You are sick and I come to visit you
The steps of a hospital chaplain
▲Mrs. Hansen, who was baptized and married at St. James Lutheran Church, is now old and sick. Senior Pastor Zhang visits her in the hospital to provide for her spiritual needs.
I was hesitant about how to communicate with this Tibetan patient. His face was pale, his lips were chapped, and he was lying weakly on the bed. But his broad smile and his sincerity in trying to talk to me in limited English and Mandarin were really unforgettable. .
When I walked into the terminal cancer ward on the third floor, I couldn't find him anywhere. I checked at the social worker's office and found out that he had passed away yesterday and no one had claimed him for burial yet... The last conversation turned into a farewell forever! Hospital chaplains and patients often only have one or two opportunities to meet each other. Although the encounter is brief, it is often a life-affecting experience.
The hospital chaplain is also part of the emergency team. When medical staff are busy rescuing patients, the chaplain is always the team's support. At the scene, even the attending doctors and intern doctors need care.
If a seriously injured patient is conscious, the chaplain can accompany him or her, pushing the bed and walking to the CAT scan room or operating room while talking. At this time, the patient has various spiritual needs. In addition to praying for him, the chaplain also plays different roles to support, comfort, and encourage the patient and his or her family members.
Multiple reserves
In American hospitals, it is common to see local pastors and evangelists visiting church members. However, not many hospitals assign pastors to be stationed and provide spiritual and emotional services at any time. It is even rarer for a Chinese to become a hospital chaplain. Generally speaking, to serve as a chaplain in a hospital, in addition to having the ability to communicate in English, be good at interpersonal interactions, have experience in teamwork, psychological counseling, and pastoral care, you must also like to work in emergencies.
In addition, he or she must have a theological degree, be ordained by the denomination, and receive training in Clinical Pastoral Care Education (CPE). Generally, theological students from mainstream denominations in the United States spend 10 to 12 weeks receiving full-time CPE education in hospitals before graduation. This experience is not a study course or earning credits toward a degree. The focus of CPE is to allow learners to understand their own strengths and weaknesses in real-life situations, so that they can face themselves and prepare for service.
actual presence
I remember that in 1992, after completing my internship at the church, I was admitted by Abington Memorial Hospital (Abington, PA) in the suburbs of Philadelphia as a resident intern chaplain to receive in-depth CPE education. On my first day on duty in the emergency department, I encountered death.
The young deceased was accidentally exposed to high-voltage electricity while laying roof tiles and died. His brother and father, also roof tile workers, stood on the ridge next door and watched him burn. A large group of his family members filled the emergency room. How can I soothe the horror and grief of losing a loved one? There is really nothing to say, but just being among them, accompanying them in their grief, the pastor becomes a real presence of God’s presence.
One day, I was walking down the street and a cheerful and charming young girl said hello to me:
"Hello, Pastor, do you remember me?" I smiled at her, but I really couldn't remember who she was!
"I am GG. When I had a miscarriage and was in Xinyi Hospital, you came to see me..."
"Oh! How are you now? Have you recovered?"
"I'm fine now, my body has recovered, and I'm back to school..."
I remembered! GG came to the emergency department alone and soon had a miscarriage. The nurse asked me to visit her. The weak GG covered his face with his hands, tears streaming from between his fingers. This affair and pregnancy could have been quietly erased from life. However, she was tormented by complicated emotions - ashamed of her lack of determination, regret for hurting her parents, and self-blame for killing innocent lives...
When I was a chaplain, I took a course called "Resolve True Sharing" so that I could provide appropriate and effective prenatal loss counseling. That day, I not only used my professional knowledge, but also couldn't help but shed tears to accompany her through this painful moment. Now, seeing this girl face life full of hope and vitality, I can't help but be grateful for her, and feel that all the time and price paid are worth it.
▲In the chapel attached to the hospital, the bread and cups on the altar bring comfort and strength from heaven to patients, family members, and even medical staff.
understand comfort
In my career as a pastor, I often receive emergency calls.
"That patient is furious and unreasonable. He ignores the doctor and the nurse. Can you please come and talk to him?" The anxious ward staff found the record of my conversation with the patient from the medical record. Call for help.
It turned out that this patient with severe diabetes was afraid that "after losing his sight, he would lose both legs." He fell into a torrent of sadness, anger, and fear, which triggered irritable behavior. He is only willing to talk to people he trusts, and I can only listen quietly.
Another time, at half past one in the night, the nursing director called me and insisted that I go to the fourth floor of the hospital. "There is a Chinese patient who refuses to enter the ward, and the security guards cannot accommodate her. They have been pestering her for several hours!"
When I arrived, I heard her voice was hoarse, so I asked her in Mandarin:
"Are you thirsty?"
"I won't drink their water, I'm afraid!"
"Would you like an orange?"
I happened to bring a big orange, peeled it open, and handed it to her one by one. Her dry mouth was relieved, and she calmed down to tell the story of being abandoned by her daughter and foreign son-in-law. I explained to her: "This is a hospital, not a prison cell!" She changed her clothes obediently and fell asleep! At dawn, I drove home. On the way, I couldn't help but wonder, what does this old man need? Or the comfort of understanding?
beloved place
I think of what the teacher said during the "Chaplain Training": "We teachers are just midwives, helping you to give birth to the life you have perfectly." Different personalities, temperaments, cultivation, knowledge, spirituality, experiences and family backgrounds, Different pastors reveal different lives. In our ministry, we must continue to learn and grow, facing each unique situation, patient, and symptom; we must also be humble and vigilant so as not to become a formal service.
Chaplains should be able to remain calm during emergencies, be calm and composed when accompanying family members to the morgue to say goodbye, and be considerate and gentle when assisting patients and family members in the Trauma Base and operating rooms. I think why God gave me the pastoral responsibility is because I almost lost my daughter.
Not long after I came to the United States, I had no one to live with. My daughter had a car accident while riding in a car. She needed fifty-five stitches on her face, broken ribs, and a dislocated pelvis... I stayed in the emergency intensive care unit for nine days, praying nonstop, waiting for her to wake up. . This unforgettable experience made me more considerate of the emotional situation of patients and their families. Unexpectedly, this hospital was the place where I first received “chaplaincy training”.
When people fall into suffering, they are helpless and painful. They do not expect others to preach, and it is even harder to bear blame. The chaplain's job is to provide timely, professional and empathetic assistance so that patients and their families can go through this trough of life and soul.
I have been serving for more than ten years. Not only have I been edified and grown, I have come to understand my own limitations and the greatness of God. I have also realized that if I visit the sick with love and compassion, wherever I go, I will find God’s beloved place. , where I met Him.
Author profile
Pastor Zhang LingxiHe is currently the senior pastor of St. James Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, New York City, and the pastor of Lutheran Hospital in Brooklyn. Born in Mainland China, grew up in Taiwan, and studied in Hong Kong. He has been engaged in education and music for many years and has three children, all of whom have graduated from college.