nursing home report

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We had a nursing home ministry last year at a large elder-care
facility that had a resident chaplin on staff who was not sympathetic
to our beliefs.  He permitted us one service of 1/2 hour per month on
Sunday evening, and we were not to teach any specific doctrine, but to
keep it non-sectarian in nature.  We did get him to agree to let us
read out of the Bible.

Our services continued on there for 5 or 6 months, but with no
particular results.  It came my turn to preach there, and I worked on
a message, studied, wrote notes, all that normal good stuff.  I felt I
was ready.  

But Saturday night, while I was in prayer before going to bed, the
Lord impressed on me that I was not going to preach what I had
prepared to preach.  He impressed me that I should preach a good
old-fashioned down home rootin' tootin' Acts 2:38 message!  I thought
of the prohibition against our specific doctrine, and wondered how I
could do this, but then I remembered that we could read directly from
the Bible.

I preached that Acts 2:38 message by reading scriptures, rather than
offering my own interpretation od paraphrasing.  I waited to see what
would happen next.

After the service I found out that the chaplin had decided that we
were not to meet there anymore!  At first I thought it was because of
my message, but then I learned he had come to this decision the day
before.  I was so glad I had listened to the Lord the night before.
How else would these precious people have had a chance to hear the
truth? 

The story doesn't end, but the scene does change here.  After
Christmas, Bro. Jeff Watts of our church decided to go out and find
another nursing home where we could hold services.  The first two
phone calls he made resulted in two home that were excited about
having us in!  We are now holding weekly services in two nursing
homes:  one on Sunday evening, and the other on Tuesday evening.  The
Tuesday evening home is going to be taught "Exploring God's Word" in a
classroom like setting!  We have 15 residents coming on Tuesday night,
and last night we had 18 at the Sunday night service.

Last night was special.  After Bro. George Ramirez delivered the
message, "We all have choices to make", Bro. Jeff Watts closed the
service with the opportunity for people to be prayed for.  He felt the
Lord really wanted to move, but there was no response.  He repeated
the invitation and one lady raised her hand.  When we went and prayed
for her, the spirit moved and many of the others asked for prayer
also.  One lady had an arm that she was unable to move.  She held it
up with her other hand.  After prayer, she left the service pushing
her wheelchair with the crippled arm!

Please pray that God will have his way in our service at the other
home Tuesday like he did last night, and that he will continue to move
in these services.

-- 
-----------  "...  And the men went up and viewed Ai."  [Jos 7:2]  -----------
Robert Jay Brown III  rj@eli.wariat.org  http://eli.wariat.org  1 847 705-0370
Elijah Laboratories Inc;  759 Independence Drive;  Suite 5;  Palatine IL 60074
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