SPECIAL SPIRITUAL NUGGET: NURSES’ NATIONAL WEEK Dear Nurses: As you celebrate your National Week, I take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude for your selfless service. Your unsung and heroic sacrifices and deep devotion to the care of God’s children will be abundantly blessed and rewarded in the life to come. My family was impacted by the compassion of a nurse in a miraculous way. Enjoy this true story and remember to let the Lord use each one of you to perform His miraculous wonder!
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In 1980, as a 5 year old boy, I witnessed a very traumatic experience- my mom fell into a coma as the result of a brain aneurysm. My dad was told by the doctor that 95% she would not be able to survive. All we could do was to pray and cling on to any glimmer of hope that we could find. For a long time, she was slipping in and out of her coma. I remember the four of us (my father, me, and my siblings) gathered as a family every night to pray for my mother. Miraculously she woke up and eventually began to resume her household chores. Physicians strongly advised us, however, to leave our country (Vietnam) to seek for immediate treatment for mom. They said that if the aneurysm returns, she may not make it this time. Heeding their advice, my father filed an application for our family to leave the country for the United States. Five years flew by without any success but because of his trust in God, perseverance, and determination, we were eventually granted approval by the communist government to leave the country.
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Under the Communist regime, when you leave the country, you must surrender many things if not all to the local police in the form of bribery (in this case, our home). If you refuse, you could be framed and arrested. But since my dad fought in the Vietnam War against them, he was not willing to give a dime to these people. The government had destroyed the lives of so many innocent people. They single handedly buried alive grandmothers and fathers in front of their families and willingly turned a blind eye to the children who became orphans or left to die on the streets. How could anyone in their right conscience surrender their belongings to these evil doers. And for that very reason, my father silently transferred the ownership of our home to one of our relatives knowing in his heart that there would be serious backlashes or severe consequences.
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Like the Book of Exodus when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, my father took us to the airport in the darkness of the night. We traveled to various relatives’ homes and the plan was to somehow get to the airport by the morning. Indeed, the police was suspecting that we were up to something so they sent their people to our relatives’ homes looking for us. Miraculously, they did not realize that we were already at the airport.
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We got in line for our physicals (a process for all leaving the country) when all of a sudden a worker came out to inform us that there was a problem. She said that my sister would not be able to get on the plane because she had high blood pressure unless of course we give them money for the medication. Nothing was wrong with my sister all they wanted was a huge bribe. My father explained to them that we did not have the money they wanted. He pleaded with them to let her on the plane. They refused, claiming that they had to follow proper protocol. My father gathered all of us into a circle and together we prayed.
Although we had no idea what God had in store for us, we prayed that we would trust in His holy will no matter what. Seeing us prayed, a nurse decided to offer my sister a pill in an attempt to lower her blood pressure but under the direction of the physicians, she returned to say that the pill did not have any effect. So we gathered again to continue saying our prayers. People were staring and some even giggled, making fun of us but my father directed us to ignore them. We prayed so much that they decided to give us one final offer the offer is that we can all go but my sister had to stay Once we are in the US, we would have to send them the money and they would put her on another flight. “Forget about that,” my father angrily said, “We are leaving as a family or we are not leaving at all!” “Fine.” they sneered, “Go home or we will call security!” In a state of panic, my father urgently tried to come up with another plan for us to leave the airport without running into the local police who were still out there looking for us. My mother immediately took her stance: “If God got me out of my coma and got us to this point, He can and will get us out of here! Let’s continue to pray!”
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My father looked at her with doubts and confusions. Unflinching, my mother led us in prayers and after several minutes or so, out of nowhere, another nurse arrived Like an angel, she was brilliantly beautiful. It felt like a dream. She was the charge nurse of the health center at the airport. Upon seeing us prayed, something touched her heart. She asked us to explain what was happening and after hearing the entire story, she instructed us to wait. Then she disappeared behind closed doors then emerged minutes later with our approved passports in her hand with tears glistening in her eyes. What she said to us next gave us chills: “Get out of here now And remember…your God won!” My parents hugged her tightly then without another word, they grabbed our little hands and together we ran toward the gate (only minutes before the gate closing).
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As we got into our seats we were still trembling from the whole experience. “What ifs?” were the many questions that popped into our heads but in our hearts we chose to believe that the Lord is in charge of our lives and His power is being played out. We continued to pray. Anything could have happened during those last minutes which seemed like an eternity.
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Finally, the plane skidded off the runway and took off into the deep blue skies. We breathed a sigh of relief and gave thanks to God for His mercy and kindness.
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Our relatives also embraced one another with relief. They decided to stay for a while at the airport to reflect on the miracle that just happened which truly took their breath away. Approximately 20 minutes later, according to them, the local police arrived at the airport and were searching for us all over the airport. They even called on the loud speaker directing flight workers to stop us. As God scattered the Egyptians in the Red Sea, He sent these stubborn men in all directions searching for a husband, wife, and three children of faith (assisted by his angelic nurse) who they will never be able to hurt, harass, or abuse ever again.
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PRAYER OF NURSES
Dear Lord, My Great Healer. May your great strength and power flow through me and lend skill to my hands and vision, judgment to my mind and compassion to my heart. Grant me the strength to minister to my patients in their hour of suffering and travail. Make me worthy, Oh Lord, of this noble task and never to waver in the midst of any storm. Amen.
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PRAYER FOR NURSES
Dear heavenly Father, we thank You for the men and women who have dedicated themselves to nursing the sick and dying, and we pray that You would give them strength and grace as they tend to the ailments, injuries and sicknesses of so many people in their care.
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We pray that You give them the strength and courage to be able to face the many hurts and health problems of those that come into their clinics or hospital, and wisdom and patience to tend to the sick with kindness – and to be able to minister graciously to those that are facing problems or severe illnesses.
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Bestow on them the strength, dedication and skill that’s needed to face the many challenges to their nursing training and skills – especially when they are weary or tired. Let these holy nurses tend to the sick and dying and be true witnesses to Your love and grace to their sisters and brothers in a very hurting world out there. Amen.