Throughout our outreach, we often go to hospitals and pray for the patients. God has really been working through those times in strengthening our faith, as well as the patients we pray for. Its been really awesome to just sit with them and love on them and hear their stories.
Walking into a place like that can be very intimidating sometimes. We walk into these big rooms filled with very sick people, some might have malaria, some might be dying of starvation, some have diseases we have never seen or heard about before. The mzungos (us) walk in smiling, healthy, and ready to tell them about a God who loves them and doesn’t forget about them, a God who sees their pain and wants to help them.
I often times ask myself this question “how would i feel if i were sick, and some foreigners came in happy and jolly wanting to pray for me, when they no nothing about me or my pain?” The truth is, its really hard. Sometimes, the people dont want you to pray for them, and sometimes, they are honored. Sometimes, God will really connect our hearts, and you will look into someones eyes, and you see their pain and suffering, and it touches your heart and you begin to feel it. Then you notice that they see your heart too, and they know that you have struggles too, even though they are different. Those are the times when God gives you compassion for one another, you no longer feel like a mzungu, you feel like a brother or sister in Christ. Those are the times when it is worth it all along.
NOw sometimes, God will use those people who shoo you away, to show the real hurt that they feel in their hearts. Sometimes, when those people ask us not to pray for them….. we pray anyway, and when we pray, they begin to weep, and they begin to become joyful, and you see a change in their heart, within seconds. I dont believe that God likes it when we are sick, and maybe God doesnt heal everyone physically of their pain, but God heals hearts too, and we need our hearts to be healed in hospitals just as much as we need our pain to be healed in hospitals.
Its been so encouraging to go back to the hospital everyday and see the people who are leaving, the people who have been healed, and its also encouraging to see the patients another day, to see the joy that they have, and the hope they have. Hospitals are used for more than just physical healing, praise God.
Going to places like these are the times when it makes me really excited to work in the medical field. I want become a nurse so that I can use the skills God has given me to heal the outside of our bodies, as well as within. We will be able to work in many other hospitals throughout our time in Africa. Im excited to see what else God is going to show me through these times.
Missis!
These guys need drugs and doctors not prayers!
Mary
the pain these people feel is so deep – it is easy to see how they do not have much hope. Their needs are so great physically, emotionally and spiritually. Thank you for bringing some hope to these people and being willing to pray in hope and healing to them.
It is interesting that sometimes it is those who appear to be rich are often shown to really be the poorest.
God Bless you Alison and you step out to be the hands and feet of Christ. I am so proud of you.
This is such a healthy way to look at things Allison – EMPATHY is being able to see things from another’s point of view. But I love that you are willing to walk forward as Jesus did: He stopped, He looked, He had compassion. Not “he saw the color of their skin and decided how to respond”.
Alison… it is now being written that prayer is a very powerful tool in the aid of treating those that are sick and that it is amazing that with the combination of medical treatment many are recovering when hope was all they had left. The experience and compassion that you have in your heart will help you to become an incredible nurse!! I will cheer you on that journey too. God bless!!