Valentine's Day of Compassion 2015

Written by Janice L.

For each class, Valentine's Day was a day of compassion, when we went out to share Christ-centered love in places that are rarely noticed on days like this. We reached out to the elderly and others with a love that's way more special than the typical romantic love.

For the juniors, we created paper flowers as gifts, sang hymns like "Amazing Grace" and "He Knows My Name", listened to a short message about how Jesus embodies the true love of God, and chatted together. We heard that God knows about all of our lives because He loves us, which is good news for all of us! "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Indeed, this is the greatest love of all, and anyone could receive it!

At the nursing homes and shelters, we were really encouraged as we heard personal stories that revealed the lives of each person we encountered. For many of us, we experienced joy in seeing their eagerness for the good news to become a part of their lives.

On the same day, the sisters from all the undergraduate and post-graduate ministries gathered together at the once-a-year all sisters-fellowshipping time called Sisters' Night. There were stories shared about VDOC, testimonies, and bonding time. It was a rare time to spend with other sisters who we don't usually get to see often. It was a delicious one, too, with all the homemade desserts and treats, in addition to the personal gifts provided by the older sisters for the younger ones.

At the end of the day, everyone went away with a renewed meaning of love on Valentine's Day, and it was the love from our Lord and Savior Jesus.