Senior Saint Stories - Myrna Mason

The Lord continues to teach and encourage me through meeting with these wonderful Senior Saint ladies. For many years, my family had Thanksgiving at John & Kari Mason’s house, but I don’t remember Myrna Mason’s and my paths ever crossing. I’m very thankful I had the privilege of sitting down with her now.

She invited me to her apartment complex, and let me tell you, it was such a joy to see how she cares about people and cultivates community. She greeted everyone we passed in the hallways by name, and they all knew her too.

Throughout our time together, I was encouraged that the Lord uses us wherever we are for His glory and greater purposes.

Myrna is mother to Jon (married to Kari Mason), Julie, and Joel. She is grandmother to Roland (married to Brittany Mason), Cameron, Mikayla, and Kaitlyn. She has four great-grandchildren!

A Bit About Myrna

Myrna was about five years old when she came to know the Lord. Her grandmother took Myrna and her sister to a Sunday school that was put on by The Bible Institute of Los Angeles (BIOLA University). After her grandmother passed away, Myrna’s mother started taking them there, and the students that put on the Sunday school suggested they go to a local, Bible-teaching church. Myrna remembers a Sunday School bus picking them up for church and little did she know that she would meet her husband Lloyd at that very church! After they married, they stayed there until she was 28 years old and had three little ones. When reflecting on her time there, she speaks fondly of the people and how they poured into her.

Myrna and Lloyd decided to leave California and, along with another couple, moved to Canada and bought 160 acres of land. It already had a campground, motel rooms, coffee shop, horses for hire, and a gas station. She recalls fondly how her kids would run around all day long, ice skating on the pond and riding horses.

Not only did Myrna help run their camp during the day, but she also worked nights as a nurse at a hospital 20 miles away. Since it was the only local hospital, she handled a little bit of everything. From delivering babies in hallways to being called out to the site of a car crash and pulling someone from the wreckage (on her very first night), Myrna did it all. 

Throughout her nursing career, Myrna did a bit of everything. She went from the Emergency Room to post-anesthesia recovery to general surgery, and earned her certification in Urology. She described how she enjoyed working on the Urology/Gynecology Pediatric floor.  Working joyfully on a floor that might not be someone’s first choice, so perfectly describes Myrna’s heart because I could just see from the moment we sat down how humble and kind she is, seeking to glorify the Lord in all she does. 

In 1981, she and Lloyd moved from Spokane, WA to the Portland area for his job and started attending Village Baptist church. They first visited Southwest when it was Progress Bible Church, however, they were unable to attend regularly since they were living part-time in Albany and Arizona. When Lloyd sadly passed away in 2018, Myrna lived with her daughter and son-in-law and came back to Southwest. 

Being Faithful Where God Has You

When moving into her apartment where she lives now, the lady showing it to her said, “This apartment was ready in February, but I wasn’t able to show it until today.” She felt the Lord guiding her in that moment to live there.

About six weeks after moving in, Myrna was gathered with a group of residents and the activities director said she wished they had a spiritual activity option available to them. Myrna simply raised her hand and said, “I’ll do it.” This led to her starting a Bible Study. She was honest with me and laughed when she said, “Then I thought, what have I done?” This is how most of us feel when we jump headfirst into what God has for us.

She facilitated it for about three years, before having someone else take over, and it’s still going today. When I asked if most of the attendees were already believers, she said it was a mixed group - meaning it sparked the interest of unbelievers too, which is amazing! This reminded me just how important Christ-centered community is and how we need fellow believers to walk through life together.

Being on Mission

We are called to be on mission wherever God has us and Myrna described how nursing provided many opportunities for sharing the love of Christ and planting seeds. For example, she told me an amazing story about a woman who was admitted to the hospital where she was working. The doctor told the woman rather bluntly that she had kidney cancer and didn’t have much time left to live. The hospital was very busy and Myrna wasn’t sure what to do, but she wanted to make sure the woman felt seen. Myrna went into the room to check on her and asked if she was part of a local church. The woman replied, “No, but I once attended a Baptist church.”Myrna was attending Village Baptist at the time and took the opportunity to invite the pastor to come sit with her, and he was able to lead her to the Lord! The woman passed away only three weeks later. The pastor had met this woman’s family and had the opportunity to preach the Gospel at her memorial service. Wow.

Myrna had no idea what her “yes” would lead to. She simply felt the Lord leading her to comfort this woman in a time of suffering, and now we praise the Lord that this woman is pain free in the presence of our Savior. Obedience is not based on the outcome. We are called to plant the seeds, and it’s the Lord who waters them.

Another example is when Myrna’s husband was a building contractor. She would sometimes travel with him on trips, and once they went to Romania where she stayed in an apartment while he was working. True to her nature, she shared the Gospel with the local children by using the beaded bracelets.

What are some things you enjoy doing?

Myrna had some beautiful flowers in a garden box outside her window. I was surprised to learn that she actually grows wildflowers! Not only does she enjoy gardening, she also likes to read mystery novels. A woman after my own heart. Something you may not know about her is that she walks three miles every weekday! 

What has the Lord been teaching you recently?

The first thing Myrna said when I asked what the Lord has been teaching her lately is that, “He never gives up on us.”

She goes on to say, “Just because you’re older, doesn’t mean the Lord will stop using you. It just means you do different things…As people get older, they think they can’t be used or have no value. Or they feel like, ‘I’ve worked hard all my life doing various kinds of ministry, now let somebody else do it’. Your ministry changes, but it’s just as important, and God will continue to use you as long as He gives you breath.”

I’ve seen Myrna online at Morning Prayer before, but had no idea she attends every morning, Monday through Friday. She tells me that these prayer times at Southwest are one of her biggest blessings, and it’s just as important as other forms of ministry she did when she was younger. 

Morning Prayer meets in person & online at 6:30am Monday through Friday and 9am on Saturday mornings. Find more information here.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

You can see a common thread in these snippets of Myrna’s life - she tunes her heart to the voice of the Holy Spirit and seeks to follow the Lord where He leads, living life surrendered to Him.

Meeting with Myrna reminded me to pray for the Lord to open my eyes to what He’s doing and who He wants to pursue. Practically, that can look like encouraging a coworker, calling a friend and inviting her to coffee, or sharing our stories with someone. 

Myrna’s roles have changed over the years - daughter, wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother, Sunday school teacher, camp owner, nurse, and more, but she knows her ultimate calling - follower of Jesus and daughter of the King. Wherever He has us, whatever life looks like for each of us right now, He wants to meet us there and partner with us for His glory. 

Here is my additional note of encouragement to you: if you’ve been thinking about reaching out to a Senior Saint lady (or any fellow sister at the church), please do. We are created for community, and have so much to learn from each other.