Seniors

How Nursing Home Volunteers can respond in the Corona Crisis

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

I was sick and you visited me…Matthew 25

Being in the grip of public health emergency it is important to know how we as volunteers can help. Our first order of business is not to panic. Our precious friends in long term care already are dealing with serious personal medical situations as well as depression and loneliness. We need to find out what we can do to lift their load.

Secondly we need to face the Corona virus not as some mysterious plague but as another in a yearly cycle of serious diseases. Use common sense. Follow the directives of the facilities you are visiting. I go 3-4 times a week into different homes to sing. Each time I shower and change first then still use the hand sanitizer at the door as I sign in. I use another sanitizer between wards and then again on the way out the door. Once home I wash with warm soap and water. If all this sounds like a lot of trouble remember that sickness can be whole a lot more trouble than soap!

Last of all we need to not only pray but also be creative and upbeat. Keep in touch by text with staff or other volunteers who are out sick. A phone call or even a card can do as much as any medicine in the face of discouragement. We are serving on the front lines of both a medical as well as a spiritual battle. We must keep our heads about us and trust the Lord. He has sent us to bring a message of hope and life and this is the time to buckle up and be ready for anything. He has promised to be with us and He just might want to use you to remind someone else of that today!

Taking Care of Mom

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.   John 19:27 ESV

Jesus struggled to breath and nails pinned his hands and feet to wooden boards behind him and the crown of thorns pressed down around his head; but in the middle of his suffering Jesus was thinking about his mom. As the oldest son it was his responsibility to make sure she was taken care of. At that moment there was only a small cluster of friends and family around Him and when He saw John next to Mary His choice of caregiver was made.

As a result of John’s new responsibility we find later on that his ministry was far less public than some of the others. Peter became the chief spokesman for the church and Paul traveled all over the world as a missionary, but John stayed home. He was taking care of Mary. Now of course there is nothing wrong with people serving as evangelists and missionary leaders; but God has called some of us to care for those closer to home. Did you know that according to U. S. government statistics; 70% of those in long term care will not receive a single visit this year? Just like Mary, they are Jesus’ mother, older sister and brother. Father’s day passes and no one even calls. Mother’s day arrives and they do not get a flower or a hug or a kiss unless someone hears the call of Jesus and is willing to go. Why not take a moment and ask God if you could be that someone today?

Recently our pastor accompanied me at my nursing home ministry and mad this short video to encourage others to answer God’s call in our own communities. I pray that your heart will be touched and that this Christmas you find a way to reach out and share the love of Jesus Christ to Jesus’ mother and sister and brother in your own town,God bless

Nursing Home Ministry: The 1st Mission Field

/ pastorpete51 / 3 Comments

But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program.  And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility       Acts 6:1-3 NLT

Why would God think that taking care of the elderly was so essential? Of course people with existing family were expected to take care of their own but just like today there still were many who desperately needed help.

In the first months of the early church; care for the elderly was considered so urgent that a structure was set in place to meet their needs even before the first missionary was sent to the field. Taking care of the older people wasn’t just something extra and nice for the church to do. It was treated with primary importance so much so that the apostles asked for the best and most committed people to be put in charge.

Have you ever seen nursing homes in your own community with those eyes? Maybe before the next trip to Africa, Asia or South America is funded we could focus on those God has put right on our doorstep. You won’t need to get a visa, learn another language or do a big fundraiser to reach them. Are you willing to go to the least of these?