by Rachel Roethel When the Safer at Home orders started, I quickly had to learn how to navigate through this season of constant change. It has been hard but so rewarding. I have been so blessed by so many of our Campus Life friends! I had the privilege of calling all our Senior Luncheon friends and talking with them. While some of them did not even pick up the phone, I had some wonderful conversations with the ones that did. Our friends were so encouraging! Some were cleaning out their homes, some are watching tv and doing puzzles, some were working on genealogy (and I wish they would teach a class on everything that they learned about the families in our area; it was so interesting!), some were able to see their grandkids through the windows because they were neighbors and some taught me some wonderful ways to pray for our nation, world, and leaders.
But there was one conversation that really stood out to me. This lady whom I talked with for almost an hour was telling me all about the things that her and her husband used to do. Nelvie Herr and her husband built an apartment in their basement for missionaries to come stay when they were on furlough. This generosity and their faithfulness in going to prayer meetings has resulted in having up to TWENTY-FOUR children, grandchildren and great grandchildren on the mission field. The number of lives that have been forever transformed and that will be in eternity because of this family brought tears to my eyes. Nelvie is now a widow, but that hasn’t stopped her generous heart from seeing a need and meeting it however she can. She is an amazing example of how God blesses us, and we are then to be a blessing to others. While she may not have a ton to give financially or even of her personal time, she has given of her possessions, and it has tremendously blessed so many people. If you do not know her, you should get to know her; she is an amazing woman and an extremely generous person!
Now that Campus Life is meeting in person, I’ve had the chance to meet Nelvie and some of her kids and grandkids who are staying with her for a few months. She was so eager to tell me about them at September's Spice of Life. I don’t know if we would have formed the same deep connection if we hadn’t had the opportunity to slow down and took the chance to form that bond on the phone.
