"Stopped In Our Tracks!"

 

Winter 2021

Dear Praying Friends,

“Two weeks to flatten the curve” has turned into almost two years, and unfortunately there seems to be no end in sight to the COVID virus. Every facet of society has been negatively affected in some way. In our area, churches are still shutting down from time to time as cases pop up. The arrival of the flu season complicates the matter even more.

I wish I could give you some encouraging news, but there is no “beating around the bush”, as they say. Our nursing home ministry in both Ohio and Pennsylvania has suffered greatly due to restrictions and closures. Strangely, I was allowed into one local facility to be with a family whose loved one was dying, but we continue to be shut out from having in-person services.

We continue our “live-stream” Friday morning Bible studies into the nursing homes each week on Facebook. I recently received a favorable reply from one of our nursing homes who just learned about these video studies, and that they expressed they were going to pass along the information. All we can hope for is that those Activity Directors who feel our ministry is valuable will share this within their network with other AC’s as well.

We are grateful to the Lord for watching over us, keeping us healthy, and supplying our needs, and are humbled by the fact that all of our supporting churches have faithfully stayed with us through this difficult time. If there was something more we could do to minister more effectively, believe me, we would be doing it. We have had a tremendous relationship with all of the nursing homes that we have ministered in for the past 15 years, and I know they are as anxious as we are to have us back in their facilities.

Obviously, the greatest need is prayer. Prayer that the “pandemic” would cease. Prayer that the nursing homes would allow us full access without any restrictions. Prayer that God would save souls through our Friday morning video Bible studies. May God continue to bless you as you minister in your corner of His field through the holidays and into the coming year!

Sincerely,

Pastor Norm Aabye

Is No News, Good News?

Well, you've probably heard the saying, "No news is good news". But is it? Not necessarily. I know it's been some time since we've provided any kind of update from the mission field of the nursing homes. We honestly do not have much to report. The COVID virus continues to limit  our ministry, at least from an in-person standpoint. But we have not ceased in our attempt to bring the gospel to those who are "living on the brink of eternity". 

In our last update I shared that earlier in the year I had developed a Friday morning Bible study designed for the nursing homes called "Making A Difference". With a weekly half-hour format, I have continued to bring relevant Bible messages that can be used by those in the nursing home activity departments for group watching. The good news is that the comments have been positive from those who have made this a part of their calendar of activities. The residents have missed us (and we, them) and are eager to have us back with our normal schedule services.

The bad news is that by and large the nursing homes remain closed to us, as well as most outside ministries or visitors. When some of the homes thought it would be safe to open, a breakout of new COVID cases occurred, causing them to shut down again. For those who are trying to accommodate outside ministries, the restrictions range from the difficult to the almost ridiculous. Most require that we show proof of vaccination for COVID, which we have not yet chosen to do. My wife has a low tolerance for shots. And, as you probably remember from last summer's report, we both had cases of COVID back in August. Over the past several months, my wife has had surgery and numerous medical tests (she is okay). Through all of this, one of my wife's doctors told her that she probably shouldn't get the vaccine, especially since we probably have a sufficient degree of immunity from having had the virus. I know this is a controversial topic, but we have repeatedly been told this by many in the medical profession this year. Frankly, we are in agreement with some nurses and doctors that we have chatted with, that there are too many unknowns associated with the vaccines, and would like to allow some time to see how this all pans out in the coming year before we decide what to do. 

That being said, there is no way to predict when we will be allowed to get back into the nursing homes in person. We will continue the Friday morning "live-streaming" videos, and will keep in contact with Activity Directors. We will also look for new avenues to reach individuals and groups within the homes.  Believe me, they are as eager as we are to have us back. In the meantime, we appreciate your faithfulness in standing with us in this much needed ministry. 

Pastor Norm Aabye

C.A.R.E. Ministries/"Making A Difference"