H7 Story: Serving Others as a Life Group
The Nickle/Wells Life Group doesn’t just gather each week to share meals, study the Word, and pray together. Recently, they took their faith beyond the living room and into the community to serve someone in need.
That “someone” turned out to be a mother and daughter. The mother, a patient of Ken and Carla Nickle, has a progressive muscular condition and has been bed-bound for several years. Her 30-year-old daughter has spent her entire adult life caring for her mother under extremely limited circumstances. She has become remarkably skilled at providing nursing care and is likely the reason her mother has lived well beyond her anticipated lifespan. The father stepped away from the family about 13 years ago, leaving them without transportation or additional support.
Although the mother owns the home—a double-wide trailer—it was in desperate need of repair. For the past two years, the family has lived without air conditioning or heat. The trailer also lacked proper underpinning, which frequently caused pipes to freeze; at one point, even the water in the toilet tank froze solid. They rely on Amazon deliveries and a few neighbors for groceries and help picking up medications. Recently, Ken and Carla’s medical practice pooled funds to repair the home’s HVAC system, which had not worked for years.
On a chilly Saturday morning, the Life Group—under the leadership of Jonathan Lewis, a knowledgeable and skilled craftsman—installed the underpinning, helping ensure the home stays warmer and the pipes remain intact through the winter months. For those familiar with mobile home living, proper underpinning is essential, especially during cold temperatures. Without it, a home becomes extremely cold, drafty, and expensive to heat, while the risk of damage to external pipes increases significantly.
The mother is a believer and a powerful example of enduring hardship with joy, despite a painful disease and a difficult life. Her daughter is not a believer, and the group is praying that witnessing God’s people serve as the hands and feet of Christ will soften her heart and draw her toward a deeper relationship with Him.
Life Group member Linda Fitzpatrick reflected on the experience, sharing that the day of service was an incredible blessing for the mother and daughter—but also for the Life Group members themselves. “We like to keep our eyes open to any opportunity to be God’s hands and feet,” she said. “To God be the glory! This small family will face a much more comfortable home this winter, and for many more to come.”
That “someone” turned out to be a mother and daughter. The mother, a patient of Ken and Carla Nickle, has a progressive muscular condition and has been bed-bound for several years. Her 30-year-old daughter has spent her entire adult life caring for her mother under extremely limited circumstances. She has become remarkably skilled at providing nursing care and is likely the reason her mother has lived well beyond her anticipated lifespan. The father stepped away from the family about 13 years ago, leaving them without transportation or additional support.
Although the mother owns the home—a double-wide trailer—it was in desperate need of repair. For the past two years, the family has lived without air conditioning or heat. The trailer also lacked proper underpinning, which frequently caused pipes to freeze; at one point, even the water in the toilet tank froze solid. They rely on Amazon deliveries and a few neighbors for groceries and help picking up medications. Recently, Ken and Carla’s medical practice pooled funds to repair the home’s HVAC system, which had not worked for years.
On a chilly Saturday morning, the Life Group—under the leadership of Jonathan Lewis, a knowledgeable and skilled craftsman—installed the underpinning, helping ensure the home stays warmer and the pipes remain intact through the winter months. For those familiar with mobile home living, proper underpinning is essential, especially during cold temperatures. Without it, a home becomes extremely cold, drafty, and expensive to heat, while the risk of damage to external pipes increases significantly.
The mother is a believer and a powerful example of enduring hardship with joy, despite a painful disease and a difficult life. Her daughter is not a believer, and the group is praying that witnessing God’s people serve as the hands and feet of Christ will soften her heart and draw her toward a deeper relationship with Him.
Life Group member Linda Fitzpatrick reflected on the experience, sharing that the day of service was an incredible blessing for the mother and daughter—but also for the Life Group members themselves. “We like to keep our eyes open to any opportunity to be God’s hands and feet,” she said. “To God be the glory! This small family will face a much more comfortable home this winter, and for many more to come.”
Posted in Tell the Story