Blessed be the Lord my Rock,
Who trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle.
Psalms 144 Vs.1

First let me tell you about how myself my wife and another couple got into the nursing home ministry. This all happened a little over three years ago, I got a call from a pastor of a Baptist church asking if I would help him conduct a grief counseling for those who have lost loved ones and can not bear to let them go. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the five emotional stages associated with the loss of loved ones. Those stages are 1st Denial 2nd Anger 3rd Bargaining 4th Depression 5th Acceptance, these stages are all real and in very rare cases some will never let go.

Most of you have herd the old saying GOD works in mysterious ways well that’s what happened to me, when I got the phone call from Bro Bill whom I had met a couple of times but didn’t know asking me to join him, I asked him what in the world is grief counseling? I told him you must have me confused with someone else. So that I didn’t hurt his feelings by saying no I agreed to come too the next session, what a blessing that first session turned out to be. When you think you have problems within your life they are trivial compared to some of the people we have worked with losing a loved one.

Now to the calling of the nursing home ministry, a year goes by and my life just keeps getting blessed Bro Bill and I recruit our wives and another couple to share in the grief ministry. Here we go again as GOD works in mysterious ways, I got another phone call from a lady who works at this nursing home. Again I know of this lady, not that well she stated that the nursing home had an Alzheimer unit and could I come and discus with her about starting a bible ministry for that unit. Again what a blessing you haven’t lived until you go to an Alzheimer unit so I again recruit my wife and the other couple Barb and Robert. At that time my wife had bought The Story the Bible as one continuing story of GOD and his people by Max Lucado.

Once we viewed The Story we thought this would be a book some of them could comprehend.

We bought several copies to pass out to the patients what a hit it was with them, we have witnessed many changes in them since we started working with them. They have changed our ways of thinking when it comes to Alzheimer so many have come out of their shells thanks to our LORD and HIS teachings.

Even the nurses say they can’t believe the transformation that they are witnessing, all we have to say is Glory to GOD. For those of you out there who feel something missing from your life start a ministry or join one and let GOD be in charge.

We celebrate birthdays all the holidays, for some of them don’t have any family, they love pizza, diet coke and cookies along with singing hymns. My wife calls this place GODS waiting room.

Ken Arterbury