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"All right," she agreed, "but you understand you will have to buy your own uniform. It's up
to you also to have your own transportation and take care of parking your car."
"Yes, I understand that."
I was thrilled! This is how I started my volunteer work in a Jewish hospital.
One morning early, I was unusually weary and I found myself praying, "Please, Lord, let
me stay home today. I don't want to go to the hospital. I'd like to stay at home and do the basketful
of ironing that's piling up and make an extra special meal for my husband when he comes home
from work. I'd be glad not to have to go in today, Lord."
But while I was wishfully thinking, I was donning my uniform and, a few minutes later, I
was backing my car out of the driveway and heading it toward the hospital. I arrived at 8:00
o'clock. When I get there that early I usually go on the medical floor and work until 9:00, then go
into the recovery room. Patients do not begin to come from surgery until 9:00.
I was given a brief assignment. My first patient was a large black lady. I was to bathe her
and change her clothes and bedding. When I saw her I was quite amazed, for she was still in her
street clothes, though she had been brought in the night before. She had been in a drunken brawl
and had been knifed several times. They had not closed her wounds with sutures, but had just
clamped them. She was to have them closed by surgical methods this morning. She had vomited
over herself in her drunkenness. Her clothes were soiled and her shoes smelled bad. I took off her
dirty clothes, bathed her, put on a clean gown, and changed her linen. All this time I was telling her
about Jesus.
She said to me, "Baby, you don't know who I is, or you wouldn't ask me to be a Christian."
"Honey," I replied, "I think I know who you are, but I'm still asking you to trust Jesus as
your Saviour, for I know He can save you."
"But you don't know all the bad things I've done."
"It doesn't matter. The Lord loves you."
"But I was just a drunk last night. I'm an alcoholic."
"Is this the way you want to live? Is this the way you want to spend your life?" I asked her.
"No, but when I get to thinking how wicked I is, I get drunk so I can forget it."
"Look, my dear friend," I appealed to her, "Jesus came into the world to die, not only for
those in the high echelons of society, not only for the up-and-outers, but He came to die for those
who are sick and needy. He came to the most sinful, and He'll save you."