The last few weeks that I was here, I had the privilege of
volunteering at Penang Adventist hospital. The slogan for the hospital states
“God heals, we help.” It is a Christian-based hospital and the majority of
staff are followers of Christ. We were able to join them in the mornings before
work to do a group devotional, which was pretty cool to see. At this hospital,
our goal was to raise 25,000 Ringgit (which is about 8,300 USD) in order to
provide one child with a heart surgery that cannot afford it.
My first day of volunteering was pretty awesome. I was
partnered up with a Malaysian kid named Aaron who was also volunteering that
day. It was perfect, he would make the announcements in his Malaysian Language,
and I would come around with the donation box, and collect money. I would
occasionally speak to make an announcement if we came across any Caucasian
visitors. Although the majority of Malaysians know English, it was just easier
to have Aaron speak in Malay. The next day, however was completely different.
Aaron was volunteering in a different department, and I was the one in charge
of making ALL of the announcements. It’s easier getting turned down when you
are the one with the donation box, but time and time again after making
announcements and getting the cold shoulder, it can be pretty humbling. I do
like talking to people, but I am by no means a sales woman.
After an unsuccessful day, my friend Alicia decided to take
a break by the registration office. We couldn’t help but notice this older
white lady staring at us, and as soon as we caught eye contact, she would
quickly look away. We sat down next to her with our volunteer vests on, and
donation box and she immediately blew up in our faces before we had a chance to
speak. “I’m not giving you any of my money!” She said. “I already donate to
many charities. You people probably aren’t even using this money for the right
reasons. Who paid for you to be here?” Alicia and I were in shock. “We don’t
need your money.” said Alicia. “We are not paid to be here, we are volunteering,
and all of the money goes to children who need heart surgeries that can’t
afford them.”
The old lady continued to go on and on, yelling at us. We
could have gotten up at any moment, but something was telling me to say. We let
her take her frustration out on us, until she grew silent. I began asking her
questions about why she was there. She and her husband were both from Germany
and they moved to Malaysia a while back for work. Her husband is very ill, and
her health isn’t the best either. She also has a daughter whom she hasn’t
spoken to in years. I could see the pain behind that statement. She changed the
subject rather quickly and began telling me about her dog. Her face immediately
lit up. She LOVES her dog. I asked her what her favorite food was, and this
opened up a whole new conversation. She doesn’t eat the traditional food around
here, but she goes to the grocery store, and cooks for her husband every day. She
loves cooking almost as much as she loves her dog. We ended up talking for
about a half an hour. I asked her if I could pray for her and her husband, but
she said she was atheist and that she didn’t need prayer. As soon as she was
called by the Doctor she slipped 50 Ringgit in the donation box and said that
she was sorry for being so rude. She was having a bad day.
When the lady left, I couldn’t help but smile. I don’t think
someone has ever made me feel so horrible/happy in such a short period of time.
She just needed someone to talk to, and God sent us to brighten up her day.
Collecting money truly is a humbling experience. Even though
it was going for a great cause, you get so many disgusted looks. I’ve learned
that you can’t let that get to you. For every disgusted look, there is always
that person who donates with a smile and pure heart. Within three weeks, as a
team, we were able to reach our goal of just over 25,000 Ringgit. Praise God. And
whoever that child is who receives this surgery, I pray that God would bless
them and their family through this.
After having a final banquet with the staff from the hospital,
we were able to talk with the CEO, Ted Mohr, who is actually from Michigan, and
hear a little bit about the hospital and experiences throughout the years. He
told us that in his time working there he has experienced many miracles. He
said that one time there was a very young girl who was about to undergo open
heart surgery. Most children at that age are scared, but this little girl
walked right in there with confidence. The surgery ended up going smoothly, and
when it was over, he said, “Wow, you were so brave! How come you weren’t
scared?” The little girl pointed to a picture on the wall of Jesus with his
hand on a child’s shoulder. She said, “That man came out of the picture and
stayed with me the whole time.”
I am so happy to have had the experience to work at that
hospital and work with a group of people that are so on fire for Christ. It was
definitely a good way to end my ministry here, on the World Race.
