A Story of Impact

By: Kendice Ricci

Last Saturday a youth group of 26 from First Baptist Church of Gallatin, TN participated with SLAM in a Community Service Plunge. I was privileged to lead one of the six groups that ministered to the elderly of the Trevecca Towers (An elderly high-rise in S. Nashville). These towers hold some of the kindest people a person could ever meet. At the same time it holds some of the neediest people I have ever seen in Nashville. As we visited the elderly we learned many of their stories.

Jennet, one of the elderly ladies we served, had five children. Most of her children live some distance from her and have not visited her in years. As she sat down and played Rummy with some of us, I was shocked by her joy. She was full of life and laughter. Her words were full of gentle compliments. I wondered how her children could forget such a wonderful person, how could they leave her to a small room with random figurines?

As we began to clean Jennet’s apartment, we realized the whole place was infested with cockroaches and many other insects. It was overwhelming. The simple moving of a picture frame caused scores of bugs to scurry away from what used to be their home. The bugs had taken over her kitchen, cabinets, and food. There Jennet sat on her couch laughing at the disturbing situation. It seemed she had grown use to her condition. This deeply upset me. It caused me to think of how far removed our society has become from the Kingdom of God. Human beings were not meant to live like this.

Then I saw God begin to move. Without hesitation the group of youth I was leading began to go crazy swatting bugs, spraying bug killer, sanitizing every inch of Jennet’s apartment. I was so proud of them. This youth group came with soft hearts ready to serve. One girl, Emily, probably killed at least a hundred bugs single handedly. We spent a good three hours in Jennet’s apartment trying to do what we could. Our motivating factor was to show Jennet the love of Christ. When we left, Jennet had a clean apartment. This clean apartment became a symbol of how a dozen youth saw she deserved more than her present condition. She deserved not only a safe living area, but she deserved friends. The youth from Gallatin met that need and participated in bring the Kingdom of God to Jennet’s apartment.

This story reflects many of the other youths’ experience from Gallatin that day. Afterwards we gathered and shared stories that reflected our experience serving the elderly of Trevecca Towers. As people shared, there came a point where everyone acknowledged they had felt the presence of God with them. It was a day we all wanted to remember.

Andrew and Cloe, two of the youth, brought words of truth as they shared that we as Christians were not to be normal but were to look and act different. Many decided to write their new elderly friends letters. Furthermore, they wanted to find elderly homes in their own community where they could serve. I was deeply impacted by how they allowed God to teach them through the weakness of these elderly we visited. If we are willing to get our hands dirty, live in the moment with soft & willing hearts, God can do anything!

Thanks for your service youth of First Baptist Church of Gallatin! You made a difference in the lives of these precious human beings.