I had recently begun to pastor in Indiana and was busy learning names, finding addresses, and becoming acquainted with my new church family. The "shut in list" included names and addresses that I had printed out on the office printer from a list of contacts of our church family.
The next person to be visited on the list was Beatrice**(Name changed for privacy.) It had been a few years since she had been to a church service on our physical campus due to her declining health and restrictions associated with living in a nursing home. I checked in at the front desk and the receptionist directed me to her room through a set of double doors with a keypad and a couple of long hallways strewn with elderly in wheelchairs.
Beatrice thought she did not have much to offer the Savior, but I think she did. I cannot claim I know what happened to the man after he breathed his last, I do not even know his name. The world seemed to care little that a man who was elderly and riddled with a disease that robbed him of speech and his own memories. But Beatrice cared. And Jesus ministered to that man through a woman who has refused to stop serving the Lord in her latter years.
Yes, we have a missionary in our local nursing home. She is praying with people, singing to comfort them, and being present with them as they transition into the life to come. There are people more intelligent than her; people who are physically better off, financially more capable, and even more gifted. But Jesus has all of Beatrice.
I walked down the hallway reviewing the room numbers and name placards next to each room. The familiar smell of nursing home hallways went with me. One lady held tight to a railing that went down the entire length of the hallway as she made her way in the opposite direction.
I walked into her room and spotted a lady sitting in a small recliner working on a crossword puzzle and asked, "Are you Beatrice?"
She looked up from her book and smiled warmly. "Yes, I am."
As I introduced myself to her as the new pastor of Mackey Church of the Nazarene, she invited me to sit on the edge of her bed as she sat in her seat a few feet away. Her room was small and modest but included the chair she was sitting in along with a little table holding a lamp and some other reading material next to her chair. There was a Bible sitting next to some of her mail and other puzzle books.
She looked up from her book and smiled warmly. "Yes, I am."
As I introduced myself to her as the new pastor of Mackey Church of the Nazarene, she invited me to sit on the edge of her bed as she sat in her seat a few feet away. Her room was small and modest but included the chair she was sitting in along with a little table holding a lamp and some other reading material next to her chair. There was a Bible sitting next to some of her mail and other puzzle books.
There was a large curtain hanging from the ceiling that served as a sort of divide in the room from the other resident and her bed in the same room. It all felt very small, almost insignificant, but there was something about this room I could not shake.
I shared a little bit about myself and Beatrice listened patiently. A staff-person from the nursing home came into the room. Beatrice knew her by name. She had come into the room to check on Beatrice. She did not recognize me and exhibited a level of love in her concern for Beatrice's well being by finding out the identity of this new visitor.
"This is my new pastor," Beatrice informed her. The subtle message of her safety was communicated to the staff person who greeted me and moved on to tackle her duties for the day. I then began to listen as Beatrice pointed out pictures of family and recounted her own life story.
As a pastor does, I eventually came to the point in the conversation where we discussed Beatrice's spiritual condition. Beatrice quickly confirmed what I already had a hunch about: "I love Jesus so much. He is with me here every day and speaks to me."
She did not need to do or say anymore to convince me. Her smile and words were saturated with the presence of the Holy Spirit. Curiosity compelled me to dig deeper though: "How do you serve Jesus in here?"
The question was abrupt and almost seemed to disrupt the flow of our conversation to that point. Beatrice put her crossword puzzle book on the little table and repositioned herself in the recliner. She leaned forward a little as she began to speak: "I can't do much in here. I don't have any money to speak of and my body just won't let me get around like I'm use to. But I love Jesus so much. Sometimes I sit in this room for hours and pray for my family and people who need Jesus."
As a pastor does, I eventually came to the point in the conversation where we discussed Beatrice's spiritual condition. Beatrice quickly confirmed what I already had a hunch about: "I love Jesus so much. He is with me here every day and speaks to me."
She did not need to do or say anymore to convince me. Her smile and words were saturated with the presence of the Holy Spirit. Curiosity compelled me to dig deeper though: "How do you serve Jesus in here?"
The question was abrupt and almost seemed to disrupt the flow of our conversation to that point. Beatrice put her crossword puzzle book on the little table and repositioned herself in the recliner. She leaned forward a little as she began to speak: "I can't do much in here. I don't have any money to speak of and my body just won't let me get around like I'm use to. But I love Jesus so much. Sometimes I sit in this room for hours and pray for my family and people who need Jesus."
The answer was no surprise, but then she continued. "The other day, there was a gentleman who had no family. He was an Alzheimer patient who was dying down the hall from me. I felt so sad for him. So Jesus told me to go be with him. I went in to his room and sat in the chair next to his bed and held his hand. He couldn't talk because of the advancement of the Alzheimer's disease and when he looked at me I could see in his eyes that he was scared. So I prayed for him right there. I asked Jesus to save him. And then I began to sing. I'm not a good singer anymore pastor, but I sang for him. Before I knew it, it seemed that all the employees in the whole building were standing in here and out into the hallway just crying."
Beatrice thought she did not have much to offer the Savior, but I think she did. I cannot claim I know what happened to the man after he breathed his last, I do not even know his name. The world seemed to care little that a man who was elderly and riddled with a disease that robbed him of speech and his own memories. But Beatrice cared. And Jesus ministered to that man through a woman who has refused to stop serving the Lord in her latter years.
When Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman, an American evangelist, was in London, England, he had the opportunity to spend some time with the founder of the Salvation Army. William Booth and the Salvation Army, A holiness denomination that is well known for its ministry to the poor, were part of the holiness movement in England. General Booth was past eighty years of age when Dr. Chapman sat down with him. He listened as General Booth shared the obstacles, victories, revivals, and ministries he had participated in throughout the year. Then the American evangelist asked the general if he would disclose his secret for success.
“He hesitated a second,” Dr. Chapman said, “and I saw the tears come into his eyes and steal down his cheeks, and then he said, ‘I will tell you the secret. God has had all there was of me. There have been men with greater brains than I, men with greater opportunities; but from the day I got the poor of London on my heart, and a vision of what Jesus Christ could do with the poor of London, I made up my mind that God would have all of William Booth there was. And if there is anything of power in the Salvation Army today, it is because God has all the adoration of my heart, all the power of my will, and all the influence of my life.’”
Dr. Chapman said he went away from that meeting with General Booth knowing that, “the greatness of a man’s power is the measure of surrender.”
Yes, we have a missionary in our local nursing home. She is praying with people, singing to comfort them, and being present with them as they transition into the life to come. There are people more intelligent than her; people who are physically better off, financially more capable, and even more gifted. But Jesus has all of Beatrice.
Can you pray for a missionary from our church who is trying to fulfill the Great Commission in the local nursing home? She might be praying for you.
Other articles you might be interested in...
The Cry of My Heart
Other articles you might be interested in...
The Cry of My Heart
