| Author | Message | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 420 Registered: 3-2004 |
On this forum I have told you how God has provided a full time income, while working part time. Well in the past week, my home health case load has dwindled and I had no patients to see 3 days last week and one yesterday. I have not been called by the hospital to do PRN work either, so my paycheck will look kind of skimpy. I prayed about my job and looked through that Sundays (August 1)want ads. On Monday, 2 August, I applied for a job at a local hospital. I went in for the interview on Thursday and was interviewed by 5 people, a speech therapist-the director, a PT, 2 OTs and a COTA. I just received a phone call from the director, today, and they have offered me the job for more than what I asked. It took God about a week to get me this job. So you can see why I want to shout for the rooftops how AWESOME God is. I had asked for prayers somewhere on the forum. When God answers prayers He answers in such awesome ways. He is always awesome. Diana | ||
| Vchowdhury1 Registered user Username: Vchowdhury1 Post Number: 10 Registered: 7-2004 |
PRAISE GOD for answering your prayer. I know that he is an awsome God!!! He promised that his people will NEVER have to beg for bread. Praise God again, and again. I can't even begin to tell you about all the miracles he has worked in my life including delivering me and my child from the brink of death. He is TRULY worthy to be praised!! Amen. | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 541 Registered: 12-2003 |
Praise God! Great is His faithfulness Colleen | ||
| Susan_2 Registered user Username: Susan_2 Post Number: 823 Registered: 11-2002 |
That is wonderful. I hope you are in a good working environment. | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 421 Registered: 3-2004 |
The working environment with Home Health is very nice. They do not want to lose me. So far the working environment looks to be good at the hospital. The therapists working there are all in their late thirties and forties and the COTA will be retiring. It is an older group who are settled. God knows what I need and I am sure I will like it. Then I will have money to work on the business I want to open. God is so good and so awesome. Diana | ||
| Ladylittle Registered user Username: Ladylittle Post Number: 41 Registered: 4-2004 |
So glad things are working out for you! | ||
| Pw Registered user Username: Pw Post Number: 101 Registered: 6-2004 |
So glad all went well. God always pulls us through...and it's usually at the last minute. I posted this question on another thread but it seems appropiate here in case you don't see it. What are Adventist hospitals like? I think I'd be a little nervous being treated by these people if I ever ended up in one (heaven forbid). Has anyone ever needed medical attention through their services? I was just wondering if they push their dogma on patients. | ||
| Dd Registered user Username: Dd Post Number: 60 Registered: 7-2004 |
PW, After I graduated from WWC 20 years ago, I worked at Loma Linda for 10 years on one of their ICU's. Of course, at that time I was one of those SDA's who was SDA but didn't go to church, had pierced ears, thoughts the religion was a joke but still knew deep down it was "truth"... That was the time in my life when I was first on my own. I was a "real" adult in the "real" world, making my own "real" money and living in a "real" house (apartment complex!). It was my first experience being around non-SDA's who were Christians. I remember being amazed at this one girl who was my age, single and the a youth leader in her church. She would bring her Bible with her and when she had her work done (ICU nurses only have one or two patients and have to stay with their patients so are unable to really walk around and help their co-workers) I would see her in "her room" reading her Bible! It was mind-boggling for my young mind... Anyway...this is to tell you that I felt at the time that there was very little SDA dogma. Saturday's were definitely different but I do not know if that is because of where I was at the time or if non-SDA's can sense it, too. None of my charge nurses were SDA. It was never pushed that we as nurses needed to push any religion or even pray with our patients. The cafeteria did not serve meat but, again, that did not seem strange to me (patients were able to order meat, though I don't know about the "quality" of those meals!). I wonder, though, what non-SDA's think...it's difficult to think from that side because of my strong SDA background. | ||
| Vchowdhury1 Registered user Username: Vchowdhury1 Post Number: 11 Registered: 7-2004 |
Pw, I am very familiar with Loma Linda University Medical Center which is an SDA hospital facility located in Loma Linda, California. The hospital is one of the top medical and research facilities in the country - thanks to U.S. Government funding - (remember the first infant heart transplant surgery? It was done at Loma Linda Medical Center). I'm not sure how hard they try to push their dogma on others today, but I can tell you that a vast amount of their administrators, doctors, researchers, and nurses on their staff (to the contention of conservative SDA's) are NON-SDA. Also, this hospital has been accepting Federal funding for over 30 years, so I guess, they can only push their religious agenda so far. I also know that an SDA minister will come into the hospital rooms and pray for patients only at the patients request. Also, they have SDA literature on magazine racks throughout the facility. When I was attending Loma Linda University (back in my SDA days), I know that this Federal funding issue was a big "thorn" with the SDA church, because they knew that by accepting government funds for research, program, etc, there was a limit on what they can do and say to spread their dogma. But, they decided in the end to take the Federal money. I guess they decided that funding their programs was actually a little more important than "preaching the gospel". Oh well, chaulk it up to yet another inconsistancy. We should be used to it by now. -Valerie | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 428 Registered: 3-2004 |
My Mother was a patient at LLUMC before we took her home to die. My sister told me how one doctor wanted to send Mom home before she was medically ready to go home. This sister's husband is a judge in Riverside. He told my sister to tell the doctor that if our Mom came home and died,I forget the word he used, that they could be in trouble. The doctor was really nasty. My mom was not sent home. My sister wrote a letter of complaint to the hospital medical board. Now, my Mom was SDA, and this was not about pushing dogma, but it is about treatment in general and that was not nice. On the other hand when I go to a patient's house and they find out I graduated from LLU, I hear all kinds of things about how good LLU is. This is from people who are not SDA. EGW's spirit must be turning over when all the money the SDA church takes from the govenment happens. Diana | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 545 Registered: 12-2003 |
Abut 8 years ago my mother-in-law was in ICU at Loma Linda Medical Center. During her stay there, no chaplain visited her in spite of the fact that she wanted one and I requested it at least twice. I realize that may not be usual, but it was odd. I finally called LLU Church (where we were still attending) and asked if one of their pastors would visit. (My MIL is conservative SDA who attends an SDA church a few miles out of town.) The last day she was in ICU, a pastor from our church finally paid her a visit, and, I believe a chaplain did come up that day, but he was Catholic. (!) I can't speak for hospitals in other locations; this is the one I know. But I do know that during my MIL's two hospitalizations and my father's there about two years later, the hospital was distinctly Adventist but not spiritual. They have the cable TV service that broadcasts the local Adventist programming, and church services are available on Sabbath via cable. I also know that there has been a problem (in my eyes!) with the chaplains' department. While they are mostly Adventist, they are so in theology or name only. Most of them don't really know what to say to a family whose loved one has died or is dying. I had a student about three years ago whose dad was a peds neurologist at LLUMC. It was the family's first year at Loma Linda, and they were evangelical Christian. The dad told us one day that he could not understand why he had so much trouble getting responsies from the chaplain's dept. during crises. Once day (I believe it was on a Sabbath) one of his young patients died, and during the last hours he called for a chaplain to come and offer support to the family. By the time an on-call chaplain came about 3-4 hours later, the boy had died, and the doc had prayed with the family and had been spending time with them, comforting them, reading the Bible, and offering spiritual support and hope. He found that his colleagues were not happy with the time he spent thus with his patients. At Christmas he took his daughters and his guitar to the children's hospital and sang carols for some of the patients, and he received subtle but sure repercussions. Now admittedly, I don't have all the details related to this doctor's experiences, bu I do know that his non-Adventism coupled with his strong Christian faith yielded political pressure against him, and he and his family moved to another state. He is not the only Christian, non-SDA doc we know personally who has either moved his practice or moved his family because of the subtle pressure from the Adventists. In fact, we know several. One retired former Adventist physician we know had taken his practice away from LLUMC years ago (while still SDA) and established it at a nearby Catholic hospital which has a great reputation for attentive staff and patient care--as opposed to the short-handedness and impersonal attention of which many people complain at LLUMC. Adventist health care is a business. Those who run it are not in their positions because of their compassion or zeal for evangelism. They are there because of their political clout and/or their ability to make a buck. I know that after my experiences with my dad and my MIL, I've concluded that if one I love is hospitalized, I have to BE THERE. Remember the old adage, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease"? It's true. Praise God that He knows our needs, and the Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we don't even know what to pray! We always have an advocate! Colleen | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 430 Registered: 3-2004 |
Colleen, You brought something else to mind. My Mom was in LLUMC for about 4 weeks. I called, from Virginia, and sent an e-mail to the chaplains department asking that they visit my Mom and no one ever visited her. I know this for sure as one of my family was with her all the time. I am so glad I have family in Riverside. The one sister was the squeaky wheel when Mom was sick. Christian compassion??? It looks to me that is not so. I have concluded, as you have stated so eloquently, that SDA health care is a business. I do PRN work for a local Catholic hospital and see chaplains all the time, visiting patients and praying with them. I went in to treat one patient who had just found out that her husband had been hospitalized at the same hospital. I immediately got a chaplain, who happened to be on the same floor. They, too, are in it for money, but it is run by the Dominican Order and they are very compassionate. Diana | ||
| Pw Registered user Username: Pw Post Number: 104 Registered: 6-2004 |
I remember hearing a lot about the SDA Hospital in Orlando when I lived near there but wasn't quite sure about what actually went on behind the doors. I think all hospitals are really basically a business, so I'm not really surprised about an SDA facility being any different than those run by Presbyterian, Catholic or Baptists. However, when it comes to requesting a chaplain, they seem to really try to avoid any contact with people. My only guess is that what kind of comfort is there in telling someone who's dying that they will just basically cease to exist since they don't believe in a spiritual afterlife. Not very uplifting in hard times. | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 431 Registered: 3-2004 |
Pw, I did not think of that. DUH!!! How can an SDA pastor bring comfort to any one if all they can tell them is that they will cease to exist?? I was very comfortable with that 2 years ago when my Mom died. It was the way I was raised. Thank God I know different now. Diana | ||
| Susan_2 Registered user Username: Susan_2 Post Number: 828 Registered: 11-2002 |
My child was extremely ill. I had taken him to emergency twice during the past several days, each time being told he had a bad case of flu, to take him home, push fluids and then take him to his regular pedeactric doctor. I had him at home with me. He was at this time around a year and eight months old. Then as I was watching him because he was so ill that even though it was very late in the night I did not want to go to sleep, I saw the colored part of his eyes roll behind him and he went into convulsions. I immediatelly bundled him up and drove him to the St. Helena SDA Medical Center. There was no emergency room physician on duty. There was a bitty of a nurse who came and checked out my baby. She told me to give him Tylenol for the fever (104+ F.), keep cool damp cloths on him and to take him home and get ahold of the doctor the next day. I believe it was the Holy Spirit speeking to me because I got up a courage that I'd never before had and I told the nurse, "Iam not leaving here with my baby. I know if I do he will die." This is truly the very first time in my life that I was assertive and made a stand for what I knew was right. I insisted that the nurse get ahold of my childs doctor. She told me she knew the doctor personally, that he was such a good man, a very hard working man and that it was very selfish of me to insist that he be called out because my boy was a little ill. I told her I would not leave the hospital and they weren't going to make me and I knew I had a legal right to have a doctor see my son. She called my doctor who lived way over in Calastoga. He came. He took ONE LOOK at my son and told that nurse to get my baby hooked up to i.v.'s immediatelly and have him addmitted right then and taken to i.c.u. It turned out that my sweet baby had a very suvere case of spinal meninjitis. He underwent two spinal taps and was actually hospitalized for six weeks and six days. I ended up having to quit my job after he was released from the San, as it's calleed because he had to learn to crawl and then walk all over again. I had to put him back on the real fine babyfood. He had been talking nicely before his illness but after that ended up in speech therapy until forth grade. Never did a chaplin come see him or me. I did go to the SDA ministers office though at PUC and asked the minister to go annoint my son and pray over him. When the minister found put I was shcaked up with my boyfriend (we larer did marry) he told me he would not go pray over my son. Something about the sins of the parents causing innickity onto their children and all he wanted to do was talk about my sinfullness, not give me even one word of comfort or kind words or prayer for my baby. I had already phoned Oakland Children's Hospital in Oakland, Ca. to ask if a transfer was possible but my babys fever broke the next day so I left him in the San. This is my only experience with a SDA hospital and it will be my last. When I was doing my hospital training for the LVN program I did it at St. Agnes Medical Center in Fresno, a Catholic hospital. A sister would pop her head into every room every morning and ask if the person wanted prayer or to have the chaplin visit that day. It did not matter the religion of the patient, a sister would make this offer every day to every patient. Not long after this horrendous experience I had with the San my friend went to emergency there in labor to have her baby. The same bitty nurse was on duty. The nurse said to my friend, "When will your husband be here to sign the parers?" etc. My friend told the nurse she was not married and she'd take care of the necessary paperwork herself. The nurse said loud and clear, "Oh, another little bastard being born here". My friend went bezerk and threw the table lamp at the nurse as well as whatever else was within her reach and security had to come in and take charge. My friend was issued a different nurse. I heard after the incident with my friend the San administrators fired that nurse because there had been way too many complaints about her. I had written a very lengthy letter to the San about her and even sent a copy to the conference of the church. It was after this incidence with my son that I wrote letters to the conference and the local sda church telling them if by any chance they had me as a member they'd best remove my name. I had requested my name be removed when I was 17 but then when this happened with my baby I wrote again. Thank-you all on here for letting me tell this true story I had witrh a SDA hospital. The LORD is good. My son grew to be a fine and healthy man. | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 435 Registered: 3-2004 |
Susan_2, That must have been a very frightening experience with your little son. I am glad he is a healthy adult now. As for the nurse and the minister. Well they can go jump in the lake. I almost said something else. We women are like mother bears when it comes to our chilren. I am glad God made us that way. He is good and He is awesome. Diana | ||
| Pw Registered user Username: Pw Post Number: 109 Registered: 6-2004 |
Susan, what a awful experience. I'm glad all turned out well for your son. I'm glad you stood up to that nasty nurse, and even happier that your friend made an even more lasting impression on her! It's no surprise how these SDA people will act like if your are not worthy of prayer then you will not receive it. May I add to Flyinglady's remark about the nurse and minister to go jump in a lake...OF FIRE! | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 436 Registered: 3-2004 |
Pw, You completed the sentence I started. Thanks. I did not know how bigoted SDAs are as I have had an SDA minister and friends pray for non SDA people and they did it gladly. I guess it just depends on how well they know Jesus. Diana | ||
| Susan_2 Registered user Username: Susan_2 Post Number: 831 Registered: 11-2002 |
Jesus said something about visiting the sick and you visited me, being in prison and you visited me, being hungry and you gave me food to eat, etc. I wonder how the SDA ministers, lay members and higher ups interpert that text. At the Lutheran church I attend is a group very involved in prison ministeries. It is not a Lutheran group but is a group of people of numerous Christian churches in the area. It is done truly to share the Good News of Jesus with the incarcerated. I will frequently ask if SDA's are part of these inter-denominational groups. I generally get a "no" answer. The SDA's are very exclusive. They don't even have a desire to mingle with Christians of other persuasions, not even other Sabbath observing Christians. The only SDA I know who is part of a community based Christian organization if one lady who is SDA and is involved in the Christian Women's Organization and she had the gall to tell me that she is only involved with the group so she can wittness the SDA truth to those misguided Christian women, the "rest of the Gosple" to give an exact quote by her. When I asked her what the rest of the Gosple is she said, "the Sabbath and the health message". She told me, and again this is a quote, "all they have is Jesus". It turns my stomach. | ||
| Pw Registered user Username: Pw Post Number: 111 Registered: 6-2004 |
It is so annoying that SDA's think they are some kind of "elite" selection among the Christian community. Of course, groups who claim they have a special insight from the norm usually are the ones you know are not true followers of Christ. | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 440 Registered: 3-2004 |
Pw, I do have to agree with you. As an SDA I felt so superior because I had the "truth". I was very arrogant also. It did not matter that I could not tell anyone what God did for me. I had the truth and that was it. I did not realize I was this way until I dumped EGW and started reading the Bible. I asked one of the former SDA pastors if this was a normal feeling for a person leaving the SDA church and he said it was. So, call it elite, arrogant, or superior. It all boils down to the same thing. Those who are this way are not true followers of Jesus. They think they are better. Diana | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 555 Registered: 12-2003 |
Susan, praise God He gave you the courage to demand medical attention for your son! As Diana often says, I am grateful beyond words for the ways God protected and equipped us even before we really knew Him--but He has called us from the creation of the earth! I have to agree with you both, Pw and Diana. I remember as I got to know Jesus and left the church I realized that I had been very arrogant in my Adventism, even though I was a very 'evangelical" Adventist. I would never have pegged myself as arrogant--yet I realized with great shame how arrogant I was. One of the accusations (for want of a less biting word) I hear occasionally is that I (well, WE on the forum in general) are as guilty of arrogance as the Adventists we accuse because we do not acknowledge that they may be as right as we are--or maybe more right. I agee; I am vulnerable to arrogance. It is so easy to sound harsh and "opinionated". Yet I know that true Christianity as described in the Bible is quite specific. Adding to the Scriptures, making God in our image, honoring a modern-day prophet who added to the "requirements" for salvation--these things are wrong according to the Bible. There's no good way to declare something is WRONG without sounding opinionated or arrogant to those who disagree. I agree that we need to love those who disagree with us, but love does not demand that we dilute the truth. I think the thing that makes our "arrogance" seem even more biting now is that we are talking not as people observing Adventism from the outside. Rather, we are talking as people who have been completely immersed in the deception. We KNOW what it's like to be Adventist and to think Adventist and to live Adventist. And we now KNOW the amazing reality of loving and being loved by Jesus. Knowing Jesus is still something that astonishes me. I still feel surprised adn blessed beyond belief that I actually feel love for Him--and experience His love! All those years I knew I should love Him, but I had no idea how to generate any heart response. Praise God for calling us to Himself! Colleen | ||
| Cindy Registered user Username: Cindy Post Number: 640 Registered: 7-2000 |
I've often heard the same thing concerning generic Christians--that all they have is Jesus... I now feel much sadness when I hear from Adventists about their "evangelism". Just this week I was sent more EGW writings on "the coming conflict" (Sabbath/Sunday issues) and was told to please read it; as "you must have forgotten" this was going to take place. I feel Ellen White words (absolute nonsense relating to Martin Luthers' not having all the light to be given--as in the Sabbath truth--) actually had a demonic anti-Christ power over me for the hour that I tried to plod thru the magazine. My husband finally suggested I quite reading it and throw it in the trash. It was the best thing to do! I was very tired physically anyway and was getting quite depressed readng all those cleverly-disguised-with-spirituality type lies. I too am amazed that I have a very real love for God. I'm so grateful that all I need, in actuality, is Jesus! Simplifying my belief down to Him really brings me out to a spacious resting place where my identity is in Christ. The security of who I am in Christ is the best place to be. grace always, cindy | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 562 Registered: 12-2003 |
Cindy, you always express the core of reality so well. I so relate to your statement, "The security of who I am in Christ is the best place to be"! Colleen | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 443 Registered: 3-2004 |
Any time I go to an SDA web site and read what they have on there I get this creepy feeling in me. It is kind of hard to describe, so as of now I am not going to any of them any more. That feeling is very uncomfortable. That is not where God wants me at this time. There is nothing there for me. So I lurk around here, read the archives and write something occasionally. I also go to the other former SDA web sites. Thanks for being here. Diana | ||
| Flyinglady Registered user Username: Flyinglady Post Number: 449 Registered: 3-2004 |
To update you on my new job. I start August 23. Praise God. He is AWESOME Diana | ||
| Pw Registered user Username: Pw Post Number: 113 Registered: 6-2004 |
When I was in the SDA, I used to look upon those "Sunday keepers" in such a negative way, especially if I saw them after their Sunday services going to a restaurant or a mall. I would think that they had no idea what a real sabbath was and how blind they are to be doing these activities on what they thought was a holy day. It's true, SDA church will put a spirit of arrogance on you. I'm so glad to be one of "them" now. |
