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Chaplain Report

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  • Chaplain Report

    Some of you appreciate good news, so here's an example, regarding my fairly new position as EMS Chaplain...


    I was at my church office Saturday night taking a last look at my sermon for Sunday Morning.

    I got a call about 9:30 PM from the Director of the EMS services advising me they had a situation where a young man was threatening to jump off an overpass onto a state highway below. They requested I come to the scene to see if I could talk to him.

    I left immediately, but on the way there, got a callback that they had managed to get him to go with them to the ER of the local hospital. When I received that call, I was literally 500 feet from the ER entrance. I met the ambulance there, and walked in with the paramedics and the subject.

    As they were getting him situated in an exam room, he was quite agitated, and I asked if I could speak with him. They allowed me to go in, so I introduced myself to the young man as the EMS Chaplain, and asked if it would be OK if I just sat and talked with him. He was sitting on the bed, so I just sat down next to him. He was 22 years old, 6'8", 320lbs, and sweating profusely. As I sat down, he reached over and hugged me, and sobbing and crying, asked if I would please pray for him. The prayer just flowed forth - I didn't even have to think what to say - God was evidently at work.

    I had already had some background on him - he had lost his job, his girlfriend, and had a big fight with his parents. He was actually in the car with them, but during the fight, he opened the passenger door and jumped out while the car was still moving, and ran into the woods. He came across some railroad tracks where he stopped, thinking he'd wait for a train, but there were no trains coming. He had been thinking a lot about suicide, and decided this was the time to do it. He told me nobody cared about him, and everybody would be better off if he were dead.

    After praying, he calmed down some, and was wanting to leave the ER, but I encouraged him to "play the game" - allow them to do their thing, and pointed out that even he had mentioned that he was severely dehydrated. They brought a bag of hydration fluid, but he initially refused, until he asked me to check the bag to make sure it wasn't drugs or something. I looked at the bag, and assured him it was just salt water - normal old saline solution for hydration. He allowed them to start the IV.

    He calmed down and became much more coherent, and began telling me more about his problems that drove him to the point of desperation where he wanted to end his life, again, bemoaning that "nobody cares about me". I pointed to the EMS folks who were still standing there, the nurses that were ministering to him, and ME --- there FREE OF CHARGE, to sit with him and help him work through this.

    Then, for whatever reason, I asked him, "do you realize that the EMS crew wasn't even responding to a call about you? That they were simply returning to the station after another call, and just happened to see you straddling the guard rail on the bridge?"

    His face lit up, and he shouted "That's IT!!!! That's AMAZING!" He continued, "I had been thinking about suicide for weeks, but didn't know how to do it, but when I saw that bridge, I knew I could jump off onto the roadway below, timing it so I'd be run over by a truck". Then he got very serious, and said, "but I prayed one last prayer - 'God - if you're out there, you need to stop me right now or I'm ending it all'".

    He said IMMEDEATELY after saying that 'prayer', the EMS ambulance rolled up onto the bridge, stopped, popped all their flashing lights, and the paramedics got out and asked if they could talk to him before he did anything. (That's when dispatch notified the Director, and the Director called me on my cell)

    They convinced him to ride to the hospital, where he and I met, and sat and talked for about an hour and a half. Several times I offered to call his parents - ONLY IF HE WANTED ME TO - but he declined. He talked about trouble with his mother (always referred to her as "mother") and also talked about projects he had worked on with "his Dad" -- always "my Dad".

    I told him - you can disagree with me, but I'm going to tell you something, and you let me know if I'm right. (By this time, we were talking like old friends) I said, "even though you claim nobody cares about you, you REALLY love your Dad". He got all misty, and admitted, "yeah, I guess I do". And, I continued, from what you've told me, your Dad really loves you! Again, he agreed, "yeah, I guess he does!"

    At that point, the nurses wanted him to change clothes into hospital garb - not "the robe" with the open back, but pretty much tyvek pants and a shirt in EXTRA EXTRA large green material that actually fit him quite well. He was very surprised they had something that fit him, and he laughed, and said "I look like the Jolly Green Giant!".

    Then he told me "OK, if you want to, go ahead and call my parents".

    The nurse overheard this, and advised us that his parents were waiting in the ER waiting room, and wanted to see him. (They had called the Police, and "dispatch" told him their son was at the ER)

    When the parents arrived (Dad was 6'4" and "mother" was 6'2"), there seemed to be a brief moment of tension, then a sudden hugging between Dad and Son. I stepped back so as not to interfere with that, and when I saw all the tears of joy and "reunion", I just leaned in to hand Dad my business card, and tell him his Son has my contact info, and if anybody needs anything, they are free to call me.

    Also, during the hour and a half talk, the young man confessed that he knew that Jesus was the Christ, and that he had accepted Christ as his savior when he was younger, but wasn't living for Him. He promised he'd follow up with me, because he wanted to get back on the right path, and promised "If I ever contemplate suicide again - I'll remember how absolutely clearly God slammed that door shut, and it's not an option".





    The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

  • #2
    Our God does wondrous things, His timing is always impeccable, and He is using you greatly, my dear brother!



    And I know this is horribly off topic, but my girly is going to be joining us on the site soon, and you are one of the people that I have been telling her about, and she wants to meet you.

    So you better come back once in a while to say hello and tell us more stories of how our Lord is working His will in the lives of those who serve Him!


    Securely anchored to the Rock amid every storm of trial, testing or tribulation.

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by mossrose View Post
      Our God does wondrous things, His timing is always impeccable, and He is using you greatly, my dear brother!



      And I know this is horribly off topic, but my girly is going to be joining us on the site soon, and you are one of the people that I have been telling her about, and she wants to meet you.

      So you better come back once in a while to say hello and tell us more stories of how our Lord is working His will in the lives of those who serve Him!
      Is the Chaplain Report an area she can access?

      I'm always still in trouble again

      "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
      "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
      "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

      Comment


      • #4
        Seems to be public.
        "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

        "Forgiveness is the way of love." Gary Chapman

        My Personal Blog

        My Novella blog (Current Novella Begins on 7/25/14)

        Quill Sword

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Teallaura View Post
          Seems to be public.
          She's had a special area designed for her

          I'm always still in trouble again

          "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
          "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
          "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

          Comment


          • #6
            Yeah, I think after the SBC annual meeting in June (second week) my schedule will be a lot more flexible ---- I've had WAY too many things going on, and I'm really needing a break.

            I'll just have to stay away from the political battles where the same people keep saying the same things over and over and over, but with more rancor.
            The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
              Is the Chaplain Report an area she can access?
              Yes. She can access the Chapel.


              Securely anchored to the Rock amid every storm of trial, testing or tribulation.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                Yeah, I think after the SBC annual meeting in June (second week) my schedule will be a lot more flexible ---- I've had WAY too many things going on, and I'm really needing a break.

                I'll just have to stay away from the political battles where the same people keep saying the same things over and over and over, but with more rancor.


                I love hearing about how things are going for you.


                Securely anchored to the Rock amid every storm of trial, testing or tribulation.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                  She's had a special area designed for her
                  She's just limited as to where she can go. Civics and several other places are off limits for her right now. But she has access to all the "fellowship and fun" areas, as well as the Chapel and Home Ec, etc.


                  Securely anchored to the Rock amid every storm of trial, testing or tribulation.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Hi CP. Good to know you are OK. I've been wondering about you.

                    Comment


                    • #11


                      I love these stories. They really encourage me. Thanks.


                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Sparko View Post


                        I love these stories. They really encourage me. Thanks.
                        Some things are just too good not to share.
                        The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post

                          Some things are just too good not to share.
                          We need a 9 million story thread from you.

                          I'm always still in trouble again

                          "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                          "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                          "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                            We need a 9 million story thread from you.
                            The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                              She's had a special area designed for her
                              Okay....

                              Ya leave leadership for a decade or two and they change everything....



                              "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

                              "Forgiveness is the way of love." Gary Chapman

                              My Personal Blog

                              My Novella blog (Current Novella Begins on 7/25/14)

                              Quill Sword

                              Comment

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