Girls Who Nurture

At my church, there is a women's group called the Nurture Team.  These women truly are the hands and feet of the church.  They make baskets for new moms as well as those who have lost a loved one.  They also make meals for those in need.  They write cards and notes like CAH-RAZY.  Seriously.  I have been the recipient of many-a-basket a couple years ago when we experienced so many deaths in our family.  They are what I aspire to be one day when I grow up.

Well, a few months ago, they, at the suggestion of a young lady in the church, decided to start a Girl's Nurture Team.  The idea is they will mentor the younger girls in learning how to serve others.  If learned at a young age, our girls will then grow up with the natural inclination to serve others.  They meet once a month and they have done all manner of things such as making cards, baskets etc.

This past Saturday, the girls met up at the church and decorated cookies...

After decoration, the girls put several of their creations into little goodie bags.

And once everything was put together, we all rode down the street to the local assisted living facility.  Some of the girls (including Jenna) had been there before to dance ballet.  They practiced the song Children of God and then lined up for all the residents and sang. 



Then then handed out their cookies (they even had diabetic cookies for those that needed them).  Some of the residents immediately gobbled them up.  It was so touching to hear these girls singing and the residents just loved them.

It was a good experience for Jenna, but especially for me.  The next night, our Lifegroup went there to sing the old hymns and Christmas carols and just spend time with the residents.    I'll be honest and say I didn't want to go.  Hanging out with the elderly just isn't my thing.  I've never felt comfortable doing it although I'm not sure why.

But I saw my Daddy in many of those faces.  And though there weren't many residents out there when we began, once we started singing the old hymns, they started emerging from their rooms.  One gentleman rolled up in his wheelchair beside us.  After we finished singing, he thanked me for coming and we struck up a conversation.  He and his wife both live at the center.  They moved here from Florida and this was just a temporary stop until they were able to find a permanent home.  We talked for a while and he told me how they'd lived in a house in Florida and then came here and how he loved the staff because they were so nice.  It was a great chat and I told him we'd be back next month with the girls to do their ballet.  When we left, a friend of mine whose dad also resides there shared with me that he has Alzheimers.  His wife has Parkinsons.  And this is NOT just a temporary stop, but his permanent home. 

Another gentleman who was very friendly and outspoken walks with a walker and has a disease which renders him almost unable to walk some days.  He is only 67.  Many of these residents have family.  Many of them do not.  And my heart breaks for them.  I've thought of them all, often, since we went on Saturday.

If you have a minute, whisper a prayer from these wonderful men and women.