Stories
Story
Calvary Community Church in Sumner, WA
Calvary Community Church in Sumner, WA recently participated in the Faith in Action campaign. The following testimony was provided by Carrie Jacobs, a participant that visited a local assisted living facility with members of her youth group...
My friend Amy and I loaded up the girls from our small group and went to a local elderly home. I was very nervous, and wasn’t sure what to expect. I put on my game face and thought, “You need to step up and be an example for these girls.” Instead, they were my example. These middle school girls walked into the cafeteria with a mission. I stood in awe as I watched them reach out and work the room like an old 40’s social. They were filled with excitement and an eagerness to share.
We were instructed to be very cautious around one woman as she has a tendency to be irritable and start swinging if you got too close. She protectively sat rocking herself and her doll, back and forth as we proceeded to sing, “Jesus loves me.” It was pure joy as we walked by about an hour later and the girls realized that she was still rocking and singing their song. We heard so many stories; one woman spoke of her days as a professional water skier and another shared about her many grandchildren. A gentleman with the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen - who could not speak - watched with a frustrated look on his face. I then said, “Look at those eyes, those are lady killin’ eyes!” and he started to shake with laughter. A part of me hoped that I had spurred some long lost memory of his youth. I’ll never know, but I don’t need to because the joy that I felt in that moment is indescribable. He endearingly became Ol’ Blue Eyes and smiled each time I referred to him.
As the girls and I sang Christmas carols, with a few of the residents playing background noise with our car keys in hand, I realized how wrong my assumptions had been. I could never imagine that something that seemed so insignificant could mean so much… to these wonderful men and women, to our girls and to myself.
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