“Go in Peace; Keep Warm and Well Fed . . .”

“If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed’, but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” James 2:16

I was visiting a friend, Jessfe, and her child, Jihoo, at a government run hospital here in Malaybalay because she had texted me that they needed food. The medical system here is very different from in the US. If you go to the hospital here you have to bring all of your own things: sheets, pillow, blankets, plus there needs to be a caregiver there to help the patient. Nurses here do not do more than administer medication and take vitals. Someone must bring the caregiver food or there would be no one to help the patient if the caregiver left.

Anyway, I went to see her and pray for her baby. Then she told me there is one child here much worse off than hers. So I went to talk to them, using Jessfe as the interpreter, and also to pray over their 3 year old baby, Christian. They came into the hospital on the evening of Jan. 1, because their child had a temperature of 104, and it was already the 6th, five days later. While talking to them the boy started having a seizure. I’m no doctor, couldn’t even pretend, but pretty much knew that couldn’t be good. So I asked what they were doing to treat him. They told me they ordered a CT scan that they couldn’t pay for because it was 8,000 pesos, about 200 USD. I told them I did not have that either, and that we needed to pray that God would provide. I still didn’t have the money the next day. I couldn’t just walk away from him. We decided to just move forward because this seemed very critical to us. I was able to get him transferred to another hospital, at the cost of my rent/food/alms budget. Pretty much have nothing to live on the rest of the month. There is a whole story just in getting Christian transferred out of a government run hospital as well.

The doctor called later with the results of the scan and tests. She said it was bacterial meningitis and that it was going to be expensive and take a long time to cure if he survived, which there was little chance of at that point, and did we still want to do this? That was not a question I would have expected. Then she also went on to say that the other doctor was offended, and that we didn’t follow proper procedure. Here we took a child with a communicable disease out of a room full of 20-30 children plus caregivers, and she was offended. Oh well!! Not even a question if we wanted to save his life or not. Once you put your hand to the plow there is no looking back (Luke 9:62). And to the second part, well I don’t always follow procedure in the interest of expediting, my old supervisor will attest to that.

Went to pray over Christian again and it looked like his whole family was there, including grandparents. What a witness to them that Jesus cares and wants to heal their son, and be their Savior. That they needed to turn to Him, and that only He could save the child at this point. Our God is in the miracle business and this is what we prayed for. Wasn’t just me, Lindsey went in the next morning to talk to them, and they requested a Bible. So Kring Leano went with a Bible and spoke to them, giving her testimony and teaching them all afternoon.

We had Christian baptized and gave him the Anointing of the Sick on Saturday the second day in the hospital. It has now been 5 days from when we had him admitted and it looks like Christian is on the road to recovery. He was awake and looked alert when I saw him today. We still need to pray for a full recovery and that there is no brain damage.

I would do it again if God asked me to, to help save a life, and bring souls to Him. The parents were so shocked to hear about the saving power of God and that He cares for them. When I come to visit now they are reading the Bible, and they help to pray every time. Luke 15:10, “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Or I like to rephrase… all the angels in heaven rejoice when there is a soul saved. What a glorious chorus that is!