I grew up in a nursing home.
From three to eight every night off and on for five years, you could catch me riding dirty in a wheelchair at the local nursing home, racing through the halls with the 85 year old women.
My grandmother lived in our Georgia home for six years and from time to time, circumstances would arise that required her to go into a nursing home for inpatient rehab.
And those were truly the most magical times of my life.
I learned to harmonize from the women who sang in the quartet at church in the nursing home.
I learned to love from the couple who still held hands everywhere they went even after 60+ years of marriage.
I learned about the depths of loneliness from the widowers who had no one there to comfort them after a hard day.
Looking back on it now, I see that the Lord birthed a love for ministry in me at this nursing home.
He showed me how deep compassion can go, and how far love can take you.
I found no greater joy than wheeling the patients to and from the cafeteria.
The highlight of my day was when the rec staff let me read off the bingo cards in the day room.
I loved watching Wheel of Fortune and munching on peppermints to my heart's content.
I'm continually amazed at God's plan.
He began the journey to the World Race back when I was nine in a nursing home.
My closest friends were over 70.
But they changed my life.
Now, as I travel the world, I carry them with me.
I find joy in the day to day because of these precious people that God placed in my path.
I haven't spoken to them in years, but I will never forget them.
It is because of their love and willingness to share their life with me that I am willing to go.
God's plan for my life involved my childhood being lived out in a Georgia nursing home, my adolescence in midwest USA, and my young adulthood all over the world. It's been an adventure for the first 21 years. So cheers to where the Lord takes me for the next 21 years.
Financial Update: I still need approximately $1,600 to leave in July. Please pray about sponsoring me financially. Even the smallest of donations boosts my spirits and fills my heart with gratitude. I pray that the Lord repays you double what you donate to me. If you have any questions or even if you just wanna chat, feel free to shoot me an e-mail at [email protected]
