Today Bro. Abraham, Sis. Miller, Fran and I went to a local hospital to visit some of the Savar building collapse survivors. When we walked into the main doors of the hospital, instead of a lobby area there was an open-air emergency room. Not the most welcoming sight with blood, scalpels and screams. Absolutely nothing was sanitary nor sterilized in this hospital. Cats were roaming the hallways. Later, as we were leaving the hospital, I saw a goat outside the front door.
The women's ward was one large room with 40 beds and no privacy. The first patient we visited was a beautiful 16 year old girl with a bubbly personality. She had a broken leg and stitches in her head. She was outgoing and talkative, giving no indication that she had just suffered a horrendous trauma. It was more like she had a minor motorbike accident or something similar. We chatted with her for a long while. She allowed us to take pictures and begged us to come again to visit her.
Next, Fran and I were taken to an adult woman who had two grown children. One of her sons and his family were there visiting with her. She had suffered a broken leg, back pain and partial facial injuries. Fran and I stood on opposite sides of her bed; we each took one of her hands and began softly praying with her. The woman looked at Fran, then at me, nodded her head and spoke kindness with her eyes as she received the healing, comfort and peace that flowed through her body. After the prayer, she did the most amazing thing ever. She invited us into her "home" of the hospital bedside, asked us to sit in the two chairs for a chat, and offered us water to drink. It is part of the Bangladeshi culture to always entertain visitors by serving them drinks and food. This precious woman continued her treasured tradition even in the midst of tragedy.
The patient that tugged at my heart the most was a young 19 year old girl who had broken both of her legs in several places. What struck me was not her broken legs, but her broken mind. She was still mentally traumatized after being pinned under concrete for two solid days before being rescued. She barely responded to my touch to her hand and arm as she stared into space. Finally, I could restrain myself no longer, I reached up and laid my hand on her head. Stroking her hair, I broke out into a spontaneous prayer. This brought a response from her as she turned her eyes upon me as I prayed. Only Jesus can heal such trauma.
The needs of these suffering people are vast, far beyond our imagination. The pain goes far beyond the physical. What do you do when you are the sole breadwinner of your entire family and now you can no longer work due to paralysis? What do you do when your parents are deceased and your two sisters' education (and hope for a better future) must be stopped because you, their only brother, can no longer work? What do you do when you are the sole surviving family member of this terrible tragedy?
Please keep these precious Savar survivors in prayer.
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| Bubbly 16 year old girl |
Next, Fran and I were taken to an adult woman who had two grown children. One of her sons and his family were there visiting with her. She had suffered a broken leg, back pain and partial facial injuries. Fran and I stood on opposite sides of her bed; we each took one of her hands and began softly praying with her. The woman looked at Fran, then at me, nodded her head and spoke kindness with her eyes as she received the healing, comfort and peace that flowed through her body. After the prayer, she did the most amazing thing ever. She invited us into her "home" of the hospital bedside, asked us to sit in the two chairs for a chat, and offered us water to drink. It is part of the Bangladeshi culture to always entertain visitors by serving them drinks and food. This precious woman continued her treasured tradition even in the midst of tragedy.
The patient that tugged at my heart the most was a young 19 year old girl who had broken both of her legs in several places. What struck me was not her broken legs, but her broken mind. She was still mentally traumatized after being pinned under concrete for two solid days before being rescued. She barely responded to my touch to her hand and arm as she stared into space. Finally, I could restrain myself no longer, I reached up and laid my hand on her head. Stroking her hair, I broke out into a spontaneous prayer. This brought a response from her as she turned her eyes upon me as I prayed. Only Jesus can heal such trauma.
The needs of these suffering people are vast, far beyond our imagination. The pain goes far beyond the physical. What do you do when you are the sole breadwinner of your entire family and now you can no longer work due to paralysis? What do you do when your parents are deceased and your two sisters' education (and hope for a better future) must be stopped because you, their only brother, can no longer work? What do you do when you are the sole surviving family member of this terrible tragedy?
Please keep these precious Savar survivors in prayer.
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| Sis. Miller with one of the Savar survivors |
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