Yesterday was a wonderful Sunday. Hannah thought we should check at the nursing home again, as we have for the last few Sundays, to see if the temporary Covid lock-down is over yet and if "Beaver" (her nickname) could come to church. Beaver had covid herself, the nurses said, about three weeks ago. I thought it would be too cold to push Beaver down the street, but we went to the nursing home, whose entry sidewalk was gloriously decorated along both sides for Halloween with naked skeletons boasting long, black wisps of tulle. Jonathan and Hannah went inside, Jonathan coming back out to hold the door for a nurse who was bringing three residents out to get their smokes for the morning. Each of the residents had his own plastic bag of fire-proof apron which the nurse helped them put on. Then the nurse was pulling cigarettes out of his pocket and helping them with lighting and getting started on their morning smokes with the sunshine and skeletons!
Before I knew it, the door opened again, and here came Jonathan and Hannah with no less than our friend, Beaver! She had a coat on, and while Jonathan drove me back to church, Danny and Hannah pushed her the five blocks to church. In the above picture, there they go up the ramp, all because Hannah was thoughtful and persistent when her mom thought there was probably no use!
It's true, that before service was over, Beaver was starting to push herself to the back, saying that she needed to go now, so we had to get her out the back door and on her way with Danny pushing the wheelchair and Hannah driving the car to bring Danny back! But still, she got to come to church, be with friends, enjoy a hot cup of coffee (a special privilege reserved only for Beaver!), and hear God's Word and some good music.
I think music is one of God's ways to attract people to Himself and to church. A few Sundays ago, a grandma who had just lost her Christian husband, "Chuck," who used to attend our church, came to church with Chuck's old guitar.
She wanted to give it to Hannah, since she understood that Hannah plays guitar.
Hannah took Chuck's guitar home, sat down, tuned it up, and promptly sang a song with it--"God is good all the time." She did such a good job, that we encouraged her to sing the song in church next Sunday, hoping very much Chuck's wife would be there.
We wanted Chuck's wife to know that the guitar was being used already.
Hannah did sing, Chuck's wife was there, and she beamed!
How she loved seeing her husband's guitar being played!
And she kept coming to church each Sunday!
Yesterday she brought two huge packages of fried chicken to heat in the oven, as well as a huge carton of her own homemade potato salad. I ate three pieces of fried chicken--one of the few foods I have enjoyed and felt good eating since having chemo.
At first, this grandmother, who had almost never attended church before her husband died, showed up with her two granddaughters whom her husband used to bring to church, and appeared uncertain and bashful.
Now she sits and beams--and is beginning to contribute.
She is feeling a part.
Nothing could make us happier, and we are grateful for Hannah's willingness to be used of God to reach people in small but practical ways. She came home last night after evening service, where Jonathan had been asked to fill in for Keith Lavery who is away, telling me that one of the native men off the street had made a positive comment to Jonathan about his message.
The theme had been "Lessons from a Garden."
Jonathan had sat down at the meal afterward with four native men, and then when Jonathan was getting up to leave, one of the men said about the message, "I was following you."
It was a very simple comment, but it meant a lot to us. The man had been able to follow simple stories, illustrations, Bible verses, and truths from God's Word based on growing a garden and harvesting its fruits.
I can hardly imagine a better compliment to a speaker than that a hearer was able to "follow."
The hearer was not feeling driven.
He was not being put down.
He was not getting lost in the brush.
He was able to follow the message--truth that could help him in his life.
What a wonderful Sunday joy with which to finish the day!
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