Greetings, I hope that you're doing well. I can hardly believe how fast the summer has fled on by. My internship at the hospital as a chaplain is now over and has been formative for me. God has been hard at work. When folks ask what I've been learning I usually say, "It's really helping me to be less of an idiot, ya know?" And its, true! I remember in particular an emergency room visit with a thin older woman, lying upon a propped up movable bed with a thin cotton blanket tucked around her, stopping just above the waist. Her curled thin white hair had been apparently well styled that morning and set above a slightly clenched, deeply wrinkled, petite face which matched her small body. Her skin was pale, though not sickly, but appeared as one who spent much of her time indoors. A flap of her shirt hung open exposing part of the right side of her upper chest and revealed a cord that ended in a circular sensor of some type held firmly to her skin.
I walked in and softly introduced myself as the chaplain while standing to the left side of her bed, and asked permission to sit down and visit. The woman went on to tell me about the lung mass that the doctors had discovered that day and of her fear that she would die the same horrible death of lung cancer through which she had recently watched her brother. She said that she wished that she would have gotten hit by a truck rather than to die in this way. As I sat beside her bed I felt her pain and fear of the future and with the intention to help her look at the bright side, I foolishly said, "Maybe the mass is not cancerous." At which she replied with angry frustration, "Oh, come on, what do you think it is? I'm not stupid. I know what it is." I quickly realized that I was attempting to fix her sadness by offering the "bright side" rather than being with her in this difficult emotion. Later I remembered the Apostle Paul's writing "weep with those who weep"(Romans 12:15). The visit went on as she shared and I listened. At the end of our visit I rested my hand softly on top of hers and she placed her other hand on top of mine and I prayed that God would bring comfort to her pain and that He would be with her throughout this time as long or short as it might be.
Little by little, from each patient I visit, from my fellow interns, supervisor, and others I have continued to practice and learn how to truly empathize and listen. This has been a tremendous lesson for me this summer and has helped not only in my ministry as a chaplain, but in my friendships and in my marriage.
Friday was my last day of the internship and today, Melissa and I are going to be driving away from Massachusetts to begin the trek which will eventually lead us to Wisconsin where I am planning to complete the last year of my Masters of Divinity degree. It has been somewhat difficult saying goodbye to the friends that we have made during the past few years here. Over the past couple of weeks we have been having dinners and eating ice-cream together with a multiplicity of people in an attempt to see everyone one last time in order to say goodbye before we leave.
We are thoroughly looking forward to the next month to relax, visit family and friends, and reflect on our time in Massachusetts. Melissa is looking forward to finishing up her last couple of classes on-line, diving into community life at Nashotah and having some extra time to pray and discern where God is leading her in her spiritual journey. She will also be looking for a job over the next few weeks, so please keep her in your prayers, that God will open doors for good relationships and a pleasant working environment.
The other day I received news that I'd received a three-thousand dollar scholarship that I had searched, discovered and applied for a few months back. Melissa and I were thrilled, since our budget for the next year is, well, how do you say it, short?...very short? As you know, schooling will hurriedly run a person's savings down! However, little by little as he always has, God is providing. The parish with whom we've been working, commissioned us last Sunday and presented us with a small check as has my sponsoring parish down in Florida and a few individuals who have been following our journey. We're also planning on doing some fundraising and we have always been amazed at the generosity of the people of God once they know the need. It's a huge privilege to be in the midst of God's work. Though future is uncertain, we trust that God will provide.
We are continually amazed from where God has brought us and where he is leading us to. We are excited to continue on the path he has prepared for us and are thankful that you have allowed us to share our journey with you.
