I had a rejuvenating shift on the ward tonight. I wasn’t expecting that at all…..Lately my shifts have been draining and I’ve been feeling emotionally depleted.  Tonight was the last of a 6 day stretch of shifts for me and I honestly didn’t know if I’d have the strength to finish. But tonight was different. I had a patient, Milton Dunbar, who really spoke into my life and lifted me up. I spent time talking with him and he was so grateful to God for the work that we’ve been able to do for him. He had developed a tumor on his leg that we removed and he has been recovering on the ward.  His face just shone with gratitude and I knew that in some small way, we had made a difference in his life. At change of shift I was sitting down and finishing up some charting and listened in as this particular patient took some time to encourage the other patients on the ward and to speak into their hearts.  He committed their healing into God’s hands.  Then, he bowed his head and began to pray boldly…..I was touched when I heard him pray for me specifically.  I cannot tell you what that meant to me to have him pray for me….to hear my own patient lifting my name to God in prayer. It was amazing and even now just thinking about it makes me want to cry. My wilting heart needed that.

The shift ended with a group of patients and me holding a conversation about why Mercy Ships does what it does. One patient asked me if we would still care for a Muslim even though he wouldn’t pray to our God.   I answered by saying that we are not here to force people to make a decision, and that each person must decide for himself whom he will serve.  But that we are only here to show people what God’s love is like. I explained that we were a Christian ship and that most of the workers on the ship were Christians, but that we provided free surgery to everybody regardless of what they believed.  They seemed to understand my words and the one patient said that just during his stay on board he had gotten to know a fellow patient who was a Muslim and had refused to attend our church service.  But when the time came for him to be discharged he told the nurse that he decided from this day on that he would serve God. This was encouraging for me to hear. I know that many patients turn their lives over to God during their time here, but I don’t always witness it or hear the stories. It lifted my heart and reminded me once again of why I’m here. I’m here to serve these people and to help them experience fullness of life in a way that draws them into the amazing love of God. Oh God, help me to show them your love every day!!

Before I left the ward, I asked my patients if they had Bibles.....many of them only owned a New Testament and they asked me if I would be able to get them a full Bible. Milton is studying to be a pastor and all he owns is a worn New Testament.  I promised that I would do my best to ensure they had full Bibles before going home........

She was the cutest, tiniest little thing I had ever seen. Mamie had come to the ship at only 4 weeks old to have a tumor removed from her back and tonight I was assigned to care for the infant.  She had just returned from surgery but a few hours prior to my shift starting.  I walked over to her and just stood in awe of all of her amazing features, her tiny little fingers and toes, her cute button nose and the way her shiny black hair curled against her scalp. She was incredibly precious and beautiful.  I introduced myself to her mother and found it extremely difficult to communicate with the Mom. She seemed unwilling to give eye contact and was withdrawn and distant.  I became concerned as I noted that Mamie was crying incessantly and the Mom took little interest in holding her or comforting her, but instead just looked at her helplessly.  In my frustration I began to instruct the mother in the basics of how to hold and care for her child all the while wondering why in the world I had to tell her to hold her baby when her baby cried!  Something was wrong with this scenario I thought to myself. 

Later in the shift realization finally dawned in an unexpected way.  I took the baby and removed the dressing from her back in order to clean the incision and reapply a fresh dressing.  Suddenly I noted that the mom’s eyes were transfixed on Mamie’s back.  The tumor was gone and in its place was a neat little row of sutures.  Her eyes grew wide in amazement and she burst out in spontaneous praise to God, motioning her husband over and pointing to the incision saying, “look!”  At that moment I realized that she had not yet seen the incision since surgery and had no idea that the tumor was gone.  She had been holding back from caring for her child most likely because she didn't want to become attached, or maybe it was the fear that her child was cursed.  Perhaps she didn't fully understand our work, or comprehend that we could actually remove the tumor.  I don’t know exactly why…..all I know is that she was transformed.  Her eyes were bright and cheerful and there was a smile on her face!  The rest of the evening she held her baby proudly and cuddled Mamie close to herself, caring for her and bonding with her as any mother bonds with her child.  I smiled to myself at what I had just witnessed and felt so much relief knowing that now the baby would receive the nurture that she needed in order to grow and develop into a healthy child.  As I saw the hope and joy in that mothers face, I was reminded of God’s faithfulness.  Once again, God had taken a little life and restored hope and healing as He promised He would do.