Ellicott City, MD
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The following story comes to us from team leader Bernie with our team in Ellicott City, Maryland:
With the weather being so cold this winter, our team has been directing our evangelization efforts to a local nursing home. We’ve been given a weekly one-hour time slot on Fridays to share music, scripture, and prayer with the residence. The unexpected participants at each visit are the staff members who stay with the residence. They sing and share in discussions too. Our Lord has used this one hour visit to bless about 20 people each week.
When Pat, Divya, Johanna, and I arrived at the nursing home this past Friday, we were greeted by 11 residents and 4 staff members. They were waiting eagerly for us to begin singing some of their favorite Christian songs. “How Great Thou Art” and “Amazing Grace” are their favorites. Judy is one of the non-verbal residents. Although she’s unable to sing, she moves and raises her arms in praise to God, becoming visibly emotional when we sing “How Great Thou Art”. Judy is a mighty witness of faith for all of us in the room, despite her limitations.
This Friday’s lesson was called “Come, Follow Me” using Sunday’s Gospel, Matt. 4:12-23, on the call of the first Apostles. We began with prayer and the song, “I Will Follow”. Cathy, a resident, read the Gospel. We watched a short video about the reading and then asked reflection questions: How is Jesus asking you to follow Him? Would you be willing to not do what you want and instead do what Jesus wanted you to do? The residents shared how they could follow Jesus by the kind things they could do in the nursing home, such as offering a smile to another resident, greeting each other with a kind word, and praying for each other. Sometimes we don’t think the residents are listening, but Genevieve answered our questions without even looking up. They are listening! We used imaginative prayer by asking the residents and staff to close their eyes and enter into the Gospel scene on the Sea of Galilee with Peter and Andrew. Jesus asks Peter and Andrew to follow Him. They leave immediately. Then Jesus turns to you and asks you, “Will you follow Me?” What will you say? What will you do? Jesus loves you. He wants you to spend your life with Him. We ended our visit with prayer, asking them to share their prayer intentions, and sang, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.” I’m amazed at the level of participation. We handed out prayer cards and a sheet with scripture verses to pray with during the week. God willing, next week’s lesson – The Beatitudes!