7 November 2003

Handshakes at the Heart of Mission

Dear Friends,

A couple of weeks ago, Mahajar Ali, a Muslim man suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis, came to Christian Mission Hospital because he knew he was dying. Although he was too ill to walk, his family had managed to bring him 30 miles from their rural village by bus and rickshaw. His local TB clinic had referred him to us because instead of getting better with standard TB treatment he was getting worse. When I first saw Mr. Ali, I, too, was worried he was going to die. He had had chronic bronchitis before he developed TB, and the added burden of the latter was almost too much for him to bear.

Mr. Ali is one of scores of TB patients who have come to Christian Mission Hospital in the past year for treatment of medical complications related to their disease. The Rajshahi Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Project, managed by the Damien Foundation on behalf of the government of Bangladesh, now refers all of its TB patients with serious complications to Christian Mission Hospital. Through this cooperative relationship, the hospital is able to provide medical care for TB patients from all over the Rajshahi region of Bangladesh.

As the principal medical advisor for the hospital’s TB service, I have the opportunity to care for most of these patients. Some come with hepatitis, others with severe skin rashes, still others with dizziness or gastrointestinal problems—all side effects of the multiple drugs these patients must take for eight months to be cured.

Other patients, like Mr. Ali, suffer from other illnesses that compromise their ability to recover from TB. Virtually all of the patients are malnourished, some profoundly. It is not uncommon for adult patients to weigh less than 70 lbs; some weigh less than 60 lbs. So an integral part of our treatment is aggressive nutritional rehabilitation that gives patients the ability to overcome the debilitating effects of tuberculosis.

Besides providing nutritional rehabilitation and other treatments that TB patients need, we do our best to give them another essential ingredient of medical care—personal support. Suffering from the chronic, debilitating effects of tuberculosis, these patients suffer in their hearts as well. They doubt they will ever recover from their disease and once again be able to work and support their families. One of my goals as their physician is to help them regain hope for their lives. I try to let them know in some way that I am not just their doctor, but their friend as well. My experience has shown me that one who cares from the heart can sow the seeds of hope. One way I try to do this is simply by shaking hands; it is a gesture that indicates that I am with them during their illness and that I value their friendship, too. Ministry from the heart is a fundamental task of Christian mission.

After three days of doing all I could for Mr. Ali, my own hope for his survival was almost gone. Even after receiving the strongest medicines in the highest possible doses, he could not breathe in enough air to stay alive. Since he was too ill to shake my hand, I just squeezed his to let him know that I was still with him. During that night, he turned the corner and began to breath more easily. He has continued to improve, and both he and his family have expressed their deep gratitude for the care he has received. I know they will bring that sentiment back to their village in rural Rajshahi, so that their neighbors know, too, about the friendship they encountered at Christian Mission Hospital.

At a time when fundamentalist religious leaders describe a holy war fueled by hatred and fear and waged with bullets and bombs, God calls us to follow the fundamental Christian teaching of love.

In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he encourages us to put on the armor of God. Now, we must put on the armor of God’s love—the belt of friendship, the breastplate of understanding, the shield of reconciliation, the helmet of forgiveness, and the sword of peace. God calls us to service, to proclaim the power of that love in Jesus Christ, the hope of the world. We thank all of you for supporting us in our own efforts to follow that calling in Bangladesh.

Yours,

Les Morgan

The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 159