The reason for the visits are just to share God's love for those trapped in a bed, lonely, or just needing conversation.
There were some very advanced patients that could not move or talk. Those broke my heart. The nurses said they could hear and understand, so I just prayed for them and encouraged them to talk to God in their minds. I would stroke their face or hands to let them know that someone cared. Sometimes it was very difficult, but most of the time I'd let go of any inhibition or fear and let God's love work through me.
One of the patients mostly encouraged me. I'd walk into his room, and he'd look over, he couldn't recognize me because his vision was blurring because of the MS. He could barely move one hand still and was able to talk and move his head. I'd say Hello, his smile would light up, and his eyebrows would raise from recognition.
He had been a gang banger, and had some pretty serious tattoos. He had dark curly hair. He always talked about his two boys whom he was so proud. He was tall about 6'4", and talked of his basketball days.
While taking drugs he overdosed and fell into a coma for 6 months. He loved telling me of his first visit to the afterlife. He saw his Grandmother there and his wife's Father who both had just recently passed away. His Grandmother slugged him in the arm, and told him he wasn't supposed to be there. That is when he came back into consciousness, and was revived.
His Grandmother used to read him the Bible and teach him songs like "Jesus loves me", and "This little light of me". He could recite the 23rd Psalm, and John 3:16. I would always make him recite his verses and we'd sing both those songs together. He would always laugh. He always wanted me to pray for his boys and his family. He so wanted to be with them and watch over them.
He said he was lonely and we'd pray for visitors. He was always excited to tell me when the prayers were answered and his boys would come visit.
Later, I asked him if he wanted to learn another Love verse. See, his name was Robert Love, and I'd always refer to him as MR. Love. I told him there was a chapter in the Bible written about him. The love chapter in 1st Corinthians 13.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails.
I changed it a bit, and would say Robert Love is patient, Robert Love is kind, Robert Love does not envy...and so on.
He would always get the biggest smile.
Since his hearing was his best sense, I got him an Ipod shuffle and put some of his favorites rap artists on it. I also snuck the audio book of John on it. He laughed the next week after he listened to his rap interspersed with a narrator reading John. He said he loved it, and it helped him sleep.
One week I got to the nursing home and he wasn't in his room. The nurses told me he was at the hospital because he had the flu. I got the name of the hospital and went. The nurse there told me he was discharged. I asked where? She said back to the home. I had hoped I had just missed him in the transfer. I learned the next week after visiting his room that he had been discharged. He had been discharged of his duties on this earth, and the Lord took him home. I cried hard. I missed Mr. Love. I can still hear his voice repeating the verses in his special accent, and singing those children's song.
Yes, Mr. Love and I will sing those songs to Jesus together one day, and I can hardly wait.
Don't let your circumstances rob you of joy. Reach out and Love somebody.
1 John 4:16
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18There is no fear in love.
