Little Moments of Great Joy at the Nursing Home

“The majority of time when we enter the nursing home there is silence. Recently, I sat by one of the residents, Felix, who is blind. He is always sitting in a chair, away from everyone else. I asked him, How are you? And he told me, “Good. I heard that you were here again.” I told him that every week we come to visit. In the weeks past, he told me that almost no one talks to him, so I decided to take the time to talk with him each week. Then he continued, “I want to thank you for talking to me.” He shook my hand and said that the moments that pass with me and with the Pure Joy Missions’ team are very happy times for him. He said he feels God’s wonder the most when he talks about the love God has for him. And then he told me, that the same God that loves him is the same God who sends us to be with him and the other residents. Even though Felix has lost his sight, he has not lost his happiness, hope, or love, because he remembers that God loves him. Even when he feels alone, God has never left him. And now, every time I leave, he says goodbye with a smile. Before he was sad, but not anymore because I told him that when we leave and when the workers aren’t taking the time to be with him and the other residents, they are not alone, because God is with them. He decided to believe this. He said that he and the residents always wait for our visit every week because they have a good time with us. I can guarantee you that this time with them is the best part of their day and mine as well. You can see a grand difference in the residents when when we arrive at the nursing home. From the moment we get there, you can see a change in their faces— they smile, they move with happiness, they try to get up to greet us. There are moments of happiness, of change, of blessing. And above all, of unity. These little moments move us and push us to do more for them. The Pure Joy Missions’ team is happy to bring joy in this simple but wonderful way.”
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​-Gerson, PJM Missionary