After a total shoulder replacement surgery, Janet’s legs didn’t recover well and it became necessary for her to go to a rehab facility for some therapy and recovery. While it was not the original plan, nor what she wanted, it proved to be a rich time with people.
Shortly after arriving, a voice from the hallway called out, “Ken Buttermore!” It was a girl we have known for many decades. Her mother was at the end of our hall rehabbing from a serious leg break requiring a full length rod with screws and wires (like Shelley H.). The mom I have known since around 1955, so it was good to talk about days long past.
The first RN was a lady who attended church with us in Gretna nearly 20 years ago. There was a young staffer who is a refugee from Afghanistan. He fled from there with two sisters in July of 2021, just weeks before the Taliban took over. He is a senior at Millard South living with his sisters. He was delightful and a great help! He is Muslim so I asked him about the mosque and daily prayers. As we left today, he waved from down the hall. I hated to leave him.
I drifted into various rooms around Janet. A lady across the hall was rehabbing and engaging. Eventually she asked about me and I told her I was a pastor. She retorted with, “I don’t do church. I don’t need any of that.” I told her that despite not being a church person, she had a doctrinal statement about God, where she came from, why she was here, what defined evil and where she was going. I told her that she could make up ideas for all those questions but they were only as good as they lined up with reality. We talked a few more times over the days. Today I dropped in to say “Good-bye” and to pray for her, which she welcomed. She asked me about my church so I told her some and gave her a business card. Who knows?
There is a woman there whom Renae M. cared for and is rehabbing following the loss of a toe. She told her story about fleeing from Latvia in 1945 when Hitler fell and the Russians were taking over. Her mother took her and her brother to a refugee camp in Germany for a few years before coming to America. She had stories about life. She came today to say “Good-bye.”
At supper one night a lady told some of her story about being married to a pastor who abandoned her with four little boys. Her mother helped rear the boys who are today very successful. One is a psychiatrist in Omaha who is working to get kids off of drugs for depression, ADHD, PTSD and other. I’m going to follow up with him as to what he is doing.
On the Sunday we were there we went to chapel which was really good (I wrote about this in musing #1141). After the service we conversed with the other attendees when an older man looked at me and said, “You pastored in South Dakota, didn’t you?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “I know, I visited the church where you were.” Come to find out they were Stephen and Mike Manna’s parents (Stephen is married to Jessica M.). Once again, “It’s a small world after all!”
Janet had a number of opportunities to talk to staff about the Lord and to pray with some. One staffer came in somewhat depressed and Janet inquired to learn that she was pregnant and quite nauseous. Janet asked if she could pray for her and did so. Looking up she found the girl crying and asking if she could hug Janet. She then told that her mother was battling cancer and that her parents were in the middle of a divorce.
Yesterday, as we talked about leaving, we both groaned for the people we were leaving behind. And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd, Mark 6:34.
Because of health issues, we had opportunities to show and tell Jesus, so the suffering served!
Oh, might some of them embrace our Jesus and find the hope, peace, joy and strength that can only be found in Him and is found in Him! Just sitting here writing this causes me to see faces, think of stories and yearn for their souls. It was a mission field!
a PK Musing 
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