31 January 2008 Krasnoyarsk as reported by Lise’ B.

Today I was part of what was one of two “mobile units” at the eldery care center. After hauling supplies up two flights of stairs, we started visiting bedridden invalids. Each was in desperate need for companionship and seemed starved for love, for touching.

The sights, sounds and smell continue to pound against my head and heart like a scratched record skipping, grinding, playing old memories through the night. How can they find comfort with our quick fix visit? We danced from room to room like a game of hopscotch. Faster. Faster, we hurried, trying to beat the racing clock. The task of seeing 135 residents in 1 hour; an impossibility. And so, that was our challenge today. Trying to make old people feel loved and valued, when you don’t have enough time to even learn each others’ name.

In one room in particular, we had spent our time limit and the rest of the team had already pulled out, moved on. Yet, as I gathered the last of my stuff into my backpack, the woman with wool leggings was watching me. I felt the strength of her stare and had a hard time concentrating. Finally, everything was now in my bag so I could leave. When I looked up I caught the Babushka’s face, her eyes. Tears rolled down her face as her lip quivered away the soon coming dread…loneliness. In a minute her day would resume monotony of another lonely day. A day, that long long ago, lost zest to a frozen emptiness. To her, we had come in and been her fresh air, her lifeline, even though we know we truly cannot be. Only the Lord can be her hero. The clock continues to tick away time. An incredible task is to console each soul with the Truth, the Lord loves you but then time restraints dictate our good-byes! I’m so glad He is able to be deliberate, gentle, and loving. Our Lord is never in a hurry, never unable to extend Grace or Mercy to His Children.

This is one of the hardest things to deal with at each site. There is never enough time to make you feel like you really impacted the lives of those we visit so briefly.