One of our newest volunteers, Gena came to me two weeks ago and asked if she could bring a message one Friday. Now, many people may think that preaching at a nursing home is too difficult, calls for special training or would be pointless. But as Gena shared that morning, it became evident from the look of rapt attention on the faces of the residents, that they were listening. They weren’t listening because Gena had a polished delivery, was a local celebrity or had some special certification. They wanted to hear what Gena had to say, because she had spent a year visiting with, praying with and loving them. As she talked about going through her own storms, many of them knew exactly what kind of storms she was going through because they had gotten to know and trust her over time.

If you are interested in learning how to volunteer at a nursing home, Gena’s testimony is a just a small preview of what that looks like. Volunteering means taking time to get to know people, remember their names, pray for their needs and do it on a consistent basis. Then, when an opportunity arises to sing, preach or coordinate a Christmas program, you will have something that no celebrity possesses. You will have their trust. Whether our instrument is out of tune or we are running late, people will still come, not because we are personally impressive, but because they have experienced God’s love in action through our lives. Gena’s message about dealing with her storms is something that all of us can identify with. I pray that you will be both blessed and challenged as you listen and that you will pray for us, as week after week, month after month we do our best to answer the call of Jesus to go everywhere and share His message of hope, healing and salvation with everyone we meet.