The lessons I have taken when I visited a hospital from USA

When I was writing this article, I was in United States of America, where my wife had to go through an operation. Even if it is not the first time we left for USA, we were impressed by those people’s attitude, and I have found important to write this article and to share it with the readers of this portal.

Volunteers – people who offer themselves to serve others

At the entrance of the hospital, before we got to the information desk, we were met by a group of men and women dressed up in pink and red clothes. They told us they were volunteers and were ready to lead us and to help us find quicklier all that we needed.

So, a woman named Marilyn led us to the information desk. They prepared our acts very quickly and Marilyn led us to the room where they had to make all examinations. While we were walking I tried to find out more about her, and here is what she said. She comes and works as a volunteer at this hospital every Friday, and she is not paid for this. She works the whole day, since morning until 4 PM and then, she goes to a nursing home to visit an old man who served in this hospital in the volunteer team. She goes to him and takes his clothes to wash them and to help him with what he needs. She has been coming to this hospital every Friday for ten years, since she and her family moved to live in Chattanooga to take care of her husband’s parents. I asked her what her motivation was to come and to serve others in a hospital for such a long time, and she told me: “This makes my heart cleaner, because I serve others”. Marilyn is 75 years old. While we were discussing, she told me about their two children, that were married and each of them had two children as well. Marilyn was very proud of her grandchildren and even if one of them lived two hours away by car, he thought that granny was near them always. This proves the great relation that she has with her grandchildren.

While we were passing the hall, I saw that couple who were singing Christian songs and in that way they were leading people’s souls to God. All those people were Christians and they came to serve others. That was the nice way they undestood and applied the words of the Lord Jesus about the greatest commandment of God. He said: “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” (The Gospel of Luke 10:27). And the Lord Jesus also said:“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”(The Gospel of Matthew 7:12)(NASB)

Two weeks ago I went to a maternity from our city, where I visited a couple that were members of the “Holy Trinity” church from Chisinau, where I serve in the Gospel. While I was waiting by a window, I was looking at the yard that was very dirty and abandoned. Even if the hospital was small, it was difficult to find the section that I was looking for. Now, when I have seen what a great service do the volunteers from this country, I want to go to that hospital when we get home and to ask for permission to come with the members of our church and to clean the yard of that hospital, and to do all other things we are able to do. How nice it would be for all Christians from Moldova to learn this nice attitude of serving of the Christians I have mentioned above.

The person takes priority

This attitude of care, serving and attention for each person is a priority in this hospital, that is a Catholic one. At each door of an office or a room the number is indicated in braille too, so that blind people may direct themselves more easily. When I saw the inscription with the letters for blind men, I remembered an article written by Aurica Guzun, where a blind man told how once, when the trolleybus stopped with the doors in front of a pillar, and when he got out he hurt himself badly. When he went to the Mere House to ask for some facilities at the stations for blind people, he was told “should we move all pillars from the city for all blind men?”. How we need to learn the care, love and respect for all disabled people. God let a law in His Word: “You shall not curse a deaf man, nor place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall revere your God; I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:14)(NASB)

True gratitude brings healing

When I came to the elevator, there was this inscription near the button and I took a picture of it. Usually, people come to God to cry, to curse, to ask different things and fewer are those who come to thank God from all their heart. This attitude of grattitude brings peace in the heart, and peace is a condition for healing. It is a great grace to receive all things as from God’s hand and to be thankful in all circumstances. The Bible related us about a case when 10 leprous men came to Jesus and asked for healing. He sent them to show themselves to the priests from Jerusalem and on their way, they saw they were healed. Only one of them came back to thank Jesus, while the other nine hurried up to have the approval of the society for their healing than to thank God for the healing. What is the attitude of your heart when you are sick?

The Word of God brings healing

There were many magazines, the Bible for adult persons and for children on the desk from the waiting room. In this way, everyone could use their time to let God talk to them through His Word. It was so nice to see an old couple and the woman who took the Bible Study book and the Bible and was using her time to study the Scriptures, that says: “My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. (Proverbs of Solomon 3:1–8)(NASB)

The share of feelings

When a person is on a sugery desk, the relatives wait in a special, comfortable room. Each of them receives a kind of box (see the photo), that will signal out when he/she is called to receive a report from the doctor who does the operation. Usually, the doctor or the nurse calls every hour and reports the situation to the relatives, but if someone asks for this more often, he can call up whenever he wishes. In this way, people thought how to share the feelings of those who are waiting and to encourage their hearts, as God says in the Holy Scriptures: “To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit” (1 Peter 3:8)(NASB)

How great joy and consolation would we bring to others if we, all Christians from this country offered at least some hours weekly to go and help those from the hospitals, from orphanages, from nursery homes, to clean the public places, etc. What do you think you can do this following week to serve others?

Translated by Felicia Djugostran