I guess that good health is something that we all take for granted. Or rather we do that until something happens. In an instant our perception can change. Our mortality flashes before our eyes and we realise that we are not immortal. Recently I had for the second time in my adult life a major health scare. Many people have had more and much worse. Indeed in my ministry I have accompanied people through health issues, practically and spiritually reminding them of the love of God. This has been a significant part of how I have viewed ministry. It is a reality that this is a calling that is shared by everyone. The reality is that all human life is fragile. It all hangs by a thread. Sometimes all our threads will be frayed. We all have times when we need help from others. There are always others at any time who need our help. That is one aspect of being part of a caring community. In our world where so many people are isolated and suspicious of others, it is a way we should all try to live.
We also take so much of all that we have around us for granted. When a friend called the ambulance, it arrived at the Rectory very quickly. It was fully equipped and staffed by two trained paramedics. I have visited parts of the world where this simply would not have been the reality. You may recall a Harvest for the Hungry campaign some years ago where we raised money to send the discarded old ambulances from Broomfield to Bulgaria. When I was in rural Uganda the ambulances were bicycles with a long flat area on the front on which to lay the patients. No other equipment and no drugs. When I arrived at Broomfield I was treated with professionalism, care and compassion by all the staff. They had the equipment and drugs that they needed. When I visited a hospital in a Palestinian area of Israel there were lines of people waiting to see a small number of dedicated but very over-worked doctors and surgeons, most of whom were European or American volunteers. The room at Broomfield was consistently cleaned and I was lucky to have an en-suite. I had two three course meals a day from a wide menu. One of my visitors commented, "This would make a nice hotel room Patrick". I know we all pay for the NHS through our taxes, but that does not change the fact that when you have an emergency it is great to have the treatment without giving a thought to the cost. When I tell this to my American friends they just look at me with disbelief. This incident has been a timely reminder to me that we should remember all health-care professionals and support workers regularly in our prayers and thank God that men and women feel the call to be engaged in this valuable service to us all.
Patrick Sherring. www.ingatestoneparishchurch.or.uk
We also take so much of all that we have around us for granted. When a friend called the ambulance, it arrived at the Rectory very quickly. It was fully equipped and staffed by two trained paramedics. I have visited parts of the world where this simply would not have been the reality. You may recall a Harvest for the Hungry campaign some years ago where we raised money to send the discarded old ambulances from Broomfield to Bulgaria. When I was in rural Uganda the ambulances were bicycles with a long flat area on the front on which to lay the patients. No other equipment and no drugs. When I arrived at Broomfield I was treated with professionalism, care and compassion by all the staff. They had the equipment and drugs that they needed. When I visited a hospital in a Palestinian area of Israel there were lines of people waiting to see a small number of dedicated but very over-worked doctors and surgeons, most of whom were European or American volunteers. The room at Broomfield was consistently cleaned and I was lucky to have an en-suite. I had two three course meals a day from a wide menu. One of my visitors commented, "This would make a nice hotel room Patrick". I know we all pay for the NHS through our taxes, but that does not change the fact that when you have an emergency it is great to have the treatment without giving a thought to the cost. When I tell this to my American friends they just look at me with disbelief. This incident has been a timely reminder to me that we should remember all health-care professionals and support workers regularly in our prayers and thank God that men and women feel the call to be engaged in this valuable service to us all.
Patrick Sherring. www.ingatestoneparishchurch.or.uk