Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
DECEMBER 2009 NEWSLETTER & CALENDAR
Rosewood Care Center Sunny Hill Nursing Home
The story was told of a woman who was tired of struggling with life and all its problems. As soon as one problem was solved, another one would come, life was hard and she didn’t know where to turn and how she was going to make it and she wanted to give up. She was tired of all the fighting and struggling. Not knowing where to turn, she went to her mom and shared all her burdens with mom.
After her mother listened to her problems, she took her to the kitchen and filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil and in the first pot of water, she placed a bunch of carrots, in the second she placed eggs and in the last pot she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.
After twenty minutes, she turned off the burners and placed the carrots and the eggs in a bowl, and ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. She then turned to her daughter and asked, “Tell me what you see”. “Carrots, eggs and coffee” was her reply. Her mother brought her closer and asks her to feel the carrots, when she did; she noted that they were very soft. After pulling the shell off the egg, she observed that it was hard. Finally, the mom asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma and asked “What does all this mean, mom”?
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity; boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting, however after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile, its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique; however, after they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water and released fragrance and flavor. Which one do you relate to when problems arise, the carrot that becomes weak, the egg that hardens or the coffee bean that get better and change the situation around you? May we all be like the Coffee bean.
The Nursing Home services went well this month, although you can always tell when the football season has started as many of the residents will choose football over a church service, especially the men. One of our regular attendees at Lakewood was watching the game when I went to his room to let him know we were there and he told me he was not coming today, that he wanted to watch football, however, he really does enjoy the praise and worship service and during the service, he would come down to see what we were doing and then go back and watch football. It was pretty comical, he wanted so badly to see the game and attend the service. He finally chose to attend the last 10 minutes of the service.
Betty and I visited the Nursing home during the week and to our amazement, we saw John Larson, the 96 year old who just lost his wife after 75 years of marriage, walking around and around the outside of the Nursing home and no
one was with him and he wasn’t even using a cane. He said it was a nice day to do some exercise and walking just made him feel better. He is amazing.
We had a great crowd at Rosewood this month. Lots of good music. Karl sang a solo, Sandy sang a beautiful song, Sam played the violin and Vicki and Bernie sang Amazing Grace. It was a great service.
Senior Star went well and the attendance is increasing there. The memory care home has about 15 residents now and the assisted Living will be opening in January. We are looking forward to starting services there.
The activity director was confused this month at Sunny Hill and apologized over and over for making a mistake. I couldn’t figure out why the crowd was smaller than usual until one of the residents told us we were on the calendar for the following week. We always go on the 4th Sunday and that is normally the last Sunday of the month, however, November had five Sunday’s this month and he had put us on the resident calendars that we were coming on the fifth Sunday as that was the last Sunday of the month. We still had around 25 or 30 residents attend and it was a good service. Even if we only have 2 or 3, and Jesus is there with us, it is worth it all.
It was nice to have a Sunday off this month. We love the ministry and we work hard at it and that 5th Sunday always gives us a much needed break, however, after being off for a week, I am always anxious to get back. It is a wonderful ministry and it reminds me of the scripture verse in Matthew 10:39 that says, “He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it”. When I completely lose my life in this ministry, helping and serving others, it is then that I truly find all the Blessings that God has in store for us. He wants to bless us, but we have to completely lose our self, and serve Him in order to enjoy all the Blessings He wants to give us.
We did not have a service at Heritage Woods this month due to a scheduling problem at the home. Another church was scheduled on the date that we were to come and we agreed to wait until December until they resolved the scheduling problem. I understand the residents were not happy as they were really looking forward to our coming. All plans right now are to have services in December.
We will be giving out gifts during each service at each home in December. The sweaters are ready, “THANKS” to all the ladies who did the sewing, you did a beautiful job. A special “THANKS” to Angie and Karen Hanson who so graciously monogrammed our name “SonShine Ministries” on all the sweaters. I know it took a lot of time and energy and it is so very much appreciated. They look great. It is so neat to see how God provides our every need and sends people our way with a servant’s heart to do these kinds of things. I have never had to beg or plead for workers; everyone just volunteers and does a great job. Last year Margie Valade monogrammed all the sweaters and gave all her time and energy. We have never had to ask for money, God just continues to provide over and above our needs and He continues to multiply our talents with good music and it is a Blessing.
We also have blankets and non-skid socks as gifts. We will be giving “bibs” along with a bottle of lotion at Senior Star to the memory care residents. The activity director said they were in desperate need of bibs so we ordered 30 bibs and they can also be given to residents at other homes who are completely down and helpless. We do have some of them that come to the services. The family members bring them and that would be a great gift for them.
December will be a fun month, as well as a busy one so come and join us. We can use your help singing Christmas carols, distributing gifts or assisting with the residents...
PLEASE NOTE: All contributions to our ministry should be made payable to “Sonshine Outreach Ministries”. You can mail your gift to SonShine Outreach Ministries, c/o Joyce Mancke, 509 Rhonda Dr., Lockport, IL. 6044l. Your gifts are tax deductible and you will receive an end of the year statement.
Our schedule for December is as follows:
Lakewood Nursing Home, Plainfield –Dec. 6th @ 2:30 p.m.
Everyone is welcome. Come join us, we need your talents. You will make a difference and God will bless you for it.
Respectfully submitted by Joyce Mancke
Saturday, November 7, 2009
NOVEMBER 2009 NEWSLETTER AND CALENDAR
The Nursing Home Ministry is filled with its mountain top experiences but also its valleys. Week after week we go and hold the Praise and Worship services and the Lord just showers us with new Blessings each and every time we go. It’s like the windows of Heaven opens up and we come home on top of the mountain with excitement, but then we have the valleys that we have to cross when we often loose dear friends that we have grown so close to and come to love as part of our family. Death is hard and yet we have to face it often as we work in this type of Ministry. I thank the Lord when one of our residents pass on and I know they had accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, then I can truly say “Thank you Lord, for they are home now, free from all pain and suffering”.
We had three very special residents that went home to be with the Lord this month. Ruth Larsen, who had celebrated her 75th wedding anniversary with her husband John this year, went home to be with the Lord. They were a very special couple and always attended our services at
Roland Brands from
Theresa Rudy from
The SonShine Ministry is reaching out to the relatives and more and more we have many who are attending the services. People are hungry for the gospel. Many times they don’t realize why they feel so empty and alone until they hear the music and the devotionals and they come back looking for the peace and joy they feel. Please pray with us that we will reach more people for the Lord and they will come to know Him personally.
We have enjoyed some wonderful services this month. The room was packed at
Salem was well attended this month as well and we had a great service. My daughter and son-in-law, Vicki and Bernie, came up from Springfield and sang along with other special music from the trio and also Gloria. My grandson Sam played the violin. It was a great time and the residents loved it.
Salem was our first home that we started holding services in, almost five years ago and it seems we are greeted more often with problems at this home than any of the others. The devil does his best to discourage us, however, its hasn’t worked yet. Last month, the radio was playing so loud it interfered with our service and no one knew how to disconnect the speakers nor were they willing to help us figure it out. The Lord answered our prayers this month with that problem. The State inspectors were due to come and do an inspection so the speakers had been disconnected this month but the piano was gone. After searching for the piano, we found it in a room in the lower level and we had to get all our men to push it down a long hallway and bring it up the elevator and once again we thanked the Lord that the devil didn’t get his way. We had a great service.
Senior Star is growing and we had 12 people attend the service this month. Even though it is memory care, we have great participation with these people. We had a lot of the SonShine team join us and it was fun.
We had a wonderful service at the new Assisted Living home, Heritage Woods, in September with over 40 residents attending the service and I was really looking forward to going there on Saturday, the last week of October, however, I came away very disappointed. The activity director had scheduled a Catholic service from 9:30 until 10:00 and we were supposed to start our service at 9:45 which we could not do because the other service was in progress. Then we had a problem with the cafeteria personnel complaining because we were using the dining area and it interfered with their lunch preparation so it was a bit frustrating and we must solve this problem before we can continue and be effective. I have placed a call in to the Activity director, but I have not heard from her as of the date of this newsletter, however, I will keep all you team members posted as to what we are doing in November.
We are thrilled to have Sandy Hundley join our Ministry team and sing with the Worship team each week. It is always nice to see new volunteers. Thanks
Thanks to all of you who have been helping with the sewing of the sweatshirts. We are nearing the end and I appreciate each and every one of you taking the time to sew them. I think we will be ready for December. You are all a Blessing to the Ministry, as well as, to others around you.
We have also purchased some “non-skid” footies and socks and will include a bottle of lotion with each pair and that will be one of our gifts. We will be wrapping them with a large ribbon and placing a Christmas tract with the gift as we have done in the past.
We have a good variety of gifts this year with the blankets we have always given, the sweatshirts and the footie/lotion combination. I am ordering “bibs” for the memory care residents at Senior Star. The Activity director said they are in need of bibs and that would make a good gift for them. We will need lots of volunteers in December to help us distribute the gifts so plan to join us if your schedule permits.
Thanks to all of you for your faithfulness and support. We appreciate each and every one of you. We also appreciate all our friends who receive the newsletter and many of you support the ministry with your gifts and prayers and we are so grateful. You are all a part of our Ministry team and we could not do what we do without you and we give God all the Glory, Honor and Praise.
PLEASE NOTE: All contributions to our ministry should be made payable to “Sonshine Outreach Ministries”. You can mail your gift to SonShine Outreach Ministries, c/o Joyce Mancke,
Our schedule for November is as follows;
Salem Village, Joliet – Nov. 8th @ 2:30 p.m.,
Senior Star @
Rosewood
Sunny Hill, Joliet – Nov. 22nd @ 2:30 p.m.
Heritage Woods,
Everyone is welcome. Come join us, we need your talents. You will make a difference and God will bless you for it.Respectfully submitted by
Joyce Mancke
Email: jmancke@sbcglobal.net
Saturday, October 3, 2009
OCTOBER 2009 NEWSLETTER AND CALENDAR
Paradise Park Assisted Living Senior Star @ Weber Rd.
I saw an obituary in the paper this week that explained the deceased person’s life by saying, “she had such a caring heart, she never looked at whether the glass was half full or half empty, she saw there was a need and she tried to fill it. There are so many needs, so many lonely and depressed people waiting for someone to come their way, someone to talk with, to share their load and their burdens with. Many of them do not have that personal relationship with Jesus. They need someone to tell them, to love them and to care. The fields are white unto harvest, but the laborers are so few.
Ben and Betty enjoyed some vacation time in California with their son, Ian, the first part of September and in their absence, we had Jim & Karen, Joe, Nellie and Kelly from Phalen Acres Church come up and help us out at Lakewood. We had a wonderful service with lots of special music. Thanks to all of you, it was a special time of fellowship. We welcome you back anytime. It is such a blessing to fellowship with God’s people.
Beth Ann, the activity director, was so excited and she gave her testimony as to how much she appreciates our group and the hard work we put into our program, and the fact that we come up with a new program of songs each month and how she even uses some of the songs in her activities with the residents throughout the week.
I had a long talk with Beth Ann after the service and she told me how God is working in her life to mold her into His Image. I shared with her the story of the silversmith and how he has to hold the silver in the fire until he can see his image and sometimes that’s how God works in our life, He wants to see His image in us. She was abused as a child and then in a relationship. She struggled most of her young life. She is the one I ask prayer for in the August newsletter as her husband was electrocuted from such a high voltage of electricity that his hip bone was shattered. She is now working and taking care of him and also traveling back and forth to Chicago to visit her son that is in a Nursing Home. She really needs our prayers.
When you have a “down” day and something doesn’t go exactly right, go visit someone else and listen to their story. It will make your load seem lighter.
We had a good service at Senior Star this month, with Leo and Linda Elechicon helping us out with the music. It was a good day of fellowship with the Memory Care residents.
Leo and Linda also joined us as we started services in our seventh home on Saturday, the 26th. Heritage Woods Assisted Living is located in Bolingbrook just off Boughton Road. We had a great service with over 40 residents attending and a lot of participation. Rev. Ruel Akut, pastor of Pillar of Faith Baptist Fellowship where Leo and Linda attend, gave the message from Psalm 23 and he gave a beautiful message. Sammy Odasco came with his 4 year old daughter, Kayleen, and she sang “Jesus Loves Me” and it was beautiful. What a Blessing to have all these people join our SonShine Outreach Ministry team. You are a Blessing to us and we look forward to working with you.
We had a great group of people at Rosewood and Salem Village this month. We appreciate all of you who come and sing or play special music.
We are in need of children who will sing or play an instrument. The older folks love the children. I encourage all of you who know any children who would be willing to participate to get in touch with me. We have seven homes now that we are having services in, so pick a Sunday afternoon or one of the two Saturdays’s and join us.
It was difficult to go to Sunny Hill this month as we are still grieving the loss of Verlin’s mom. We praise the Lord that she is now with Him and made whole, free from pain and suffering but the emptiness is still there. There is always a “void” when we loose someone we love. We have been the care giver for both my parents and Verlin’s parents for the past 14 years and one by one God has called them home to be with Him and we thank God for the assurance of knowing they are rejoicing and in the presence of Jesus today.
We had great attendance at Sunny Hill Nursing Home on the fourth Sunday. I noticed one of the ladies that was attending the service with her mom, who is a resident, seemed so stressed, as if, she was carrying a burden that she didn’t know how to deal with. I spoke with her after the service and her comment was, “you guys seem so happy and it is so obvious that you love what you are doing”. That really spoke to my heart because I believe she is looking and searching for what we have, which is, the Lord Jesus Christ in our hearts and lives. I don’t know her name, but the Lord knows, so please pray for her and for me that I may be able to share the plan of salvation with her.
Paradise Park went well this month; however, Amanda is in need of our prayers. She was unable to attend the services as she is down with her back again. Please pray for her, she is struggling and it’s even harder with a family to take care of. She loves the ministry and I know she misses it when she cannot attend.
Christmas is not far away and I have already purchased over 200 sweatshirts so if anyone wants to help with the sewing please give me a call. We will do the same thing this year as we did last year, cut them down the middle and sew a border down each side and make a sweater out of them. We have 7 homes now so we have lots of work to do. We will have sweaters, blankets and possibly non-skid booties to give away as gifts this year.
Happy moments – Praise God. Difficult moments – Seek God. Quiet moments – Worship God. Painful moments – Trust God. Every moment – Thank God.
Exercise daily, Walk with the Lord.
PLEASE NOTE:
Our schedule for October is as follows;
Lakewood Nursing Home, Plainfield – Oct. 4th @ 2:30 p.m.
Everyone is welcome. Come join us, we need your talents. You will make a difference and God will Bless you for it.
Email: jmancke@sbcglobal.net.
