A LIFE LESSON FROM A DYING WOMAN

During my undergraduate days,

I usually go for evangelism on Saturdays

I mostly do indoor evangelism i.e within my hostel building; by visiting neighboring rooms and other rooms in my hostel.

Then one particular week, after a programme in church, our pastor urged us to go for outdoor outreach

So for that week's saturday outreach,I decided to visit a hospital .

The hospital I wanted to visit happens to be near my church.

So that saturday, after getting ready to go for the outreach, I decided to branch to church first to pray before going to the hospital since it was close to the hospital.

I got to church and Just as I finished praying and was about to head out for the hospital, an inner voice told me "Go to Nnewi"

"Nnewi" was a different city far from the city where I was

Go to Nnewi and do what...I wondered to Myself

It seemed I didn't hear clearly, I heard the voice again this time loud and clear saying "Go to Nnewi teaching hospital"

So, instead of the nearby hospital I planned on visiting the voice came sounding harder that I should instead go to a hospital at the Nnewi called "Nnewi teaching hospital"

I started struggling within myself about what I heard,

Firstly because my bank account balance wasn't quite smiling, I was very low on Cash

Infact going to nnewi mean't I have to withdraw the last money in my bank account for transport fare and I didn't really plan to do that as I have already budgeted how I will manage that money till I get my next student allowance.

So I ignored the voice and kept a strong head like Jonah and the fish and continued heading towards the hospital I Initially planned to go.

But I lost peace of mind…all I was now hearing is "go to nnewi teaching hospital"

Finally, I dragged myself to a Nearby ATM ,withdrew my last card and started heading to a motor park where I can get a bus heading to Nnewi.

I have never been to the Nnewi teaching hospital before then…

so I searched through my contact and called a friend who was studying nursing over there and she gave me direction on how to come.?

I entered Bus, not even sure of my movement again…

It was as If I was on remote control cos I still don't get what I am going to Nnewi teaching hospital to do…If it has to do with visiting the sick, have hospitals finished in the city where I am?

When I got to where the friend of mine asked me to stop, I called her she came and picked me up and after we exchanged pleasantries she took me inside the Nnewi teaching hospital.

Since she was more conversant with the environment, I was following her lead.

So she first took me to a very big female ward.

When I entered the ward, all the beds there were occupied with sick people.

I can't quite remember the number of beds there but It should be up to 20 beds.

I stood there, and gave a quick glance on all the people there not too sure on what to do next...

And that same voice that made me come to Nnewi said to me "Not here"

Well, since I followed the voice to Nnewi that I never planned coming to...I should as well take further instructions from the voice.

So, I told my freind my friend to take me to another ward ...she did.

When we got to the second ward it was also as big as the other one filled with sick people and that voice said to me again "Not here"

I told my friend to take me to another ward...at this point, she was getting perplexed and she asked me whats wrong.

I couldn't even answer cos its wasn't clear to me either, I was just obeying the voice.

Well, she finally took to the third ward and when we got there the voice said to me again "Not here"

I didn't even know how to tell my friend to take me to another ward... we will now look like we were doing a parade in the hospital.

So I just decided to speak with a sick woman whose bed was at the entrance of the ward where we stood.

I chatted with her, shared God's word with her and we prayed together. Her mood got a lot better and lively after all that but I still felt burdened within my heart and the voice said to me "you haven't done what I brought you here for"

I still asked my friend to take me to another ward...she said to me that there was no other ward to go to that the doctors are currently on strike, so these are the functioning wards for now.??

I didn't know what to do at this point, there was no ward to visit again and the voice that brought me here is saying "mission has not been completed"

I was a bit confused,I quitely prayed within.

Well, since there was no ward to visit again, I told my friend Let's start going.

As we were leaving, Just as we are about getting to the exit gate of the hospital, I saw a building by the corner with bold inscription of " EMERGENCY"

Immediately, my spirit was drawn towards there...I turned to my friend and asked her "How about this building,lets check it".

She said "that's the emergency  ward, Doctors are on strike , so there can't be anyone there."

I still pleaded with her that we check out the Emergency building.

She said that she can't go with me, that she has some other things to do and is already short of time.

I wanted to leave with her but my spirit was strongly drawn towards that building.

So she left and I walked towards the building alone.

When I got there, there was a security man by the entrance of the door.

I greeted him and made to enter the building...He told me that there is no one there. 

But my spirit was still strongly drawn towards there...so I told the man  "please allow me to enter and check"

And he said "Hmmm, okay you can go and confirm yourself since you think I am lying"

I thanked him and walked into the building and went upstairs where the wards are.

When I got upstairs,  I slowly walked down the walkway

I checked the first ward, there was nobody there

I checked the second,no one there…

At this point I  felt that there was actually no one here like my friend and the security man already said.

So I turned to start going downstairs 

As I turned to start going, I suddenly heard a faint voice down the hallway like someone screaming.

I turned back and followed the sound and suddenly got to a ward at down the hallway where the sound was coming from.

I entered the ward and saw a woman rolling on the floor and wailing

Immediately I saw her and how she was aggressively rolling in the flour, I thought she was a mad woman.

I quickly left the ward and looked at the inscription on the entrance door again to be sure I wasn't in a  psychiatric ward.

When I saw it wasn't a psychiatric ward, I re-entered the ward and walked towards the woman. 

As I walked towards her, the voice that had been giving me instructions said to me "she is the reason I brought you to Nnewi"

As I got closer to her, I listened closely to what she was wailing about...It happened that she was singing a song of lamentation  while praying and  calling upon the name  of the Lord for help in a shattered and broken spirit.

She was the only one in the ward, she didn't even notice my presence there.

I got close to her where she was on the floor, I bent over and tapped her, she raised her head and looked at me.

When I saw her face...I staggered back a bit at what I saw. She looked so frail, like one who will die in the next one minute. 

Still in shock , all I could mutter was "God has heard your prayer, He sent me to you"

I had her sit back on the bed, all I saw there was stale bread that already had fungi on it and then some few belonging of hers. 

I went out and got some food for her to ear first.

When she finished eating she shared her story of how she was brought to the hospital some  months ago and since then her health has been deteriorating and getting worst.

And then the doctors went on strike and no one has been attending to her anymore as she has outstanding hospital bills to pay and her husband that has been managing to come and see her suddenly stopped coming for a while.

And she has been there all alone with nothing to eat, just surviving on that stale bread that had fungi which I saw earlier...

In her words "I felt all forgotten and left to die..."

I quitely listened to her story with deep remorse.

When she was done, I could only say the words that God was putting in my mouth and this were the exact words "God has heard your cry, within the next 7 days , your health will be restored, someone will come and clear your bills and you will be out of this hospital. "

Those weren't my words it was God speaking…I myself didn't even know how it was going to happen either. 

It was my last cash I used in coming to the hospital and I am just a student so I definitely didn't have the money for her hospital bills.

But we both prayed together for Gods word to come to Pass.

I dropped my contact with her and left the hospital and started heading back to Awka city were I school.

The burden in my heart got lifted, my peace of mind got restored and I smiled all through my journey back to my city.

This all happened on a Saturday.

 The upper week tuesday, exactly 3 days after the hospital visit. I got a call from that woman.

When she called her voice sounded much stronger than it was on saturday and with a breath of happiness she said  to me "join me thank God,he kept to his words.

 I am all okay now, I have been discharged from the hospital and I am about leaving the hospital right now as I am speaking to you "

And I asked her about the hospital bills and she said 

"A long distance relative whom I haven't spoken to in years suddenly showed up in the hospital this morning and paid all the bills and even gave me extra cash to hold on to"

On hearing her testimony ,I dropped some tears.

This God is too good.

The voice I was hearing, was God's spirit directing me to her

This happened since 2015, this is 2022…

Its been 7 years now and since then till date, I have never been to that hospital again, that Saturday was my first and last time of visiting "Nnewi teaching hospital" till date.

The truth is that I never had any single plans of going that hospital on that faithful saturday.

And when God said I should go there, I almost didn't want to go.

But my spirit and mind got so troubled that I had to go.

And even after I got there I almost missed meeting her because I was told that there was no patient in the building where she was in.

God broke all protocols and  even made someone like me that is a total stranger to her restless just to  send His word and help to her, all  because of a heart felt prayer from a broken woman.

Indeed when we Pray weird things happen.

God is still in the business of answering prayers

Pray without ceasing

Protect your prayer life

Prayer is the master key!

@ Faith Ezennaya ?

#UnashamedofthegospelofChrist

#Mytruelifeexperience