THE 4TH SUNDAY IN THE LENT

THE HEALING OF A SICK BOY. Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up ( Mark 9:27).

 "I simply took an old man to the bathroom".  In 1967, Doug Nichols was a Christian American missionary in India.  When he contracted tuberculosis, he was sent to a sanitarium to recuperate. While he was hospitalized, Doug tried unsuccessfully to reach some of the patients, but his efforts were met with rebuffs. When he offered tracts or Gospele of John, he was politely refused. Unable to sleep because of his raspy cough, early one morning Dough noticed and old man trying to sit on the edge of the bed, but because of weakness, he would fall back.  Early the next morning, the scene was repeated. Then later in  the morning, the stench that began to permeate the ward certified the obvious: The old man had been unsuccessfully trying to get up and go to the toilet. The nurses were extremely agitated and angry because they had to clean up the mess. One of the nurses even slapped the old man in her anger. The man, terribly embarrassed, just curled up into a ball and wept. 

The next morning - about 2:00 am - Doug noticed the old man was again trying to generate enough strength to get himself out of bed. Dough got out of bed, went over to where the old man was, put one arm under his head and neck, the other under his legs, and gently carried him to the toilet. When he  had finished, Doug carried him back to his bed.  The old man, speaking in a language Doug didn't understand, thanked him profusely and then... gently kissed him on the cheek. Doug drifted off to an uneasy sleep. In the morning, he awakened to a steaming cup of tea served to him by another patient who spoke no English. He made motions indicating that he wanted one of Doug's tracts. Throughout the day people came to him asking for the gospel booklets. This included the nurses, the hospital interns, the doctors, until everyone in the hospital had a tract, booklet, or Gospel of John.

"I simply took an old man to the bathroom. Anyone could have done that" said Doug.  Until people know that you care about them personally, they will never be very interested in your faith! (Doug Nichols)

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