Ministry to one elderly person
Budding friendship with one neighbor grew from timely encounters
Since I work for an organization that does student ministry, I thought I didn’t have anything to contribute to the theme of Ministry in an Aging Society. But then I remembered my budding friendship with our 81-year-old neighbor! I met her because we were doing weekly co-op grocery orders with pickup at a common location. One week, she didn’t pick up her order, and she didn’t order anything for several weeks. I wondered what happened to her, but had no way to get in touch. I wondered if she was in the hospital—or worse. I started praying, “Oh, Lord, please don’t let her die without knowing you!” Finally, after several months, she reappeared and told me she had been in the hospital and then rehab all this time.
I invited her to a Christian concert, and she came. Since it was our first time to do an activity together, I was surprised at how open she was about her past family troubles and tragedies. She also told me that for college she had gone to a Christian “mission school” and used to enjoy singing hymns. After that first concert, she came to almost every Christian concert or event I invited her to and also joined my English Bible class.
One day, I got out the door later than I expected, but I ran into her outside our apartment building. She was having trouble walking back to her home, and I was able to help her. Another time, I happened to run into her outside our building again and was able to meet her son, who was visiting. Through these interactions, I have sensed that the Lord is in charge of every minute of my life, guiding me so that I can run into my neighbor exactly when he wants!
She started coming to church with me, and now she comes almost every week for worship service, handbell practice, as well as practices for singing Handel’s Messiah. Near the beginning of our friendship, she told me, “My world has opened up so much since I met you!” But she said that she could not “change religions” because the ashes of her husband and one of her sons are at the Buddhist temple, and the priest has been so helpful to her. Recently, she told me again, out of the blue, that she cannot “change religions.” I think she brings it up because she is considering doing so. I believe she will put her trust in Jesus someday, and I am looking forward to that day!
So, though I don’t have an official ministry to the elderly, God has given me a ministry to one older person. It has been a delight to me and shown that his hand guides every minute of my life.