For the record, Debbie didn’t want to win. She didn’t really even send this to the right email address. She said “This was not even me! I just wanted to tell you about these amazing women who were doing this wonderful thing every week for so long!” But this one’s just so menial–so wonderfully generous and selfless. (Some of our West Huntsville women also did this for over thirty years. Their hearts grew three sizes in this wonderful ministry and they were already very large hearts for Him!) Here are her words:
This isn’t a story about service today, but past service. I know your service contest is about today, but I wanted to tell you about these three wonderful women from Northport church of Christ. A few years back, I attended on a weeknight a “Boggins for Cancer” group there. This group has been meeting for years making toboggans and throws for cancer patients. I began talking with a lady and she told me what she and two other ladies did on Fridays. They went to a nursing home and washed and fixed hair for ladies who couldn’t afford to pay $25 each week to get theirs done. I was astounded. They were not trained professionally. One lady had done it for over 16 years and the other 2 for over 13 years. They said they could use my help, so I volunteered for a year until Covid struck. We did as many as 13 ladies on Fridays. A challenge doesn’t even describe what took place and those ladies, two in their 70s and one in her late 60s had been doing it for all those years. The ladies paid for everything they used. As time passed, I learned they did so much more. They brought them clothes, books, magazines, snacks, and calendars. One Friday, the three went on a beach trip with the church group. I knew how disappointed my new friends at the nursing home would be if someone didn’t come. They’d be lined up outside the tiny room waiting. I decided I’d try. I was able to do 8 ladies.
Each had their own challenges. Some could lie back. Some could bend forward. Some wanted curlers, some wanted blow-dry. Some used special shampoo. All wanted to talk. Some we could understand. Others not so much. One we brought hair bows for and each week required a new one, because no one could find them. No one understands what those three wonderful women did for so many for so long, but God and me. And what I did was only for a brief time compared. I told my daughter, Peyton, “Your church at Northport doesn’t have a clue what these ladies do each week.” You know, the nursing home never recognized those ladies for all they did, but I’m sure all those smiles each Friday was recognition enough.
In His love,
Debbie
And the Foot-washer knows about the hair-washers, too. In fact, he is the recipient of this great work, at times. “Inasmuch as you have done it to the least of these my brethren, you have done it to me.”
Find a co-worker to carpool with. With gas prices rising they may need a helping hand in saving money on the trip to work. Not only will it help them financially but you will be able to help them spiritually by sharing the gospel on your ride to work.
Last year on a whim we took a jigsaw puzzle to a newly- widowed woman in our congregation. She was having some people stay with her for a few weeks due to her own medical issues, and we set the puzzle out and started it on a table in her side room. As ladies came to visit and stay with her, they would each put in a few pieces while they talked. Several of them commented how much they enjoyed the time working together on the puzzles and how easy it made for them to have quality conversations together. When the puzzle was completed, the new widow had so many great memories of her friends working together on the puzzle. 
Just like we do not know how many wise men there were serving the baby Jesus, you never know how many really wise women there may be when it comes to serving Jesus, the Savior. (Serving others is serving Him [Matthew 25].) So, narrowing down your service ideas to a mere three was nigh to impossible. I’m taking some of your ideas to present in ladies days about service this year. I’ll credit the diggers, but I cannot wait! Mostly, I cannot wait to try some of them myself. You are the best!
Every reader needs to look at the ideas I’m going to run in the next few days. (You ladies are intuitive about effective service!) I know there’s at least one of these ideas that each of you can incorporate into your own service regime or into the work of your local church. Here’s the first winning entry from Nancy Pennington (trying to get the “Christmasy” ideas in first):
So send your best service idea to byhcontest@gmail.com. Send it by midnight on December 10th. 
Three winners will receive these cute little silver-tone bracelets that I’m making this year for fun gift-giving. They have a tiny little shovel charm and a little bar charm that says “BLESSED”. I’ll also send along one of the Digging Deep flour-sack style tea towels from our store.
Below are a couple more entries in the Merry Music contest from my friend, Bonny Moore. Hope you’re in the merry spirit and I really hope you’re being good! It’s Christmas Eve! Listen for sleigh bells!