A Day Volunteering at the Hospital

I want to share what God has been doing here lately! I go to the hospital to volunteer on Sunday afternoons now that I am back at work. I usually leave church and go to the hospital for about 4 hours then come home and eat lunch/dinner and go back to church.

Two weeks ago I ran into a couple that has been to church a few times and their little boy was very sick with a flu bug. I talked with them and prayed and left to visit others. That night at church the grandmother of the little boy came and thanked me for spending time with the family. She said they were amazed that after I left the little fellow settled down and was feeling better! I told her prayer still works!

I left the Emergency Room area and went up to the Maternity Ward. It was my first time to be there and I don’t think the nurses were used to someone from Pastoral Care coming into their area. So I chatted a little bit and a nurse asked if I wanted to go see the moms and babies. I told her that I really was a little uncomfortable just walking into their rooms so she said that she would go in every room ahead of me. I prayed for several as they requested and I left.

Then I went to the Psych’ Ward and they let me in (and they let me out too!) LOL! I talked with an elderly lady. As I was leaving the head nurse came running down the hall and said there was a family that wanted to talk to me so I went and talked with them for just a couple of minutes. The man just opened up and started telling me how his wife (the patient ) was a great lady, fantastic mom and wife. Then the 14 year old girl just jumped up crying and hugged her mom and said mommy we love you and miss you. I talked for a few more minutes then prayed and before I left I gave them a church business card so they could come visit us.

Last week I went to the Maternity Ward and the same nurse was there and she asked me questions about church and some of our mission’s trips. She knew that I was not a doctor so she asked what I did on the trips. I told her that when we went to the Philippines we baptized over 100. I asked her if she knew about the Holy Ghost and speaking in tongues and she said yes! So I told her that we prayed quite a few through to the Holy Ghost as well. She kept asking questions for an hour it was just awesome!

I walked into the Psych Ward and the head nurse said it was a miracle! I said what was a miracle? She said I don’t know what you said or did but when you left here the mother was completely changed like night and day! So I explained that I talked and what all happened because I knew she needed to know for her reports. I told her that I talked a little then I prayed and God did His part! She said that the lady was so different that they released her on Monday morning! She just kept saying it was a miracle!

Pray that God will continue to open doors in this area of ministry!

Jesus Gives Second Chances! Part I

Paul caught a glimpse of accepting God’s grace and power when he said in Phil 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me!!

Let me tell you about Robert. I picked him up one Sunday morning to bring him to church. I think he was one of those that actually lived under a bridge in the city. When the sprinklers came on to water the grass he and others had rigged up a tarp in which they could step in and take a shower.

He at one time was married had wife, kids, home & engineering degree but drugs and alcohol destroyed it all. He had lived on the streets for 5 years. His mind was fried from the abuse of sin. After 3 weeks one Sunday morning I prayed him through to the Holy Ghost!

That’s not all, a few months later he came and said he really wanted to come with me to the prison ministry on Sunday afternoon. But he couldn’t. He said I have a rap sheet as long as my arm from what I did to support my habits. I told him to pray about it and a few months later he told me that he had applied for entrance to the jail system and that he had been approved!! He said I don’t know what happened to my rap sheet but my record is clean!!

We are talking about miracles here today!!!! God is still in the miracle working business! Robert got a job working as a janitor at Stanford University in the Nuclear Research area. Before long he was taking his breaks in the break room and began to talk about some of the research, with the engineers and help them to solve their questions.

It wasn’t long before he came to me and said Hey Bro. Hopper I got a job at Stanford! I said you have been there awhile he said O but now I am an engineer! He said God has gradually restored my mind!!

The Bible said in Joel chapter 1 & 2 that he will restore the years that the locust and the canker worm has eaten away! He is still a miracle working God!! You want to hear the rest of the story!!

Robert and another brother went before the chief sheriff, judges and lawyers to get them to accept the ACTS program that our churches teach to help those with alcohol and drug problems.

After a couple of repeat meeting and sessions they had a question time and one of the judges asked them “How do we know that this program really works? Robert spoke up and asked her do you remember this case and the sentence was this many months or years in jail she said yes then he said do you remember this case and this sentence? She said yes, he asked her about several cases then he said I am the one that you sentenced. It was her second or third meeting that she had heard him explain the program and she didn’t recognize him!!

Hey when God changes you, you are changed!! A new creature in Christ!! Behold old things are passed away and all things become new! She burst out sobbing and ran from the room to collect her-self when she returned the program was passed to be used as a sentence tool for those in the county that needed help!!

What is the greatest miracle?? It is not creation, it is not healing. It is when one soul finds their way to an altar of repentance and is filled with the Holy Ghost! The Bible says the angels rejoice over one sinner that finds his way to repentance!!

Miracles are Happening!

God still answers prayer!

That is what I heard when I called a brother in church yesterday. He has been out a lot lately with a cancerous tumor. He went in for surgery to remove it. The doctor told him that when they got him open that they could not find it.

The tumor that was on x-ray and had been confirmed as cancerous was gone! The brother said that prayer does work!! Miracles still happen today!

This is a result of our increased prayer and fasting as a church body! I am sure God is doing similar works all around the world! Keep praying! Keep fasting! Keep PUSHing!!

My Miracle of Volunteering!

I finished my training this week! I learned a lot that I will share with you on a later post. I will be able to go into any room at the local hospital and visit all the patients and families.

One thing I learned for this type of work is that you don't need the gift of gab but you need the gift of a willing ear. LOL!! I laugh because I have one ear that doesn't work at all. The other ear works with a hearing aid. Out of 200% hearing in both ears I have maybe a total of 30 % hearing. It helps me to stay humble and depend on God.

I am sure some of the people that I have worked with over the years can remind me of some slips when I thought I heard something and it was way off. Sometimes I do it on purpse but other times it was real. So I have had quite a time trying to hear what people are saying!

My hearing specialist that fitted me with a hearing aid several years ago told me that it was amazing. He said that most of my hearing loss was in the normal voice range of people talking. He asked me what I did as far as work and I told him that I was a minister and at that time I was a school teacher at Kent Christian Academy. He was just totally amazed at what God was using me to do for the Kingdom. He explained that he was involved in church and missionary work.

Before I left the office I asked him if we could pray. My wife & I prayed with Him. I prayed that God would bless his work and keep his hand on him and his ministry. God moved and we could feel his spirit in that office. My wife and I went home and a couple of hours later he called about the office visit .

He told me that God began to talk to him after we left and that he had ordered my hearing aid. I was shocked because I didn't have the money to pay for it. Then he said that it would be in his office in two weeks. He went on to tell me that there was no fee and that he would service it for life free of charge.

I have gone in several times and had it checked and he has brought staff in from other offices to meet me. We have always had prayer before we left. They spend more time talking about God and the church than anything else when I go in to see them.

So when I get involved with people I listen to them the best I can. Then I depend on God to fill in the blanks that I can't hear. I feel that is one reason that God has allowed me to be so sensitive to the attitudes and spirits of people. Because I have to spend a lot of time listening to God and he lets me know these things.

So it is a miracle of God that I can even be involved with this type of volunteer work.