We recently celebrated Grandma B’s 101st birthday! Despite her age and her weak body, she is amazingly cheerful and thankful, and she thanks God for sustaining her these many years. When I first began visiting CB nursing home at the beginning of summer, Grandma B was doing poorly – her health, her spirits were down. She wasn’t strong enough to join us for Sunday services, so our whole church was praying for her body to strengthen, for her spirit to strengthen. Perhaps in part due to our prayers, we’ve seen a marked difference in Grandma B. She has rejoined us for Sunday service, and as much as her coarse voice can handle she heartily sings along with the hymns, often from memory. Her regular prayer request has been for the other residents at CB, and that she could share God’s love with them. One weeknight I went to visit her and some of the other residents, I entered Grandma B’s room and met her at the door because she was heading out on her wheelchair. “Are you heading out, Grandma B?” “Yes, I’m just going to take a walk.” “You want some company?” “No, I’ll be fine, my wheelchair is wonderful.” As I watched her down the hallway, I saw her pause to talk the other residents in the hallway. About fifteen minutes later, I ran into her again in the hallway. She didn’t see me because she was intently reading the names of the residents in a certain room before she went in to visit them. I was really heartened to see her because she was answering her own prayer request, making friends in order to share the God’s love and give hope to the other residents. About an hour after I had first seen her, I went back to her room and she was exhausted. I think the trip around the nursing home wore her out, and she was slumped in her wheelchair next to her bed. She arose when I said her name, and as always she was very thankful to see me, promising that she would pray for our church to be a blessing to the CB residents. I’m very thankful for Grandma B, for her love, gratitude, and the example of her faithful life that she has lived before God. My heart always feels so humbled and cleansed after I spend some time with her; she gives me a clarity on what life is all about – loving God and loving people. She always thanks our church members, but we are so much more thankful that she answered God’s call for her to be a missionary to China, so thankful that we have had the wonderful opportunity to get to know her through our ministry at CB. We interviewed her on her birthday and asked what advice she would pass on to younger people such as us, and she urged us to listen to and trust in God’s word, and we will experience His great blessing in our lives. She is a living testimony of that kind of blessed life, and I hope that I’ll be just like her at 101 years old!
