Wow-Thanks
I was totally unprepared for the volume and depth of response to the questions of yesterday about community to the homebound. I will try to get to every response next week, and also collect a set of ideas that we can share together. Of course, I am delighted to say that our little exercise was an example of how we can share as a community even if we can’t get out of the house — after all, this started as some questions from those who faced those challenges.
Over the years, I’ve been humbled by the very emotional and open testimony of folks who talked about the role that Heartlight.org played in their lives as they faced difficult challenges. A couple came back to Christ after a wreck through friends who served them, made sure they had access to the web, and introduced them to Heartlight. A sweet sister in Christ, dying of bone cancer, wrote about how precious the devotionals and articles and emails were as she faced the growing limitations of her failing body before she went to be with Jesus. A note from a wife whose husband had been baptized one year around Christmas because he read of the devotionals focused on Jesus’ birth and and what that really meant. Three native Hawaiian young adults that had subscribed to Today’s Verse as part of their spiritual quest and ended up baptizing each other in the Pacific off Ohuau. African Christian schools using the content of Today’s Verse or What Jesus Did! to teach their young students the practice of daily devotionals. A Philipinno businessman using Heartlight articles and an Internet Cafe to share his faith with his friends. And many, many, who face the challenges of age or mobility and depend on our resources and community to connect with them.
But it sure seems to me that we need to take that community to the next level and make sure we do what real communities do: encourage each other, care for each other, include each other, and bring each other to Jesus. We’ll be working on ways to do that and hope you will stay in the discussion!
Thanks for all the feedback!
My husband suffered severe brain damage after an accident when he was only 56 years old, and I cared for him in our home for the next nine years. Essentially, we were both homebound.
Although we were unable to attend worship services as we had done all of our lives, Sunday remained a special day for us. I was able to find television services that ministered to us regularly. Indeed, I looked forward to these services and when I was able to return to regular church attendance, I actually missed being a part of the television community.
Since we had both been active members of our church for over twenty years at the time of his accident, our church family ministered to us faithfully. For the 2 1/2 months he was in the hospital, someone from church took lunch to our family everyday and visited with us in the waiting room. There was usually enough for the evening meal, as well. After rehab and finally a return home eight months later, church members formed a committee to minister to us. Someone brought a hot meal every week (on Tuesday) and dinner was sent from the Wednesday night Bible study and dinner. Someone else came once a week to sit with my mother (dementia) while I took my husband to therapy.
These were the regular “scheduled” ministries. There were many visits, calls, cards, and letters. Our worship services are recorded and the tapes were brought to me regularly. There were times when checks arrived unexpectedly in the mail. These always seemed to meet an unexpected need — a broken microwave, etc. One of the Sunday School classes — (not the one that I was a member of) — taped their lessons each week and brought them over regularly.
It was my experience that while I was unable to physically attend our church, the community came to me. It was a wonderful ministry and I do not see how I could have handled the situation otherwise. It was also a testimony of the wonderful, caring people at our church as others in the larger local community learned of their services to us.
Unfortunately, my husband passed away four years ago. The adjustment has been difficult, and I miss him terribly. At the same time I can be thankful that he is no longer suffering and I truly believe we will be reunited someday.
Perhaps other churches could look into the special needs of their homebound. It’s a lonely, difficult situation but knowing others care and are helping makes the situation easier to bear. I might also add that I discovered your site during that dark time and it was also of great help to me. Thank you very much.
Mary
20 Jan 09 at 2:38 pm
While helping others is Christianlike, you can not help people and serve God if there is no one to be helped. Sometimes being in that community is being open to accepting help from others. This is not as easy as it seems. When you have been helping others all your life, it is difficult to start accepting that help, and there is a lesson there.
Also their are areas to serve when you are homebound. The quick thoughts are babysitting, sewing, mending, or just being a grandparent to a child in need.
Gail
20 Jan 09 at 3:19 pm