Love Notes Newsletter #49- February 2007

"Love Notes" Newsletter #49- February 2007

Dear Friends and Ministry Partners, Sandy and I are so thankful for all your thoughts and prayers. We are both doing much better from a health standpoint and have recently become members of Millbrook United Methodist Church, a local dynamic and caring fellowship. We would continue to ask for your prayers for the sale of our town home, so we can complete the purchase of a lovely ranch home we have found nearby.

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As we begin the Lenten Season and approach Palm Sunday and then Easter Sunday, we would like to encourage you to use this special time to focus the attention of the residents on the Cross of Jesus Christ.
Our Easter Season Web Page has information and resources for Lent, Palm Sunday, and Easter Sunday.

The residents will certainly appreciate a service with elements of the rich Christian Tradition in which they were raised. Consider bringing in a large wooden cross and giving out fresh palm items on Palm Sunday.
This is an appropriate time to consider using a Christian Hymn as the basis of a short Easter Sermon. Check out our Special Web Page to help you in this regard. You may want to consider using the hymn "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross".

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National Nursing Home Week will be celebrated this year on May 13-19, 2007. This is a great time to start planning some activities during this period. Please visit our Special Web Page that has a link to the official web site for this holiday. You will find many suggestions and links to help celebrate this special time both with the residents and in your community.

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Here is a web site that has a lot of good scripture references on healing. They may be of some help with our dear friends who are struggling with health issues.

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Take a look at this Daily Bread Devotional. It may be useful in your presentations.

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Looking for help in presenting Messiah to your Jewish friends? Here is an excellent resource from chosen People Ministries.

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Do you like to integrate traditional hymns with your scripture message? Take a look at this chart from the Cyber Hymnal Website.

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During our class to become members of our new church, we located some online resources we would like to share.

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Make sure to register for our February Drawing. As of today, there have been less than ten entries. Just go to our home page sign up. As always, our "Love Notes" subscribers receive an extra resource.

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We have received a request from a Care Facility in Pittsburgh for a Christian Based group to start making visits. If you are aware of anyone in this area who might be interested, please email us with their information. Thank you so much for all your continued prayers and support.

"Love Notes" Newsletter #50 - April/May 2007

Dear Friends and Ministry Partners, Sandy and I are so thankful for all your thoughts and prayers. We would continue to ask for your prayers for the sale of our town home, so we can complete the purchase of a lovely ranch home we have found nearby. Also, please pray for a complete healing for Larry following both knee and back surgery.

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This is an appropriate time to call attention to the need to minister at nursing homes and about your ministry in particular. The Sonshine Society has some examples for a Public Service Announcement (PSA) that you could send to the local media.

The theme this year is "Treasure Our Elders!". How true this sounds to those of us who have been ministering to them regularly. Bill Goodrich, of God Cares Ministry, entitled his training book on this subject "NURSING HOME MINISTRY: Where Hidden Treasures Are Found".

Also, one of colleagues in Florida, published an article in the local paper called "Our National Treasure".

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Some recent feedback from our "Website Visitors":

1.) From a Therapeutic Recreation Worker of 9+ yrs., named Amy in CT..... in a long term Health Care Facility has been using your E Ministry Materials to do God's Work.

"THIS IS AN INSPIRING SITE! AND I LOVE THE INFO YOU HAVE PROVIDED! PLEASE KEEP IN TOUCH! "

2.) How Nursing Home Ministry is done in South Africa:

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Here is a Directory of the Back to the Bible Hymn Devotionals. They are very useful in developing a Hymn-based Sermonette.

Our favorite Hymn History based on the Hymn "Solid Rock":

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On May 3, 2007, we celebrate the National Day of Prayer. These would be a good opportunity to focus on praying for our nation during your regular visits. The official web site is:

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Make sure to register for our April Drawing. Just go to our home page sign up. As always, our "Love Notes" subscribers receive an extra resource.

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Love Notes #50A – National Nursing Home Week

Dear Friends and Ministry Partners, we have just updated our National Nursing Home Week Ministry Web Page to include the Public Service Announcement (PSA) that we have just sent to the Media. We have included it in this email and would encourage you to consider sending it to your Media sources.

Also, we located a web site that was very useful in developing a PSA.

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We strongly suggest that you send a Public Service Announcement (PSA) to the local and national radio, TV, and newspaper media. We have developed the one below. Please feel free to use it and to modify it with your local information. You could send it by email, regular mail, or hand deliver it to local facilities. Please feel free to modify this with your organization's information.

PSA: National Nursing Home Week, May 13-19, 2007
From: Faithful Friends Nursing Home Ministry, 3105 Winding Waters Way, Raleigh, NC 27614
Contact: Larry Wasserman, Founder
Phone: 919-449-0011
For Use: May 13- May 19
Length: 30 seconds

May 13th marks the start of National Nursing Home Week, which has been celebrated since 1967 after being established by the American Health Care Association (ACHA).

"Treasure Our Elders" is this year's theme for the celebration which honors the residents and staff of our nation's nursing home facilities. We at Faithful Friends would like to encourage you to to visit an elderly friend or relative at a local facilty, and experience the joy you can bring to their life and yours. They are truly a "hidden treasure" right in your own backyard.

James M. Borrie, author of "Peter Pan", said " Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." Over the last 16 years, our lives have been enriched by visiting the elderly, and this quote has rung true time and time again.

We have prepared a special web page for this event on our extensive Faithful Friends web site.

You may also request our trifold ministry brochure by clicking on the "Contact" Button on our Home Page.

Please feel free to call us at 919-449-0011 for more information or for a short telephone interview.

Faithful Friends is a non-profit organization that serves the public by promoting the needs of the elderly in Care Facilities and by encouraging and equipping individuals and groups to make caring visits to them.

Larry & Sandy Wasserman
Faithful Friends Nursing Home Ministry

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It is our prayer that God will use this special event to bring comfort and salvation to many of His Special Saints in Care Facilities.

"Love Notes" Newsletter #51 - June 2007

Dear Friends and Ministry Partners, we are humbled by the answer to your prayers for selling our home. We are packed and ready to move next Wednesday and close on Thursday. Our new ranch home is almost finished and will ready mid July. Please continue to pray for a smooth transition in our move. God is continuing to open doors in our ministry in Raleigh.

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Father's Day is celebrated the third Sunday in June each year. We would like to share some Online Resources on our Father's Day Page that may be helpful in a presentation.

At most facilities we have visited, we have not found there to be a large number of fathers. Because of this, we suggest that you review the Text Version of a Father's Love Letter and use all or part of it in your presentation. It is a love letter from your heavenly Father and should have a powerful effect on the residents.

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The Fourth of July is a great time to celebrate our country, our heritage, and our freedom. We would like to share some Online Resources that may be helpful in a presentation.

At most facilities we have visited, there are usually a few residents who have served in the Armed Forces. Bring small flags for the residents, play and sing lots of patriotic songs, and use their huge reserve of prayer power to pray for our nation. You may find some additional resources on our September 11 Tribute Page.

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This year we were again both blessed and humbled to be interviewed on radio during National Nursing Home Week. George Carden of UNI News interviewed us over the phone. He then sends selected portions of the interview to a large number of Christian Radio Stations.

We have some "sound bites" of the interview and would be glad to share them by request from our contact page.

We were also interviewed by Ashley Worthington on Go Mix Christian Radio in Goldsboro, NC.

This station reaches a lot of the coastal NC area.

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We want to share on our favorite Evangelistic Handouts.

It is located on our Favorite Downloads Page.

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Be sure to enter our June Drawing on our Home Page. As an added bonus to those who receive our Newsletter, we will be including with the prize a like-new copy of the Seniors Devotional Bible.

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"Love Notes" Newsletter #52 - July / August 2007
Dear Friends and Ministry Partners, we are finally settled in our
beautiful new ranch home and the sale of our old home and the month at the
hotel are just a memory. We are so appreciative of your prayers and
support during this period of transition.
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There will be a meeting of the Christian Fellowship of Care Center
Ministries ( CFCCM ) from August 22-24 in Minneapolis. More
information on this is found at:

Please be in prayer that the participants will take back to their home
ministries much encouragement, enthusiasm, and many new ideas. We pray
that the impact of this meeting will be a blessing to many residents in
Care Facilities and to the participants and their ministries.
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The Sunday following Labor Day has been designated National Grandparents
Day. This year it is celebrated on September 9, 2007. We want to lift up
and honor all grandparents, but especially those who are confined in
Healthcare Facilities. They need our love, compassion, and time. Take time
today to go out of your way to wish a dear elderly person a hearty "Happy
Grandparents Day!". It may just make their day, and yours also! This
Holiday is a great time to promote your nursing home ministry and to
celebrate the wonderful grandparents at the facilities you visit.
Please visit our special National Grandparents Day Web Page.

We would like to share something appropriate that was written by Deb
Gillard, who works with Larry at their office in Charlotte. It is entitled
"The Heart of Nursing Home Resident". You may download it at:

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As we remember the Sixth Anniversary of the September 11 National Tragedy,
we suggest you revisit our September 11th Tribute Page and our Comfort and
Peace from
God's Word Page for some resources. Tap into the prayer resources of our
special residents to pray for our nation.

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There are still several days to enter our August Drawing for Ministry
Resources. You can do so on our main page at:

We will again be adding a special bonus for our "Love Notes" subscribers.
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Please continue to pray for us as we venture forth in our new
surroundings. We appreciate all of you and are blessed by our association
and by your thoughts and prayers.

"Love Notes" Newsletter #53 - September 2007

Dear Friends and Ministry Partners,

We are grateful to all of you for your support, prayers, and friendship. Larry just attended a two day Men's meeting called "Success That Matters" by Patrick Morley "Man in the Mirror" Ministries. God's timing was perfect and the fellowship, prayer, encouragement, sharing, and learning was awesome. Larry left with a new sense of purpose and mission for our North Carolina based ministry. We hope and pray our actions and web site will reflect this over the coming months.

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This year we were again blessed to be interviewed on radio during National Grandparents Day. George Carden of UNI News interviewed us over the phone. He then sends selected portions of the interview to a large number of Christian Radio Stations.

We were also interviewed again by Audrey Altman of WRMB, Moody Radio in South Florida.

We were humbled by these opportunities and encouraged by the email from people who heard the program at just the "right time" and responded.

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We have just started a Faithful Friends Online Bookstore of Resources for Nursing Home Ministry.

It is in conjunction with the Amazon Associates Program. We have included resources which we have used in ministry and ones recommended or produced by our Ministry Partners. We would be interested in any suggestions you may have for other materials that are available from Amazon that we could list in our store. The proceeds from this program will help us to fund this ministry.

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As we remember the September 11 National tragedy, we suggest you revisit our September 11th Tribute Page and our Comfort and Peace Page for some resources. Tap into the prayer resources of our special residents to pray for our nation and for those whose lives were impacted by this event.

You may want to use this Daily Bread Devotional that describes the cross shape that appeared in the middle of the debris.

- More information and a picture

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Here are some useful links for your presentations during the Fall Season:

- The Autumn Season at Barb's Entourage

- Christian Alternatives to Halloween at Barb's Entourage

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Make sure to visit our Home Page and sign up for the September Drawing for Resources. We are adding a Hard Cover Seniors Devotional Bible as an incentive for those who subscribe to our Newsletter.

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We recently had a request for resources that could be used in a drama presentation at a nursing home and suggested these sites:

- The Interview with God

- The Lord's Prayer with Drama, best done with two people

- A short sermon by Rev. SM Lockridge. You can hear what it sounded like at:

- This one takes about 3 min and is really powerful

- A powerful devotional with a prop and some drama

- This one is good for all audiences even us!

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In our search for special occasion days in September / October we found these web sites, which may be of some use in planning your presentations.

- Healthcare Recognition Dates

Also, the first week in October is National Letter Writing Week.

http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibits/2d1_1_letters.html

This would be a great time to write some personal letters to the residents at the facilities you visit. We have some printable cards on our web site that also could be used. You can locate them by Holiday on our Seasonal Page:

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"Love Notes" Newsletter #54 - November 2007

Dear Friends and Ministry Partners, Sandy and I would like to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. We are so thankful for all of your thoughts, prayers, and support over the years. Many of you prayed for our granddaughter McKenna who is in TN. We were blessed to help celebrate her first birthday recently. She is in perfect health.

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Thanksgiving will be celebrated on November 22, 2007. This is a great time for a special program in your ministry. Please visit our Thanksgiving Page. for some ideas, links, and resources. Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to reach the hearts of the residents and show them how much they are appreciated.

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National Bible Week is celebrated each year Sunday to Sunday of Thanksgiving week. This year the date is Nov. 18 to Nov. 25, 2007. This celebration is an ideal opportunity to stress reading and understanding the Bible. Please visit our National Bible Week Page for more information.

You may also want to visit one from their Daily Bible Reading Website.

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We would like to recommend a powerful resource for your ministry. It is a book called "Prayers for Seniors:From Your Heart to God's Ears" by Lin Fagerland. Lin and her husband Jerry have a nursing home ministry called Home Free Ministries.