Always be ready

Our primary focus is to minister to the spiritual needs of those around us. Yet there are times when God asks us to care for physical needs as well. This was the case a few weeks ago.

The day began as any other Sunday does; we went to IPCA to attend the English service. Afterward, we stayed a bit to talk with friends. When Joe headed out the door briefly, a friend rushed to Yvonne and asked for Joe. Ahmad had just called to say Pari needed our help immediately; he feared she was dying!

We tracked Joe down, and after everyone made several phone calls to Pari, it was determined that she was in need of immediate help as a result of carbon monoxide inhalation in her home. Since all this happened on Sunday, our friends Safi and Bagher were also still at IPCA. The 3 of them got into our van and drove to Pari's house.

God answered prayer as the last thing Pari was able to do was open the door for the 3 men. They found her lying in front of the door. After carrying her to the van, they rushed her to the nearest hospital. On the way they did their best keep her awake (yes, Pari reports that she remembers when Bagher slapped her in the face when she became particularly sleepy, but she forgives him!)

Upon their arrival, they were dismayed to discover that the hospital was out of oxygen. What?!? The life-giving, simple treatment of oxygen was unavailable there. They had to take her by ambulance to an army hospital where she received the oxygen for about 6 hours and was released...sort of.

You'd think the story might end there, with our praising God that He spared Pari's life. Among other things, He kept Pari from taking a shower at 3 in the morning as she intended (the carbon monoxide poisoning resulted in her failing to open the kitchen window when she used the system to heat her water for the shower). Rather, the incident took place when the 3 men were in once place and could come to her aid soon after receiving the news.

But as we mentioned, she went to an army hospital. This is not a place you want to be when you are not in your assigned city. So she and Ahmad, whom she had called in the first place when she thought that her problem was merely inhaling too much steam from her shower, were escorted straight to the police station for questioning. Ahmad had come to the hospital out of his great concern for his friend and now found himself a very scary place as well. They spent the night in the police station and eventually found themselves facing the emniyet officials who oversee the foreigners in this country.

I'm sure a very nervous Pari sat in front of the official as he began to question her. "Why are you here? Is it because of your faith?" When Pari responded that it was one of the reasons, the next question followed, "And why did you choose to believe????" Pari had a ready answer for this question and was able to share her testimony.

In the end, she and Ahmad were released and allowed to remain in this city.

We were struck by this reminder: always be ready. The first hospital was not equipped to help Pari at the time. Yet Pari was equipped to offer life-giving help, by means of sharing her testimony, to an emniyet official. May we be ready "to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence." 1 Pet 3:15b