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With Gratitude for the Heart of “This City, My City”
“This City, My City”
There are moments you plan. And When Love
And then there are moments God gently writes right in front of you.
This day at Peach Tree Retirement Center was one of those moments.
I came into the room expecting something beautiful — music, crafts, youth serving, residents smiling, and a meaningful time together. But what unfolded touched me more deeply than I expected. It was not just an activity. It was not just a visit. It was not just a kind gesture from a church to a retirement community.
It felt like love entered the room and sat down at the table.
Yakima Foursquare Church came through the heart of “This City, My City,” carrying their mission to Love God, Love People, and Serve the World into Peach Tree Retirement Center. That mission was not just spoken that day. It was lived. It was seen in helping hands, warm smiles, patient listening, children leaning in, residents sharing stories, and servants making sure no one was overlooked.
The Foursquare foundation is rooted in Hebrews 13:8, which says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” As I watched the day unfold, that scripture felt alive. The same Jesus who stopped for people, listened to people, welcomed the overlooked, honored the forgotten, and brought dignity to those around Him was present in that room.
He was present in the music.
He was present in the conversations.
He was present in the children.
He was present in the residents.
He was present in the small moments that reminded people they were seen, valued, and not forgotten.
Although more music had been planned, it seemed as though the Holy Spirit gently guided the day in a different direction, making room for face-to-face connection, meaningful conversation, and stories that needed space to be shared.
And somehow, that was exactly what the room needed.
The worship opened the day with love for God, and then that love began to move outward toward people. This reflected the heart of Matthew 22:37–39 and Luke 10:27, where Jesus teaches us to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
That day, love for God became love for neighbor.
It looked like sitting across the table from someone and listening.
It looked like slowing down long enough for stories to be told.
It looked like children and youth connecting with residents from another generation.
It looked like people serving not from obligation, but from love.
The residents of Peach Tree Retirement Center began sharing who they are, where they came from, and pieces of the lives they have lived. Those who came to serve also shared from their own hearts. The room became less like a scheduled event and more like a family gathering — the kind where people are not rushed, not ignored, and not treated as though their stories no longer matter.
That is what made the day so moving.
The people of Peach Tree were not simply entertained. They were heard. They were honored. They were given space to laugh, remember, create, and connect. In those conversations, there was dignity. There was joy. There was tenderness.
Jesus said in John 13:34, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” That kind of love was visible in the room. It was not loud or showy. It was gentle. It was personal. It was the kind of love that looks someone in the eye and says without words, “You matter.”
The children and youth played such a beautiful part in that.
There can be a wide gap between generations. The young and the old often live in separate worlds, with different experiences, different language, different memories, and different daily rhythms. But on this day, that gap was kept at bay.
Children and youth sat with residents. They created with them. They listened. They talked. They laughed. They became part of one another’s day.
There was something powerful about watching young hearts connect with seasoned hearts. It was more than sweet. It was holy. It was a reminder that the generations need one another. The young need the wisdom of those who have lived long stories, and the elders need to know their stories still have a place in the hearts of the young.
This is where 1 Timothy 4:12 came to life. That scripture reminds young believers not to let anyone look down on them because they are young, but to be examples in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. The youth were examples that day — not because they had to be perfect, but because they showed up with kindness, willingness, respect, and love.
They served.
They listened.
They participated.
They cared.
And their presence mattered.
Woven into the day was also the simple joy of serving in practical ways. A wonderful group of root beer float helpers came alongside the outreach director, helping dish up ice cream, pour root beer, pass out straws and spoons, and make sure everyone was served with care.
It may seem like a small thing, but it was not small.
Every scoop of ice cream, every cup poured, every straw handed out, every spoon passed across the table became part of the blessing. It was service done with joy. It was hospitality with heart. It was a sweet picture of Galatians 5:13, which calls us to serve one another humbly in love.
That kind of service does not need a spotlight to matter.
Sometimes love looks like helping with a craft.
Sometimes love looks like serving a root beer float.
Sometimes love looks like pulling up a chair.
Sometimes love looks like listening to a story all the way through.
The craft tables became another place where connection bloomed. With flowers, bookmarks, hands-on creativity, and conversation, residents and visitors had something to do together — but more than that, they had a reason to talk, laugh, and share.
The activity became more than paper and flowers.
It became a bridge.
It gave people a place to meet one another. It gave the children something to share with the residents. It gave residents a way to create, smile, and be part of the life happening around them. Around those tables, beauty was not only being made with hands. Beauty was being made through connection.
Every life has pages.
Every story has petals.
Every person carries beauty worth noticing.
As I watched the day unfold, my heart was deeply moved with thankfulness. It was clear that the heart of Yakima Foursquare Church flows through its pastors, associate pastors, and faithful servants, who continue to lead and serve with care, humility, and a sincere desire to follow the Lord’s guidance.
Their mission to love God, love people, and serve the world was not only spoken that day — it was lived through every conversation, every helping hand, every child who leaned in to listen, every root beer float served, and every resident who was made to feel seen, valued, and loved.
This is the beauty of “This City, My City.”
It is not only about serving the city in big public ways. It is about seeing the people inside the city. It is about remembering the seniors whose stories still matter. It is about making sure those who may feel hidden are brought back into the warmth of community. It is about letting people know they are not forgotten.
Yakima Foursquare Church brought that kind of love into Peach Tree Retirement Center.
The room was full.
The tables were full.
But more importantly, hearts were full.
This was discipleship in motion.
Matthew 28:18–20 reminds us that Jesus sends His followers to go and make disciples. Discipleship does not only happen from a platform or inside a classroom. It happens when faith is lived in front of the next generation. It happens when young people learn that ministry can look like listening, serving, creating, and caring. It happens when the love of Jesus is practiced in real life.
At Peach Tree, the youth were being shaped as they served. The residents were being honored as they shared. The community was being strengthened as generations connected.
Faith was not only talked about.
Faith was practiced.
Love was not only described.
Love was demonstrated.
And the light of Jesus was shining.
Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” The good works in that room were gentle, but powerful. They were not loud. They were not for attention. They were sincere, personal, and full of warmth.
The light shined through one song.
It shined through orange-covered tables filled with crafts.
It shined through laughter and conversation.
It shined through children sitting with elders.
It shined through root beer floats served with kindness.
It shined through residents feeling remembered.
It shined through servants who came with open hearts.
And because of that, the day became more than a planned visit.
It became a testimony.
It became a reminder that God still moves in quiet places. He still meets people in community rooms. He still uses children and youth. He still honors elders. He still turns simple gatherings into sacred moments.
For the residents, this day was more than something to attend.
It was something to feel.
A feeling of joy.
A feeling of honor.
A feeling of connection.
A feeling of being remembered.
A feeling that the community still sees them, still values them, and still wants to sit at the table with them.
That is sacred.
With deep gratitude, we give thanks for Yakima Foursquare Church and the heart they brought into Peach Tree Retirement Center. Their presence blessed our community. Their service encouraged us. Their willingness to follow the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit helped create a day where residents felt seen, valued, and loved.
We are thankful for the pastors, associate pastors, faithful servants, youth, children, volunteers, root beer float helpers, and every person who gave of themselves in quiet and meaningful ways.
We are thankful for the residents of Peach Tree Retirement Center — the mothers, the women, the elders, the storytellers, the wisdom carriers, and the beautiful souls whose lives continue to bless the community around them.
That day, Peach Tree was not just visited.
Peach Tree was loved.
The residents were not just included.
They were seen.
And in the middle of it all, Jesus was glorified.
Because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, His love is still moving through willing hearts. His compassion is still reaching across generations. His presence is still turning simple moments into holy ones.
And on this day, through worship, service, stories, flowers, children, elders, root beer floats, and love, we witnessed the heart of God bloom.
This gathering also served as a beautiful kickoff to the Pages & Petals Mother’s Day Bloom — the first blossom in a larger season of honoring mothers and celebrating the women of our community with dignity, gratitude, joy, and love.
It helped set the stage for the upcoming Pages & Petals Mother’s Day Bazaar on May 10th, a family-friendly, faith-filled community event created to bring together families, children, seniors, vendors, music, creativity, hands-on activities, and meaningful connection.
And it also points us toward our annual Mother’s Day celebration at Peach Tree Retirement Center on May 21st, where we will continue honoring not only mothers, but the women of our community — women whose lives carry wisdom, strength, sacrifice, faith, memory, and legacy.
The heart of the day will always be this:
God moved in the room.
Love crossed generations.
Stories were shared.
Friendships began to bloom.
And the people of Peach Tree Retirement Center were reminded in a deeply personal way:
You are seen. You are loved. You are not forgotten.