Just wanted to show real quick the prep that we did for VDOC. The frosh and senior girls decorated cards with verses on them that we were going to give as gifts to the elderly residents. Hannah busted out her big craft bin and we got to decorate the cards with our own artistic sense! Some looked really professional!
Intense…We take this stuff seriously, ya know?
The final products! Not bad, eh??
Posing with our creations…
Don’t get me wrong, the guys helped the next day with our frames and ribbon-tying as well so they also got to partake in the joys of prep. But alas, we don’t have pictures of that night. You just have to take my word for it. 
By the way, here is a sharing from one of our juniors, Lindsey, about her experience from that day:
During this year’s Valentine’s Day of Compassion, I was able to more concretely see how people really do need God’s love. I talked to one elderly woman, Janet, who shared with me parts of her life story, and I could tell that she was so bitter, hurt, and unhappy with where she ended up. She kept emphasizing to me that the facility they lived in was for people with problems, but I told her that it didn’t matter, because God loved all of us the same. I told Janet about how God can use all people for his purposes and plans and that he created everyone a certain way so that we can testify to his love for us. Janet started lamenting about how she didn’t feel that she had a purpose for her life because she was constantly in pain, laying in bed, or tired so she really didn’t see what she could do. This really made me heartbroken and so much more aware that she really needed to be loved. I told her that maybe God had a higher purpose for her, which is why she’s still here on this Earth. Even though I was going to school and it seemed as if my future was bright since I was still young, I still had one fundamental purpose for my life: To love others, the people in my life, people like Janet. It didn’t matter how old we were, how physically able we were, everyone’s purpose is still the same. After I told Janet this, her face got so much brighter, and she looked so much more alive. I told her that she had so many people around her in this home, and that she could start by loving them. She seemed so encouraged by my words and agreed with me, that her purpose for her life was to love others around her, and that she could start with her roommates. After this long exchange with Janet, I was just so amazed at how I was able to connect with Janet and use God’s word to speak truth to her. I was also amazed at how God’s love can transform people into more loving individuals, who have true purpose for their lives. From this experience, I was able to feel God’s love channeling through me to other people. I was also able to receive clarity about how it’s so true that we were created for something higher than just satisfying our inward desires and attending to only ourselves, because after I was able to impact Janet’s life, I felt joy like I’ve never felt before. I was very glad that I was able to concretely see God’s love for people, and that I had spent my Valentine’s Day sharing the gospel to people who are in need of God’s love.
PTL! Leave a comment with your own thoughts about what you learned/felt through this experience!
This past Valentine’s, we all had a great experience of being that special valentine to some grandmas and grandpas in 2 different convalescent homes that we visited. The sophomores ventured to the Marina Garden Nursing Center in Alameda, while the rest of our group went to Willow Tree Nursing Center in Oakland. All of us will agree that this was the deepest expression of love we could give to anyone on this day when so many people are thinking only of romantic, Sees Candy love. There were no Sees Candy for us… but the Friday before, we prepared these beautiful potpourri bags to give as gifts!
They smelled so good, we had to stop a grandma from eating one of the pieces… note to selves, no potpourri next year!
We had our very own Tim and Gary give a message about the love of God that completes the missing piece.
…and the rest of us practiced some songs to sing (This World is Not My Home, Love of God, Worship You) and talked to the residents. We may not have great talent, but there was a lot of love in the room on that day. At Marina Garden, the Cantonese speakers were a treat, speaking and translating to the residents who were so thankful to hear their native tongue.
We came out just glowing and thankful to have the opportunity to love those who may have been forgotten on this day of love… And we’re looking forward to going back on some regular visits. Especially with our Cantonese speakers – but no potpourri next time!
Got Love? Let’s share it! This past Valentine’s day, our HG had a privilege to visit Oakland Spring (formally known as Clinton Village) to share our love: not this love, but †THE LOVE†. After the special bible study on True Love last Friday, our HG came together to prepare for this very special day. We prepared some songs & dances, message and gifts for those who are often forgotten on Valentine’s day. On Sunday, right after the service, we headed to Oakland Spring, a nursing home we often visit whenever we have a chance.
Here is our professional level (or close to) dance team opening the program!
Rick shared from Luke 15, the Parable of the Lost Son. He talked about our broken relationship with God and how much God desires to restore this relationship. He shared of God’s true love demonstrated by the cross.
After the program, we had a chance to mingle with residents of Oakland Spring. Here are some pics from it. As we came out from our comfort zone, we experienced our heart warming up. We prepared a small plant as a gift for each and every one of them as the reminder of today. We hope to see those plant healthy and alive when we come back next time!
See you next time!!! 
What a busy weekend! It all started with our Valentines Day of Compassion on Sunday! Instead of focusing on and feeling sorry for ourselves, we celebrated Valentines Day by visiting Oak Grove Convalescent Home in Oakland. We had a great time meeting the residents there, giving them gifts, hearing a message by Jacob, and having lots of singing and dancing. Here’s some pictures:
Here we’re making towel bunnies for the residents:
Practicing our dance moves:
This past Valentines day, a day often devoted to romantic love, we wanted to spend it to show God’s true love. We as a homegroup got the privilege of preparing and running a program for the residents at Mcclure Rehabilitation Center in Oakland. We prepared our program Friday night after Bible Study for our Sunday visit. It included singing, dancing, crafts, and even a very special duet!
10 pts for who can guess what we’re doing in this picture!
As we worked on decorating picture frames, there was a clear discrepancy between the sisters’ frames and the brothers’ frames. Personally, I thought that the brothers’ frames reflected a kind of elegant…simplicity.
As soon as we got there, we were received warmly by all the residents. We were initially told that only about 10 residents would be there, but when we arrived the room was packed with residents! We started off with the classic Joyland songs
Brian then gave a touching message about the bleeding woman, how Jesus loves each person as his daughter or son, irrespective of how well we’re able to perform or produce and how the world evaluates us.
Then a special song “King of Love”
We also got a chance to spend some time talking to the residents and hearing their stories. There were some really amazing stories that we heard. One gentleman whom I had met fought in World War II AND the Vietnam war. In World War II, he fought in the Battle of Okinawa!
What a worthwhile way to spend our Valentines day! We were all beaming after the visit as many of us expressed how good a time it was just talking to the residents and spending time with them. Not only was it great to get out of our comfort zones to show love to the elderly residents, but it was such a great reminder that although the world has its categories of value and worth, in God’s eyes each person is a precious son or daughter. Can’t wait until next time!
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