“Christmas Tears From Nowhere.”
Missionary Pat Bates,
It
was one of the most beautiful days we spent in
It
was a shock to me to see the condition of the patients. It was very dirty and there was no place for
any patient to be secluded or quarantined.
As we went through the wards praying and listening to the hopes and
dreams of the families who were waiting for their loved ones to come home for
Christmas, we were touched dramatically by one particular patient.
There
was one young man in a bed in the middle of a ward, with sickness all around
him, who had been badly burned. I was
told that I must go to see him. As I
approached his bed, I began to cry. His
face was so badly burned, he had no eyelids and his skin was peeling. Everyone was praying for the other people in
the ward, but no one came to his bed. I
went closer and one of my companions grabbed my arm and said, “NO, we cannot
touch him, we might infect him.” I looked
at my surroundings, and said, “You’ve got to be kidding.”
I
went over to him as tears fell from my cheeks, only to see terror in his
eyes. I asked him if I could pray for
him. He nodded, and as I reached my hand
forward to place it on his head, I noticed a tear roll from my chin and fell
upon his cheek. I lightly touched his
forehead and began to pray. When I
looked down again, I saw tears flooding from his eyes, rolling down each side
of his face onto the small pillow. I
asked him if he was a Christian, he nodded.
I rephrased the question and asked, “Have you accepted Jesus as your
Lord and Savior?” He shook his head
“NO.” He could not speak, but as I
prayed a prayer of salvation, I know he prayed in his heart because his face
was illuminated with peace.
To
this day, I do not know where his tears came from. The nurse said that his tear ducts had been
completely damaged and could not function.
We
went back to the hospital 3 days later . . . he had gone home to be with his
Savior. I know I will see him again, and
when I do, he will be dancing and singing and praising the Lord!
God
is so Good!
Merry
Christmas and
Happy
Birthday, Jesus!
