“They are spreading sunshine to all of us,” a visit recipient said.
Two Seventh-day Adventists from Grand Junction, Colorado, United States, are set to visit all of their fellow members during the coronavirus pandemic’s social isolation.
Don and Dollie Bell, who regularly serve as greeters of the Grand Junction Seventh-day Adventist Church, decided to stop by and have a chat and light moment with everyone in their 120-member congregation.
“They are spreading sunshine to all of us,” commented Karla Klemm, who, together with her husband, David, were recipients of their visit.
After in-person church services were canceled due to COVID-19 concerns, Dollie turned to Don and asked him what he thought of visiting all the church members, as she missed seeing them. He said yes and that he would be her driver.
With address directory in hand, they set out to cover all the postal codes where the members live. “As I am writing this short report since their visit, they have visited a total of 60 members from the curb, with approximately 60 more to go,” Klemm said.
Each visit starts with a phone call to announce their arrival. Don and Dollie hold a placard that says, “We miss and love you!” and give a wave, exchanging smiles and greetings. Sometimes they have a chat from the curb with the parishioners or hold a conversation by phone. Once their visit even included a “socially distanced” walk.
“It has been so much fun to see everybody, and we have considered it a blessing,” Dollie said.
Remarking about the visit he received, David Klemm commented, “Don and Dollie have a gift for uplifting those around them, and it was great to see them.”
Don and Dollie had planned to retire and move in October 2020 to a town near St. Pete Beach, Florida. Needless to say, those plans have been interrupted due to the current pandemic. As greeters in the church, they have enjoyed learning what is going on in people’s lives. And now, driving to their homes has continued those efforts.
Dollie said she is happy people have been so receptive and welcoming. Karla Klemm commented, “They even met one young lady who hasn’t been to church for a while, and she was so excited about the visit. She now wants to bring her mom to our newly built church.”
The original version of this story was posted on the Mid-America Union Conference Outlook.
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