WHAT'S A CHAPLAIN DO WHEN HE GETS A HORRIBLE PAIN IN HIS ABDOMEN?
GET TO THE HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!
However, I was at the Dairy Queen in Cedar Rapids at the time, with my brother, his wife, and one of their friends, and I had to take them home first. Then I went to my mother's home in Iowa City because I needed to clean two bird feeders and fill three more. Mom is 86 and has considerable pain from her osteoporosis in her back. As a result, watching the birds are a big past time for her.
After all of that, I went home, told my wife about my pain which, by then, had persisted for an hour or two. We called the emergency room. I prayed all the way to the hospital, grateful that I was not in need of an ambulance. I remember wondering, "What in the world is wrong inside my abdomen?"
The ER doctor made an exam, ordered a CAT scan, and contacted the surgeon on call. A blockage was discovered.
My wife called Pastor Timothy Zimmermann who came to my room and was there when the diagnosis was delivered. The surgeon was more serious than I expected. A surgical team was called in; it was a Sunday evening. But they did not take long and I was off to surgery.
The procedure went more quickly than expected, only an hour. Everything started working the way it should.
Thank the Lord! That horrible pain was gone! Of course, now I had some new pains, healing pains: staples to adorn my abdomen, and an incision that cried "I did not want to be cut in the first place, now I have to work to put this muscle and skin tissue back together again." I had the usual tube in my nose and down my throat. Some of you know what that is like.
I will spare you the details about the post-op recovery: Thank the Lord for nurses! I was really feeling miserable, my stomach was upset and my throat was sore from the tube. Being nauseated never has been a great feeling for anyone. On top of it all, I got a headache from all the stress! Some of you reading this might be thinking, "A chaplain under stress in a hospital?" Being sick is no fun for anyone.
Well, thanks be to our gracious God for healing power! For soon I was getting stronger and feeling grateful for all of the prayers of fellow chaplains, my circuit counselor, and my own Pastor Tim Zimmermann. I was humbled by the out-pouring of blessing of care from my sisters and brothers in Christ, and from our congregation. The Lord got my body back to working so I could go home, but not back to work right away.
During my recovery, I learned that Thrivent Financial for Lutherans wants to help the Iowa District East Chaplaincy Endowment Fund. They will give $1,000 if we raise $3,000. Sounds like a good blessing to me, and hopefully to most of you as well. The fund is now over $ 250,000 and someday, when it gets over $500,000, it may support our half time Deaconess/chaplain, or someday, when it gets over $ 1,000,000, it will support a full time chaplain at University Hospitals. As the amount in the fund gets bigger, the earnings will also be used to support our half time chaplain at Fort Madison.
And there are other chaplaincy ministries that could be funded in our district too, especially in our larger cities with many of our Lord'Â’s people in long term care facilities who never see a minister during the course of a year. Now you know why some people are including this fund in their estate planning.
You, your congregation, or any group may send your gifts to: Walt Prem, Financial Director, Johnson Co. Chapter Thrivent for Lutherans, 227 Windsor Drive, Iowa City, Iowa 52245. PLEASE MAKE out your checks to Thrivent For Lutherans. PLEASE put on the memo line of the check: IDE Chaplaincy Endowment Fund.
Now, the good Lord willing, by the time you read this, I will be back to visiting patients at University Hospitals in Iowa City. Thank you for your prayers for our Savior’s Kingdom work in our District. Thank you for supporting our Pastors, chaplains, teachers, principals, and all of our lay leaders. Thank you for supporting all of the volunteers who make up out Lord's Kingdom come right where you are, as well as around the world. We thank our gracious God for loving us and for His only Son who suffered and died for our sins so that we might live and serve Him with the gifts He has given us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
