In My Own Words: George and Ella

  • Aug 22, 2008
  • Series: In My Own Words

Images of Transformation: George and Ella

by Daniel Kelly

Members of the CTK community are personally involved in the church's vision to see people changed, our community renewed, and the city transformed.  This space will be dedicated to highlighting cases where the CTK vision is worked out in the practice of our members.  The goal is to connect people to the work that is going on in their church.  In this report, Daniel Kelly writes about how the church has ministered to a couple in need in downtown Raleigh.  

Ella looks after her husband George, who had a stroke about 7 years ago that has left him confined to a bed and in need of constant care. Though they have family in the area they receive little help from them. They have no car, and even if they did Ella wouldn't be free to leave George alone for long periods to do the errands she needs to do. 

These circumstances have made Ella and George shut-ins for the most part, and one of their primary needs is company. Several of us from CTK have been visiting them for nearly a year, sometimes for a Bible study and sometimes just to talk, and in that time we have really enjoyed building relationships with them.

 We have also been able to help out in a material way.  After paying rent and bills, their welfare checks leave them with very little for food. They often eat whatever fast food is in walking distance, and, as a result, Ella's cholesterol has reached unhealthy levels. CTK has helped out by regularly bringing fresh produce and helping Ella better understand healthy eating habits.

 In addition to the need for food and company, Ella has expressed a desire to have God's Word explained to her. So at every visit we read Scripture, talk about what it means, and pray for them.  These times have been especially sweet for us as much as for them.

 As I have gotten to know George and Ella, it has become clear that they have been through a great deal of struggle, both prior to and since George's stroke. And though Ella admits she doesn't understand much of the Bible, she has a solid understanding that God is in control of her life and provides for all of her needs. Those who have spent time getting to know Ella and listening to her testimony have come away with something more valuable than the time and energy that they invested.

In Matthew 11 when John the Baptist asked Christ if he was the "Coming One" to bring the kingdom of heaven, he responded by saying "The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them." The way Jesus himself cared for the poor around him provides us with a model of how we can participate in his work of bringing that kingdom to the world around us.  Working with the Ella and George is just a small but rewarding way that CTK has been privileged to do just that.