“Social Distancing” is a now a household term we have become all-too-familiar with this past year in an effort to fight the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Keeping a physical distance from others is a healthy practice right now but unfortunately it has also brought a silent threat to some of the more vulnerable in our society.
Isn’t it amazing that when we need advice on technology we ask the youngestperson we know? It seems the older we get the less familiar we are with newtechnology. Herein lies the silent threat I want to highlight in this blog. Everyoneneeds connection to be emotionally healthy but our elderly citizens have becomemore shut-in and isolated than ever before. The silent threat for them is … well…too much Silence. They lack social interaction.
At Hope Gardens we have 25 wonderful senior ladies who have been shut-in for ten months. Even before “Covid” was a thing, they experienced very few visitors. Mostare disconnected from family. The Silent Threat for them has a name… it’s called LONELINESS. Even the few activities they had before have all been suspended. They are experiencing a severe sense of loneliness and we all know that dealing with this issue for a long period of time can develop into depression.
Well I am excited to say that Deed and Truth will be re-booting a weekly ministry to our Sequoia Senior Ladies. Beginning in February we are going to hold bi-weekly Bible studies and Bingo gatherings with strict “social distancing” protocols. Our goal is to create much needed “Social Connection” while employing “physical distancing.” I affectionately call it B&B every Wednesday at 1pm.
My “ask” this week is for prayer. Please pray for these precious ladies. Pray against the enemy’s Silent Threat. Pray that they will feel safe. Pray that we keep a safe environment. Pray for them to feel loved and connected to God and each other. Pray for me to be used of God in our Bible Studies to provide biblical counsel, spiritual encouragement, and on Bingo Wednesdays… just plain old fun and plenty of life-giving laughs!
Once Covid-19 protocols are lifted and we are able to invite volunteers on campus, (and please pray for that to materialize soon) we will open the Wednesday B&B’s to our Deed and Truth friends who want to come and teach a bible study or just play together.
This is Wanda. Wanda lives at Hope Gardens and also volunteers as our unofficial Social Queen. She understands the connection between community and mental health. Wanda is Uber-excited about our B&B re-opening. She is getting the word out and we are all looking forward to seeing each other face-to-face this coming Wednesday. Pray for Wanda and the 24 other Sequoia women she represents. FYI: Fun-facts about Wanda…. She had some interesting jobs in her past including doing stunt work in Hollywood and at 4’10” she also worked at Disney World as “Mickey & Minnie” characters.