Comfort and Strength from God

Ms. B, a resident at one of the senior homes we hold Sunday services for, recently lost her mother.  We got to know Ms. B over the past few months, and she asked us to help organize a memorial service.  I had never led a memorial service before and really felt at a loss as to how I should conduct the service, but I knew that this would be very important for Ms. B.  I knew that in order to console Ms. B and show our love and support, I really had to prepare well.  I am thankful that while I was preparing for the message for the service God reminded me of another message I gave a few years ago when our church was doing regular visits to one of the nursing homes in Oakland, and the theme and the content of the message were suitable for the memorial service. As I was reviewing this message, I was very comforted by the timeless words of the bible passages I had quoted back then.

The service went smoothly and I overall felt very calm and confident while I was conducting the service. I felt that God was really there with me as I was determined to set aside my insecurity and focus on really giving a message of God’s comfort and hope to Ms. B and the friends who attended the service. After the service, the Ms. B genuinely thanked me and my wife Joy, as well as the rest of our group, for being willing to sacrifice our time and energy to do this service for her mother. One of the managers at the senior home also came up to us to thank us for so readily honoring Ms. B’s request. Later, Joy told me there was a young employee of the senior home who was watching and listening to our service from a distance for some time, and she was in tears as she listened to the message and the hymns we sang. This young employee reminded me that everyone has his or her own story, and everyone needs to be touched by God’s message of love and hope.

I thank God for using this memorial service to get me out of my comfort zone and stretch me. As I understood the importance of the memorial service, I had to really engage my heart with God as I did the preparation. The process of preparing the message prompted me to take His Word more seriously and indeed it was a great blessing God gave to me to again reflect upon God’s Word, to see how true and applicable it is to each one of us in this world.  I am thankful for God’s using me as an instrument to minister to the elderly people in this way – I never thought I would be conducting a memorial service. When I look at myself, I really don’t have the qualification to be in such a position. But God has looked on me with mercy and has entrusted me with these people, so I commit to do my best to treasure such an entrustment.

A Change of Heart

Mr. J wasn’t a regular attendee of our Sunday services we hold at a local nursing home.  I first heard about him from my wife, Ulia, who met him in the lobby of the nursing home one Sunday – he yelled at her for something she didn’t do, but she apologized anyway and promised she wouldn’t let that happen again.  One Sunday, he did attend our service, but intentionally sang hymns during our praise time so loudly and obnoxiously that no one could enjoy the praise.  We felt pretty daunted by his presence, and some of us decided to pray for him.  A few months have passed, and amazingly he has had a change of heart.  He now welcomes us when he sees our group enter the nursing home on Sundays, and with a smile points “Stage left!” to direct us to the dining room where we hold our services.  And when I don’t see him welcoming us on Sunday morning, I inevitably see him wheeling down the hallway just a few minutes before 10:30am to make it right on time for our service.  He is now regularly attending our services, sings along with the hymns, and even answers when the speaker asks questions of the audience during service.  When we didn’t hold service at the nursing home on a recent Sunday due to a church-wide retreat, the following Sunday he commented, “I’m glad you guys are back.  We didn’t know what to do with ourselves last Sunday!”  It’s been encouraging to see his change of heart and to see his welcoming face every Sunday, and we’re looking forward to getting to know him more.

Faithfully Sharing the Gospel

Mrs. Y came to live at the senior home fairly recently, so I’ve known her for only a few months.  As an elderly immigrant she can speak and understand only Chinese.  She became a Christian just 5 years ago.  Her son and daughter-in-law who are Christians shared the gospel with her.  Now, she is faithfully sharing the gospel and God’s love as best as she can.  At the senior home, she makes an effort to get to know the other Chinese residents, teaches a free Tai Chi class, shares her home-cooked food with her new friends there, and boldly invites the other residents to Sunday services and to believe in Jesus.

When I am in need encouragement while preaching, I just look to her, even though I know she can’t understand a word I’m saying – she can only understand the Chinese translation that’s given at the end of the service.  I’m thankful to have gotten to know Mrs. Y; her faithfulness to God and her desire to share the gospel really encourages me to be faithful in sharing the gospel to the people we’ve gotten to know at the senior home.

Thank You for Being Who God Has Called You to Be

A few weeks after we celebrated Grandma B’s 101st birthday, I ran into her son at the nursing home, and he handed me a letter.  The letter was addressed to Grandma B from a woman named E.  Apparently E had searched for Grandma B’s name on the internet and came upon the story on our church website on Grandma B’s 100th birthday celebration.  E was writing to Grandma B to wish her a belated Happy Birthday, as well as thanking Grandma B for her part in bringing her to Jesus.  She writes: “I just wanted to say ‘thank you’ for being who God has called you to be.  Your love has spilled out over many people; a true reflection of our Savior.”

Wow.  The letter affirmed to me again Grandma B’s long history of faithfulness to God and to His people – that E, once a young girl in Grandma B’s Good News Club, would now, many years later as a woman and mother, recall Grandma B’s impact on her life and thank Grandma B through this letter.  I was thinking to myself, Grandma B will meet again in heaven all the people she has blessed!  And I’m sure she has many people she’ll be reunited with there!

Being Ready When God Calls

I am so encouraged whenever I see Mrs. B at the worship service. She is so happy to be there to worship God.  Recently, on a Sunday, as we were walking into the room to set up for the service, I heard talking and singing, which was very usual.  When I looked in, there was Mrs. B, either teaching or leading a few others around her in singing a song.  It was a very simple song, which went like this

“When God calls you, you got to go; you may be rich, you may be poor; when He calls you, you got to go.” 

Before they sang, Mrs. B recited the words to the people around her with passion and conviction. After the service, when I asked her about the song, she said, “I’m trying to be ready.”  From what I can see of her each Sunday, I think she is very faithful in trying to be ready when God calls her.

Grateful for Sundays

On more than one occasion C expressed that she is very thankful for our presence and our Sunday services.  She isn’t able to go to church and she is so thankful that we can bring Sunday services to her nursing home.  When I observe her during services, she pays close attention to the messages, and mentioned they give her something to think about during the week.  I’m reminded that God has sent us to this nursing home for people like C, and thankful that we can serve the residents this way.

God at Work

These last few months at GB care home has been very encouraging to me as I see God at work in our midst. At times, our ministry at GB seems really slow or even ineffective, but I’ve been able to witness the Holy Spirit moving through the residents and even through our own members, and this reminds me that God is still at work. Mrs.F’s salvation decision has been especially encouraging. Before she made her decision to become a Christian, I remember she was so consumed by her past and her own depressing thoughts, and she told me that sometimes she just wishes it would all be over. Her outlook on life is still a little bleak at times, but knowing that she has claimed Jesus as her Savior tells me that God is indeed working in her heart even though sometimes it feels like otherwise. I see how God has been working in the hearts of the residents as they have become much more friendly and welcoming of us. One Sunday after we came back from a trip to Yosemite, and they arranged a feast for us since we didn’t have time to prepare lunch. Though Mrs.A doesn’t come to our Sunday services, I run into her at GB, and she is smiling and responsive when I ask her how she’s doing, when before when she would be dismissive and brush me off. Even just among our small crew of seven church members who go there every Sunday, I see how God has been working in us, shaping our hearts to be like Jesus, putting the elderly and one another first. Seeing God working so concretely is very encouraging and helps drive me to give more of myself in serving Him.

A Servant’s Heart

E is a Christian and recently rededicated her life to God, and I’ve really noticed a change in her life; her humble and servant-like heart really challenges and encourages me.  We eat lunch together after our Sunday services, and she always volunteers to help wash all the dishes.  I personally don’t like to use plasticware, and maybe E doesn’t enjoy to either, but her willingness to help shows me how much she appreciates us and wants to serve.

Happy Birthday!

This past Sunday we held our monthly birthday celebration for the residents at GB.  The residents really appreciate our small efforts to celebrate their birthdays with them; we usually just pick up a cake that Sunday morning and head over to GB.  This past Sunday we had planned to celebrate J’s birthday, but after lunch everyone was cleaning up and J headed back to his apartment.  No one had mentioned to him his birthday celebration, so he was so pleased and happy when H called him back and he saw all of us waiting with a cake.   It was encouraging to see how the residents have grown closer to one another through our Sunday services and fellowship; they heartily sang “Happy Birthday” to J, and even jokingly thanked him for his birthday so that they could all enjoy the delicious birthday cake together!

J is not a Christian, but has been gradually opening his heart so that he is more responsive to people and to the gospel, and he always listens attentively to the Sunday messages.  His participation during praise and his presence during our mingling times show he is increasingly comfortable with us.  I really pray that through these steps of faith that we take through our ministry at GB, J will open his heart to God and know Him personally.

Grandma B

In the past when Grandma B could not attend our services, some of us would rush over to her room to sing some hymns for her after our worship service ended.  Some of the times we visited, she wasn’t eating well or was in some pain.  But as soon as we would start singing, she would close her eyes, turn her face upward, smile, and begin to sing along with us.  It seemed that her discomfort and unhappiness would temporarily go away as she sang along with us.  I could tell that these hymns were such sweet hymns to her, songs that she has sung over the many years of her life that she has committed to memory to this day.   I’m brought to tears when we visit her, sing and pray for her because I see a grandma who loves the Lord so very dearly. All my petty thoughts, my worries, and complicated day-to-day calculations go out the window when I’m with her.  And although on the outside when you look us there is absolutely nothing in common between us, as she always puts it, “It’s wonderful that we all love the Lord.”  When she sings, I can’t help but smile, watch her sing and praise God for such a wonderful godly woman that brings so much encouragement to us all.