Treasures in Heaven
Annette Williams, Togo
I do not know precisely what all our heavenly treasures will be when we arrive in heaven, but I’m confident that one of the treasures waiting for us will be the people for whom we’ve been sign posts and messengers of the good news that Jesus loves us and wants us to spend eternity with Him. Matthew 6:20 tells us, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” These are a few of the testimonies of our Togolese nursing students who are faithfully seeking and using the opportunities God gives them to tell their patients the good news of salvation—laying up treasure in heaven.
Béatrice: “It was a Thursday when I was working with a patient who had had a caesarian section to deliver twins and one of the twins had died. I talked with her, saying that God knows this happened, and if we give our lives to Jesus Christ, we can have confidence in Him that when we die, we will go to be with Him—the most important thing of all. She told me which church she attended and that she knew that Jesus gives us life. I told her that truly Jesus is the life, the way, and the truth, and we cannot see God without Jesus (John 14:6). Her words and manner of speaking showed me that she knew something about God but had not confessed Jesus as her Savior. When I asked her how we can receive salvation through Jesus, she could not answer. I explained God’s plan of salvation for her, and she seemed to understand. She told me she would think about what I had told her and was open to having one of the hospital chaplains visit and talk with her more.”
Ablam: “When I was doing the complete assessment of my patient, I noticed that she was wearing a colored ring on her finger. I asked her what the ring meant. She replied that it was protection against bad things that could happen to her. I told her about a witch doctor that I had known who offered protection from many things, even death, by making sacrifices to his idols. But he went to bed one night and died in his sleep never to wake again. I told her that idols, sacrifices, and talismans like her ring could not protect her or give her life. Only God can give eternal life and protect those who belong to Him. I read several verses to her: Romans 3:23 and Romans 5:1, and showed her that it is our sin that separates us from God and that we must confess our sin and accept what Jesus has done on the cross. We talked about Hebrews 9:22—that only a blood sacrifice can take away sin and that Jesus had poured out His own blood for us. She understood this because she was familiar with the animal blood sacrifice for the idols. She wanted to think about what I had said, but her mother, who was with her, accepted Jesus’ sacrifice and received salvation.”
Pyato: “During my time of practice at the hospital, I had a young man with a diagnosis of amoebic dysentery. As I completed my assessment of his health needs, I finished with one last question, asking him if he knew Jesus Christ. He said he did, but when I asked how, he gave me a response that was not according to what the Bible teaches about salvation. I explained how the Bible tells us we can know Jesus. When I finished, he asked me what he needed to do so Jesus could be his Savior. I explained Romans 10:9, and we prayed together for his salvation. I encouraged him to read and study the Bible because it is God’s Word and will teach us what we need to know. I continue to pray for him.”
It is so exciting to teach and mentor these nursing students—training God’s servants for His glory! The nursing program is much like a giant, three-year discipleship program! The students are taught critical thinking, assessment of patients, and nursing skills. They are supervised weekly in the hospital as they care for patients and their families. In addition, the students are responsible to document areas which are important in the training of Christian Togolese nurses such as: demonstration of a servant’s heart, compassion, biblical communication, and application of biblical principles to life. Multiple times each trimester, the students document progress in each of these areas.
God has been faithful to bring us through the fall trimester. It was a heavy academic load for the students as they studied the nervous, endocrine, and renal systems. They also completed a full schedule of general practice in the hospital, plus special assignments in obstetrics and in the vaccination clinic. It’s exciting to see them grow in all four of our central goals: godly living, critical thinking, compassionate care, and Biblical communication.
The new trimester began January 7. The ten students are studying the musculoskeletal system, skin and burns, and community health. Each trimester, we study and memorize Scripture on one of the fruits of the spirit from Galatians 6:22. This trimester, we are studying how the fruit of faith is expressed in our lives. Please pray that these students will continue to be bold in their faith and lay up treasures in heaven as they apply to their lives what they are learning in classroom.
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