As I previously mentioned, we are allowed to "Befriend A Patient" and go visit them during visiting hours to form a friendship. Today I went and visited my patient for the first time! I am very limited to the information I can disclose regarding this patient, but I want to share as much as I can. I initially thought I was going to visit her for 30 minutes, but that 30 minutes quickly turned into almost two hours. She speaks a rare language that only one other person in the whole hospital ward could understand and as her words were translated, I was taken along her journey to the Mercy Ship.
I can't say the surgery my patient had, but this is a life changing surgery. There is a possibility the surgery could back fire and not do what it is supposed to do and that is causing my patient to worry a lot. She traveled for 4 months to get to Conakry. She speaks a very rare language. She had never seen electricity or white people. She took the biggest faith walk a person could ever take. Literally. My patient is Muslim and does not know of this Jesus I try to talk about. Her village is so secluded and small they don't even have words for days of the week or ages, let alone Jesus Christ. However, she knows that God brought her here and prayed with me, thanking me and Mercy Ships for showing her that she is not forgotten, that she has a second chance at life. I wish more than anything I could communicate more with this women to tell her that she has a chance at eternal life. The only chance I have is to show her the love of Jesus and pray that in the next 10 days she is here, her heart will be changed.
I am new to all of this. I've never heard stories like this except in books. I've never had a women lay in front of me, holding my hand and sob while speaking to her God, praying that this surgery heals successfully so she can continue to live. How do I react? What do I tell the translator to say? I want a bible in her language! I want to speak her language! I want to read her the bible to show her story after story about the healing, goodness, and love of Jesus. I want to give her hope and I want her to know that God has been faithful thus far and will continue to be faithful for all of eternity. These words are not in her vocabulary. I can't say or do any of the things I want to. So I just smile and tell her she is not forgotten, I will pray for her, and will see her next morning for church service. My heart breaks typing this while reliving these moments from last night.
My patient knows because of Mercy Ships she is not forgotten, but what about the millions and millions of people who don't know?As Christians we have declared that Jesus Christ is our savior and king and that the bible is the Word of God. When we apply His word, it is evidence that we are obeying Him because we love Him. I don't want to preach or offend anyone so below I have included some scripture. Interpret for yourself.
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdomprepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?" 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
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