From the Pastors Desk

    Archives

    • Jul24Fri

      "A Book Look" - From the PLAINS of Nineveh, By MARANATHA WEEKS

      July 24, 2020 by Jami-Ann St Pierre

      Grateful to Samaritan’s Purse for the opportunity to serve as a front line nurse, Maranatha Weeks departs on January 16, 2017 from the US to arrive at the Emergency Field Hospital in Iraq.  In her own words she states;”God led me to the front lines of a battlefield, unfolding His works within the following narrative, as I emptied my heart, soul, and mind in a bunkhouse- 10 miles outside of the most brutal and evil wars this 26 year old could ever imagine. These following accounts are word for word real-time, written at the moment of the date scripted at the top of each page, and sent home to my family to pray over.”

      Within moments of arriving at the hospital, she witnesses a boy, too young to be exposed to the horrors of war- unable to breathe on his own. He needed to be transported to a hospital three hours away. There is not enough staff to accompany him. Nurse practitioner Kelly says to the father, “You need to breathe for him.” The manual resuscitator is handed to the father. He is shown how to place the bag over the little boy’s delicate face in the ambulance. He will breathe for his son. Kelly says to him “And that‘s what God does for us. God breathes for us. Every breath we have. Its our Father’s breath in our lungs. We cannot do this on our own.”

      January 21 a young man lies in terrible pain. Maranatha and a nurse approach his bed. His frown deepens. She starts to sing over him. The process was painful. He begins to smile. “No doctor…mother.” He said looking up to the nurse wrapping his wounds. “No doctor.” He keeps smiling and repeats “No doctor…mother.”  A brilliant nurse with the knowledge of a doctor, and holding the compassion and care of a mother turned her face away so he could not see her tears.”

      True stories of those living in this war torn place and time are placed alongside people like Maranatha that choose this same place and time to help care for others. In treating victims of war and often having to take cover herself she lives out the truth that there is no fear in love, because God’s perfect love casts out fear. As difficult as it is to read some of these stories you will not want to put this book down for it grants you awareness of how others live in our world.

      Cathy Chapin