Meet the Elders
Heather Dickfos
Elder
Heather and I sat down a few weeks ago for a quick chat. 35 minutes later, we wrapped up, having discussed God, church, parenting, work, and the helping professions, and having shared quite a few laughs. It's always a wonderful experience to get to know another member of God's family. Here are some highlights from our conversation. I hope you enjoy getting to know Heather as much as I did.
Sam B
~
Can you tell me about how you became a Christian?
I was raised in a Christian family, and I always felt, even as a child, that I knew God was there. But I didn’t really make a commitment until I was probably about 23. I don’t remember the exact dates! In my teens I was certainly exploring faith, but the church we went to didn’t push for confirmation or baptism.
Did something happen when you were 23?
I hadn’t been going to church regularly. I’d done my nurses training and shift work in Ipswich, and then I moved to Rockhampton to be closer to my family and work for 12 months. I was flatting with a lady who was going to the Salvation Army Church, and I started attending regularly with her. I felt really challenged during that period of my life to make a long-term commitment. But then I moved to Brisbane for work, and it really wasn’t until then that I became baptised. I was having a lot of trouble finding a church to connect with, and I’d tried quite a few. One night, I was driving down Ipswich Rd on Sunday evening past a Baptist church, and the lights were on, and I’d never been in one before. I decided I’d go in and see what it was like, and they just welcomed me straight up. A lady named Margaret came up straight away and said “come and sit with me”. I felt immediately welcomed. The pastor was very involved in mentoring youth and young adults. That’s where I really started joining in and being a part of a church community and also where I met my husband, Laurie.
Having been to several churches, it sounds like there was something special about that particular community that helped you take steps in your own faith.
Yes, the fact that they personally asked me to sit with them, and we’d go out to coffee together, and I joined a Bible study, so then I started connecting in well. I just made good friendships. It’s difficult to maintain your faith in isolation, you just need to find the right people that you fit with.
What is the best thing that faith in God brings to your life?
It brings a certainty. You know that God is there, no matter the decisions that you make. You can feel his presence there. I think when life changes course unexpectedly, especially as you grow older, it’s good to look back and you can see God’s hand over your movements. He’s made it better, when you might not have taken that direction. To know you can depend on Him, even if life isn’t great, or if you’ve had a bad day at work. You can go back and know that tomorrow is a new day and God’s got your back. I can’t imagine not having God as a part of my life. As your children grow up and leave home, there is a peace in knowing they’ve made a commitment to God, even if they move to the other side of the world.
I want to talk about your work a bit more, because you’re the Director of Nursing in Hervey Bay, which is a pretty big role. How do you balance your work and your faith? Are there any tensions in healthcare?
At times there can be tensions with being able to share your faith. You can’t evangelise openly, but in other ways you can still demonstrate Jesus’ love. I think healthcare is more open than some other occupations. There are a lot of Christians in health care occupations. Nowadays, we work with a huge variety of people from different cultural and religious backgrounds. My colleagues know that I’m involved, and they do ask questions when I’ve been on mission trips. People are always happy to have a chat. For example, when Deb Butters goes to Anguganak, because it’s to do with midwifery, people are really interested in learning more what it is about. And if they ask why, I tell them why, and if they take the conversation further, we do that. I don’t work directly with patients too much these days, more with staff. I remember a lovely nurse who was strong in her faith, and if she had a terminally ill patient, she would always ask to pray for them, and a lot of the time they would say yes. Being in a caring profession, I think, is still a lot easier than other professions because people accept that Christianity and caring fit together.
I often think that loving your neighbour is meeting them where they’re at. Taking away an agenda and just sitting with them in their space, whatever that involves. Have you had much experience of that with patients across your career?
Oh yes, and it is just being in that situation with them, but still being a professional, and not the family. There’s a boundary that you shouldn’t cross, and that also helps to protect you, because you come across those situations repeatedly. You’ll always get the one that ‘sneaks in’ though, and no matter what, you remember their story for the rest of your life.
Have you had any experiences of God interceding in your life?
When I was 15, my family used to go to this tiny church in a town the size of Torbanlea. My Dad was transferred for work to a location an hour away from Ipswich. I had applied to do my nurses training, and was offered a position at Ipswich. But then, Dad’s transfer fell through. So, I had to make the choice, do I stay with my family, or pursue my nurses training in Ipswich? I still remember sitting in that little church and praying about whether I should go. And I really, really felt God speak to me, and felt Him say “No, go.” I’ve always felt that nursing was more than a career, it was a calling. I’ve always tried to approach work as a calling, not just a job, which it’s never been. And even stepping into new jobs and new roles, I feel like when you look back, you can see where God’s steps have been.
How long have you been balancing your career with the Eldership?
On and off. I was in my forties when I first became an Elder. I remember when Keith first came up and asked me, and I almost fell over! I did have 3 or 4 years break, and this time is my second rotation. There’s a spiritual and a practical side to Eldership, and it is a privilege to serve in this role.
My final question: what would you say to anyone thinking about God, but is not quite sure if He’s there?
Give him a go. What do you lose by seeing if He’s there? And you gain a lot when you find that He is.
Sam B
~
Can you tell me about how you became a Christian?
I was raised in a Christian family, and I always felt, even as a child, that I knew God was there. But I didn’t really make a commitment until I was probably about 23. I don’t remember the exact dates! In my teens I was certainly exploring faith, but the church we went to didn’t push for confirmation or baptism.
Did something happen when you were 23?
I hadn’t been going to church regularly. I’d done my nurses training and shift work in Ipswich, and then I moved to Rockhampton to be closer to my family and work for 12 months. I was flatting with a lady who was going to the Salvation Army Church, and I started attending regularly with her. I felt really challenged during that period of my life to make a long-term commitment. But then I moved to Brisbane for work, and it really wasn’t until then that I became baptised. I was having a lot of trouble finding a church to connect with, and I’d tried quite a few. One night, I was driving down Ipswich Rd on Sunday evening past a Baptist church, and the lights were on, and I’d never been in one before. I decided I’d go in and see what it was like, and they just welcomed me straight up. A lady named Margaret came up straight away and said “come and sit with me”. I felt immediately welcomed. The pastor was very involved in mentoring youth and young adults. That’s where I really started joining in and being a part of a church community and also where I met my husband, Laurie.
Having been to several churches, it sounds like there was something special about that particular community that helped you take steps in your own faith.
Yes, the fact that they personally asked me to sit with them, and we’d go out to coffee together, and I joined a Bible study, so then I started connecting in well. I just made good friendships. It’s difficult to maintain your faith in isolation, you just need to find the right people that you fit with.
What is the best thing that faith in God brings to your life?
It brings a certainty. You know that God is there, no matter the decisions that you make. You can feel his presence there. I think when life changes course unexpectedly, especially as you grow older, it’s good to look back and you can see God’s hand over your movements. He’s made it better, when you might not have taken that direction. To know you can depend on Him, even if life isn’t great, or if you’ve had a bad day at work. You can go back and know that tomorrow is a new day and God’s got your back. I can’t imagine not having God as a part of my life. As your children grow up and leave home, there is a peace in knowing they’ve made a commitment to God, even if they move to the other side of the world.
I want to talk about your work a bit more, because you’re the Director of Nursing in Hervey Bay, which is a pretty big role. How do you balance your work and your faith? Are there any tensions in healthcare?
At times there can be tensions with being able to share your faith. You can’t evangelise openly, but in other ways you can still demonstrate Jesus’ love. I think healthcare is more open than some other occupations. There are a lot of Christians in health care occupations. Nowadays, we work with a huge variety of people from different cultural and religious backgrounds. My colleagues know that I’m involved, and they do ask questions when I’ve been on mission trips. People are always happy to have a chat. For example, when Deb Butters goes to Anguganak, because it’s to do with midwifery, people are really interested in learning more what it is about. And if they ask why, I tell them why, and if they take the conversation further, we do that. I don’t work directly with patients too much these days, more with staff. I remember a lovely nurse who was strong in her faith, and if she had a terminally ill patient, she would always ask to pray for them, and a lot of the time they would say yes. Being in a caring profession, I think, is still a lot easier than other professions because people accept that Christianity and caring fit together.
I often think that loving your neighbour is meeting them where they’re at. Taking away an agenda and just sitting with them in their space, whatever that involves. Have you had much experience of that with patients across your career?
Oh yes, and it is just being in that situation with them, but still being a professional, and not the family. There’s a boundary that you shouldn’t cross, and that also helps to protect you, because you come across those situations repeatedly. You’ll always get the one that ‘sneaks in’ though, and no matter what, you remember their story for the rest of your life.
Have you had any experiences of God interceding in your life?
When I was 15, my family used to go to this tiny church in a town the size of Torbanlea. My Dad was transferred for work to a location an hour away from Ipswich. I had applied to do my nurses training, and was offered a position at Ipswich. But then, Dad’s transfer fell through. So, I had to make the choice, do I stay with my family, or pursue my nurses training in Ipswich? I still remember sitting in that little church and praying about whether I should go. And I really, really felt God speak to me, and felt Him say “No, go.” I’ve always felt that nursing was more than a career, it was a calling. I’ve always tried to approach work as a calling, not just a job, which it’s never been. And even stepping into new jobs and new roles, I feel like when you look back, you can see where God’s steps have been.
How long have you been balancing your career with the Eldership?
On and off. I was in my forties when I first became an Elder. I remember when Keith first came up and asked me, and I almost fell over! I did have 3 or 4 years break, and this time is my second rotation. There’s a spiritual and a practical side to Eldership, and it is a privilege to serve in this role.
My final question: what would you say to anyone thinking about God, but is not quite sure if He’s there?
Give him a go. What do you lose by seeing if He’s there? And you gain a lot when you find that He is.
Posted in Introducing