Students for International Mission Service (SIMS)

As medical students, Ryan Lapour and I took the opportunity to serve, as well as learn about medicine in India. We spent a month at the Shimla Sanitarium & Hospital of Seventh-day Adventists. In and around the hospital, it was the people that impacted me more than anything.

Right away I could sense the presence of God. Every morning the hospital staff had worship together. They were also active in church services, especially Dr. Jacob. This man is the pillar of the hospital. He not only serves as hospital administrator and ophthalmologist, but also as church leader. He taught us about the eye, encouraged us to be doctors for the Lord, and went to great lengths to make us feel at home.

Other hospital staff helped us feel welcome and cared for. When I got sick, the nurses came to visit my room often. They even opened their homes and cooked authentic Indian food for us. Our nurse friends showed us around Shimla and the expansive outdoor mall.

One evening, on the way back from the mall, an older woman had trouble crossing a narrow path. Heavy rainfall had eroded it, leaving a ravine with only a metal rail to hold onto. We noticed that the woman was quite scared, so we helped her across. This woman was so grateful that she joined us on our walk back, talking to us and holding our hands. It was amazing how this incident gave us an opportunity to show God in action.

I also had opportunities to reflect Jesus in the operation theatre. It really impressed me how the nurses would pray for the patients immediately prior to surgery. I had the privilege of praying for some of them. On one occasion, I offered my hand to a patient during a minor eye surgery. I felt privileged that the Lord used me to help this woman.

“When youth serve overseas, their lives are impacted by what they observe. They learn to appreciate what they have instead of complaining for more. When they return they are never the same.” Baraka Muganda World youth director, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

I wish I could have comforted more patients prior to surgery with words of encouragement, but the language barrier proved to be a hindrance. One morning an older man with a turban came in for cataract surgery. I wanted to do something, but all I could do was smile and sit next to him in silence, before he went into surgery.

Every time I saw him after that, both he and his wife greeted me with kindness and a smile. One day, the wife invited Ryan and I to come over to their home. She explained to us that her family members could speak English. I was touched that she invited us and wanted to speak Hindi so that I could thank her myself. I had an assistant translate in Hindi that I really appreciated their kindness. Before we left the hospital, I had to take a picture with them (shown here). I will never forget the kindness and generosity shown to me through the people of India.

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