BY HANNAH GOLDFINGER
HGOLDFINGER@OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
OPELIKA— Two-year-old Elliott Buffalo walks into the building, carrying a bouquet and says, “Here you go, I got you flowers.”
Sound cute? It is.
Elliott and his mother, Jenna Buffalo, began a flower ministry — Lilies of the Field — to bring smiles and joy to those living in nursing homes, retirement homes and assisted living facilities.
Jenna said that where she is from — Knoxville, Tennessee — there is a similar ministry.
Here in Lee County, she said she began wondering if there was a way for her to join that or do something similar.
“I wanted it based around being a Christian and giving back in the way that Jesus wants us to by being His hands and feet,” she said.
Jenna said she’s never even been a big fan of flowers in the past — telling her husband she didn’t want flowers because they’ll only die.
So when it came to starting a ministry based on flowers, she said she leaned a lot on God.
“I said okay, you will just have to lead the way because I have no idea where to even begin,” she said.
In that beginning stage, Jenna said she was talking with the owner of Circles of Color who offered to donate flowers.
“I felt like that was God saying, ‘Okay, here’s the first step. Are you going to follow me?’ It has just played out, God has led us the entire way and has opened doors that I couldn’t even imagine being opened to be able continue this and that’s the way that I know this is from Him and this is our calling.”
The owner of Paradise Plants also donated flowers to the ministry.
Jenna will bring them home and put them in vases and then head out with them, with her son Elliott with her.
“I pray while I’m doing the floral arrangements, and I pray over each individual arrangement before they’re delivered,” Jenna said. “You never know what somebody’s going through. You never know of the battles they may be facing or struggling with that they don’t tell you about. God knows though; He knows all of it.
“I feel like when I pray over those, maybe they’ll bring peace to the people who need peace and joy to the people who need joy and just brighten their day.”
Their first delivery was to Arbor Lakes.
“They opened the doors, and their hearts, and they let us in,” Jenna said.
Jenna said she enjoyed seeing the residents react to the flowers — crying or grinning.
“Seeing the people just light up when we brought them arrangements, I can’t describe the look on their face,” she said.
It may be Elliott, more than the flowers, bringing such joy, Jenna said.
“Because they don’t get to see little ones that often,” she said.
Jenna allows Elliott to help pick colors of flowers for arrangements, then he goes with her to deliver.
“When I was pregnant, I prayed the entire time that God would make my child have a servant’s heart,” Jenna said.
Jenna said when they take flowers, it’s not just a drop-off but that they like to spend time with residents.
“Let them know that we actually care … it’s a show you some love, be some hands and feet, let them know that somebody sees them and that somebody cares,” she said.
In the future, Jenna said she’d love to have more flowers to donate, perhaps after weddings or Auburn University events.
Sometimes she’ll also do “build-a-bouquets” with residents where she brings in flowers and lets them design their own arrangements.