As I stumbled into the office at 7am, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, Leo said to me, “Morning Luke. There’s a pot of tea ready. I’m 79 today! How are you? Tired?” I wished Leo happy birthday and commented on how joyful he was.

In fact, Leo and his wife Pam are two of the most joyful people you could hope to meet. I figured it would be worth asking Leo what the key to his joy was. He was happy to take time out of cleaning the church offices where I work to chat to me about this. 

“It’s simple. Spending time with Jesus and young people. It’s not complicated. Pam and I have worked with students in this church for 17 years now. Mainly Chinese students actually, but also lots from other nations. We have led countless students to give their lives to Jesus, be filled with the Spirit and be healed. We still run a prayer for healing evening every week at our house and students come and it’s amazing. We love them.

“My advice to older people in our church is, if you want to stay happy, spend time with students. They are so full of life and they love the wisdom of older folks like us. I spend a lot of time in Starbucks meeting up with students. They do good coffee in there. I feel young still. Pam tells me off for shouting at old blokes driving their cars slow. She tells me I’m older than them anyway. But seriously, if you want to be joyful you need to spend time with students.”

Leo has worked all over the world in the Army and the Navy. He worked in Rowntrees Chocolate Factory for years. He and Pam have been part of revivals and have also been through a lot of illness, suffering and pain in their life. Throughout all this they have been able to tell of the joy that is found in Jesus Christ.

Who are the Pams and Leos in your church? Are they spending time with your students? If you are a student, who can you hang out with and learn from?

Proverbs 20:29 says, “The glory of young men is their strength, grey hair the splendour of the old.” Let’s learn from one another.