Ms. B wants all of our Home-made, made with love meals volunteers to know "that it is truly a blessing to receive all of the delicious meals that are being prepared every week. Every one of them are so special and you just have no idea how much it means to me that you would serve me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart!"

NOBODY likes to eat alone, especially day after day after day. Eventually the desire to eat fades away. What we really hunger for is fellowship! God created us to be in relationship with Him and with one another. The widow, sick and elderly friends we serve are home-bound and isolated from community, from the Church=the Body of Christ. Most of them are malnourished for two primary reasons which the Lord has allowed us to see: 1. they have very limited access to healthy food and 2. they have lost the desire to eat. Its not that they are not hungry. They are hungry! But, they have become so dejected spiritually and deep down inside they hunger for a greater need. That need is to be loved and cared, to be remembered and thought about. Listen to the plea of this friend, "Why doesn't the Church fix meals for the sick anymore? When I first got sick someone from the Church brought me meals, but after a little while they stopped coming." Disease, disability, aging, struggles and hardships continued and became the reality of everyday life for this woman, but commitment and care from the Church did not. The Lord allowed us to see an area of ministry in which the Church can better reflect the love of Christ, and we are EXHORTED all throughout scripture to do better. We were inspired to reach out to the Body to ask them to come alongside us in preparing home-made/made-with love meals.
The widow, sick and elderly friends we serve want to be a part of the Body of Christ. They do not want to be part of a program, or to be a project. They want to be a part of a family, the family of God! In the Bible we are told that He prepares a table for us and that we will all feast together with Him in Heaven. We are so thankful for those of you who have partnered with us in being His hands and His feet and reflecting His heart to the least of these! We have the great privilege of serving the home-made/made-with love meals, engaging the widow, sick and elderly with fellowship as they actually eat the meals,and then watching the Kingdom of God advance as they are encouraged in the faith!

"To visit or to look after" is the same wording used in scripture to describe how God himself visits His people to help them, strengthen them and encourage them. It literally means to visit with the intention to remain with, dwell with, abide with. Jesus left His throne in Heaven and came to earth to be with His people, to dwell with us. Then when He resurrected from the dead He sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within those who trust in Him as their Lord and Savior. As followers of Christ we have the assured hope that when Christ returns for His people on judgement day and establishes the new heavens and the new earth, from that day forward into all of eternity God will literally dwell with His people. Jesus commands us to abide in Him and His love; and He assures us that He will abide with us always. Through Abiding Hearts Ministry we want to reflect the heart of Christ by seeking out the sick and the widowed with a sincere concern for their well being, and with a fervent commitment to visit them, dwell with them, abide with them and care for them in real life one-on-one relationship. Please pray for the people we serve to know more intimately how much God loves them, for them to rest in His presence and for us to represent the love of Christ well as we reach out to them.

  Ms. P is living with multiple disabilities resulting from a serious health issue that she suffered over 20 years ago. We are serving her with case management, nursing care, meal preparations,  transportation assistance and general home upkeep. We are most excited because we have been able to re-engage this sister-in Christ with Bible study and intentional committed Christ centered fellowship. She says that” it feels like it has been over 20 years” since she has had a friend or solid community. Pray that she would feel the love and presence of Jesus in a fresh new way as we live life with her each week. Ms. P wants people to know the following: "I do not see this as my living with a disability, even though it is very very hard, this is just the vessel that God has given me to show Him to others in this life." 

She is an elderly widow with multiple health issues raising her 13 year old grandson.  All they have is each other. But God sets the lonely in families; and He is the Defender of the widow and the Father to the fatherless. Abiding Hearts Home Care has been given the privilege of being one of the vessel that God is using every week to care for this family. The following are just a few of the practical ways that we are serving them: health assessment, supplemental food assistance, lawn care, home repairs and pest control. An extra grace of the Lord is that we were able to provide family assistance and get this young man involved in Young Life summer camp. Many thanks to Sedrick Moore and Micah Green-Holloway with Birmingham Urban Young Life. Praise God for His faithfulness and kindness toward us!

This is the story of Ms. L, an 81 year old widow who has multiple health issues. Her income is below the National Poverty guidelines; and she does not have reliable family resources, committed community, transportation or the ability to drive.  The Lord has allowed us to establish a relationship with Ms. L. We serve her every Thursday with prayer and fellowship, nursing care, case management, house-keeping, meal planning, meal preparation, transportation assistance, lawn care and general home repairs. 

We pray that God would be glorified through these tangible displays of His love through our care for her.  Will you join us in praying for Ms. L and others like her as we seek to minister to her.

To learn more about who we are visit our website.  To make a donation or to find out how you can be a part of supporting this ministry go to Abiding Hearts Home Care donate page.