This past Saturday, our homegroup went to McClure Convalescent Hospital & Rehabilitation Center for our annual Valentine’s Day of Compassion event.  This is a tradition that Gracepoint Fellowship Church began in 2006 as a way to give love on the day associated mostly with romantic love and, for many people, feelings of self-pity for not having a Valentine.  So on Saturday, we started off in the morning baking cupcakes, making decorated cards with Zephaniah 3:17, and practicing songs with full-0n Joyland moves.   When we went there, we had a great time meeting and talking with the many residents there.

Kelly Kang had a great insight regarding our visits to the various convalescent homes and shelters that came directly from the DT text that we were meditating on this past week: Luke 8.  In that chapter is the story of Jesus healing the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years.  After He heals her, He gives her the opportunity to tell her full story to the entire audience.  He gives her dignity and respect by letting her speak and hearing her story, a story that she probably had not been able to tell anyone all those years.  As we went to the convalescent home and spoke to the residents, we really gave them that opportunity to be heard and to tell their stories, stories that many of them don’t get to tell to anyone because there is no one there to hear it.  But for one afternoon, they got a chance to have some young college student be there and hear their whole story.  It was an opportunity to follow Jesus’ example and a scene that was probably very pleasing to God.