the daughter of Jewish immigrants from New Zealand. They grew up together attending the Bethesda Congregation in Haifa, and at a young age knew the Lord was calling them to marriage and service together. They married in 1989 when Johnny had gained his first degree in animal sience at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Shoshana had completed her compulsory army service.
Johnny grew up with a blind father, and his initial plan was to become a guide-dog instructor but God closed this door and opened another. When the Ebenezer commitee advertised for a local manager in 1997, Johnny's potential prompted the board to offer to pay for his studies toward a diploma in management of homes for the elderly, from the University of Haifa. In order to better prepare himself for this position, Johnny decided to study human services. After completing his studies, Johnny was offered a part-time position in the Home and eventually became Jostein Aune's assistant manager. Johnny held this position for five years while he continues his studies for an M.A. in gerontology at the University of Haifa, and took over the position of manager of Ebenezer in 2003.
Johnny's and Shoshana's fluency in both Hebrew and English meant that they did not encounter the many language problems faced by the former administrators. Johnny has seen the Home and residents through many challenges, including the demands of renovations, recurring war, and rising costs.
As a balance to his busy day with the "oldies", Johnny has also been very active in youth work, and has enjoyed being the Bible teacher at youth camps for many years. In 2009, Johnny was appointed an elder in the Bethesda Fellowship, a calling that he sees as complementing his oversight of the Ebenezer Home, for the glory of the Lord.
Johnny appreciated Shoshana's patience through his years of studies as they raised their four children, and from the outset she has complemented his position as manager of the Home, often finding her role, in her words, as "the silicone that fills in the cracks".
More specifically, she has been the cultural coordinator, organizing outings and activities for residents, staff, and volunteers, along with caring for all aspects of the volunteers' stay in what is usually, for them, a foreign land. Taking residents shopping for a pair of shoes or new spectacles, accompanying a volunteer to renew a visa, or buying flowers for a birthday celebration are just a few of the things that Shoshana tucked into her busy day. They testify the Lord has faithfully guided and provided in their united service for His glory.