Visitation

Yesterday turned out to be a day given over to visitation. I love days like that, but they can wear you out. It started with one of our Life Transformation Groups, where four of us are serious about spiritual growth. So while it is not technically “visitation,” it is sitting donw in an intimate environment and turning everything over to the Lord.

There were some hospital visits, about which more later. I stopped at a few houses of folks shut in for one reason or another. As I was going up one street, I was walking by the house of a church family. Their three year-old girl, Isabel, was standing at the storm door. She opened it and had the sweetest smile. She said, “Pastor Aaron, it's too cold outside. I came over and got a sweet smile and a hug. I talked to her dad for a moment-- they were on their way for her mom to take her citizenship test. Cool stuff.

But I was brought to tears by her sweetness. I can't really say what it was. Perhaps to be called out to by a child you have watched grow, a member of our Princess Mafia with Nadia. Something came to mind about giving a cool drink of water... but this was so much more. I thought, as if for the first time, “Pastor Aaron.” Pastor. Aaron. There was a time those two things could not have gone together, but thanks be to God that He wonderfully saved me.

Visiting some folks in the hospital, I was reminded how much a section of Psalms has such power for the suffering. Ricki Ashkettle and I seemed to land in Psalm reading back in Louisville when her baby daughter had some serious heart problems. I found myself there again yesterday. If you are in a hospital visiting, or with a scik person, or suffering yourself, then here is a great set of verses to pray, to let flow over you:

Psalm 61:1-5, Psalm 62:1-2, Psalm 63: 1-8.

Fast forward to tonight. John went to the hospital with me to visit Mary Philips and Charlie Derrickson. John loves Charlie-- who has a farm with a pond where John caught the monster catfish that he had Jessie fry for him at 9:30 at night... Charlie's granddaughter Morgan is one of the boys' favorite people. She saw John out walking one evening and she told him Charlie would be having surgery. She said she regretted telling him because she said John got a stricken look on his face. So when he found out it was a knee surgery, he was better. And John was really happy to see Charlie.

I suppose if there were a child who should hate hospitals, it's John. But he goes with me to visit every so often. We read Psalm 91, a Psalm that is traditionally an evening prayer Psalm. As we shared some other Scriptures and spiritual encouragement, there was a part of me wondering if I was talking to John as much as I was to the people we were visiting, reminding him of the goodness of God, of His power over life-- “Even in death the righteous have a refuge” (Proverbs 14:32).

While we were in evening bible study, the nursery worker answered the church phone and brought in a message that a dear saint of the church, Mary Phillips had had a heart attack and bad fall. After Bible study, I headed out. I walked over because I knew Jessie had some work to do before we'd leave. Carol Pierce graciously drove me over.


What I found when I visited Mary is worth telling. First, she was not in the ER where I was expecting her to be. When I came into her room, she was looking pretty good. She was happy to see me-- it's funny. I have been wanting to see her for a while, but have not had the chance.

Why I wanted to visit her was that I had heard that she has a ministry of passing out tracts at Cracker Barrel and a few of the staff have found salvation in Christ because of the ministry. Wow! Can you believe it! I keep hearing you shouldn't do evangelism like that! It doesn' work! Tracts are... what? Cheesy? Inelegant? Simplistic? Go ahead, keep it coming! We will just keep handing out tracts and witnessing to the love of God in Jesus Christ.

So as I was sitting with her, asking her what was wrong, she said she had a heart attack that caused her to fall and break her hip. But the break is probably not so serious as to need surgery and they are just going to monitor her heart. We had a wonderful time praising the Lord.

We read sections of Psalms-- 23, 24, 25, 27, 34, 62, 63 and Matthew 11:28-30. We spent some time in prayer.

Some things to reflect on. Mary started handing out tracts because she wondered what she could still do for the Lord then she selects the tract from a variety she carries with her. How simple this would be! Just carry some tracts, Billy Graham's Peace With God is a good one. Give it to a server, a cashier, a co-worker...

Mary mentioned someone who is a “prayer warrior” who wins many to Christ, and I was reminded of how often that is true. I am thinking of Ada Sweeney, such a force in the old Epworth church, her constant praying and prayer meetings, and how many people were “wonderfully saved” in her living room.

So... pray that people would be saved. Pray for them. Pray with them. And have a tract ready that they can take home and think about.