By Madeline Jenkins
Just a few weeks ago, over 150 OLu students along with many faculty and alumni spent their week serving the people of Appalachia through Big Creek missions in Kentucky. Every night students would share impactful things they experienced during their trip, and it was clear how greatly impacted this group of lancers was, along with the many people living in Leslie county Kentucky. While there are so many amazing stories to share, I will share just one eye opening experience of mine.
My first two service days were in a nursing home. Going in I had no idea how much of an impact this would have on me and the rest of my group. Being surrounded by a group of believers, each with unique crazy stories, who were either physically or mentally impaired, all living their last stretch. Those two days made me so happy to be Christian. The people living in the home showed me how the hope and joy found in Jesus can be found in any situation, and that as a Christian even death shouldn’t scare us. A moment I’ll never forget was hearing an older man residing in the home, who had been a pastor for almost 40 years, sing for us his favorite worship song. Regrettably I don’t know what it was called, but it was all about shouting in celebration once we pass and get taken to heaven. Seeing that man who wasn’t guaranteed to live much longer worship the lord and express how death isn’t something to fear as Christian’s, but the guarantee that we’ll be eternally united with the Father is something to be celebrated! That is an assurance that so many people live their whole lives without accepting.
Shortly after that little performance, a man (who’s mind was aged) sang for us a more well-known song: The Old Rugged Cross. That man really enabled me to embrace the joy and peace in knowing that I can ‘cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown.’ Even in living out their last – generally painful and lonely – days, the amazing group of residents at Hyden’s nursing home made me so happy to know that even when this life gets tough, we always have the assurance and joy that our eternity and identity isn’t in the circumstances of this word, but in our faith in Christ Jesus. I heard many stories of when life was less than kind to these folks, yet one thing enabled them to look back on everything with peace: our knowledge that clinging to the cross means wearing a crown that Jesus bought for us with His blood.
