July - A Month in the Life of a Seminarian
Philip Mayer
I hope that you're doing well. I can hardly believe how fast the
summer has fled on by. My internship at the hospital as a chaplain is
now over and has been formative for me. God has been hard at work.
When folks ask what I've been learning I usually say, "It's really
helping me to be less of an idiot, ya know?" And its, true! I remember
in particular an emergency room visit with a thin older woman, lying
upon a propped up movable bed with a thin cotton blanket tucked around
her, stopping just above the waist. Her curled thin white hair had
been apparently well styled that morning and set above a slightly
clenched, deeply wrinkled, petite face which matched her small body.
Her skin was pale, though not sickly, but appeared as one who spent
much of her time indoors. A flap of her shirt hung open exposing part
of the right side of her upper chest and revealed a cord that ended in
a circular sensor of some type held firmly to her skin.
I walked in and softly introduced myself as the chaplain while
standing to the left side of her bed, and asked permission to sit down
and visit. The woman went on to tell me about the lung mass that the
doctors had discovered that day and of her fear that she would die the
same horrible death of lung cancer through which she had recently
watched her brother. She said that she wished that she would have
gotten hit by a truck rather than to die in this way. As I sat beside
her bed I felt her pain and fear of the future and with the intention
to help her look at the bright side, I foolishly said, "Maybe the mass
is not cancerous." At which she replied with angry frustration, "Oh,
come on, what do you think it is? I'm not stupid. I know what it is."
I quickly realized that I was attempting to fix her sadness by
offering the "bright side" rather than being with her in this
difficult emotion. Later I remembered the Apostle Paul's writing "weep
with those who weep"(Romans 12:15). The visit went on as she shared
and I listened. At the end of our visit I rested my hand softly on top
of hers and she placed her other hand on top of mine and I prayed that
God would bring comfort to her pain and that He would be with her
throughout this time as long or short as it might be.
Little by little, from each patient I visit, from my fellow interns,
supervisor, and others I have continued to practice and learn how to
truly empathize and listen. This has been a tremendous lesson for me
this summer and has helped not only in my ministry as a chaplain, but
in my friendships and in my marriage.
Friday was my last day of the internship and today, Melissa and I are
going to be driving away from Massachusetts to begin the trek which
will eventually lead us to Wisconsin where I am planning to complete
the last year of my Masters of Divinity degree. It has been somewhat
difficult saying goodbye to the friends that we have made during the
past few years here. Over the past couple of weeks we have been having
dinners and eating ice-cream together with a multiplicity of people in
an attempt to see everyone one last time in order to say goodbye
before we leave.
We are thoroughly looking forward to the next month to relax, visit
family and friends, and reflect on our time in Massachusetts. Melissa
is looking forward to finishing up her last couple of classes on-line,
diving into community life at Nashotah and having some extra time to
pray and discern where God is leading her in her spiritual journey.
She will also be looking for a job over the next few weeks, so please
keep her in your prayers, that God will open doors for good
relationships and a pleasant working environment.
The other day I received news that I'd received a three-thousand
dollar scholarship that I had searched, discovered and applied for a
few months back. Melissa and I were thrilled, since our budget for the
next year is, well, how do you say it, short?...very short? As you
know, schooling will hurriedly run a person's savings down! However,
little by little as he always has, God is providing. The parish with
whom we've been working, commissioned us last Sunday and presented us
with a small check as has my sponsoring parish down in Florida and a
few individuals who have been following our journey. We're also
planning on doing some fundraising and we have always been amazed at
the generosity of the people of God once they know the need. It's a
huge privilege to be in the midst of God's work. Though future is
uncertain, we trust that God will provide.
We are continually amazed from where God has brought us and where he
is leading us to. We are excited to continue on the path he has
prepared for us and are thankful that you have allowed us to share our
journey with you.
Grace and Peace,
Philip and Melissa Mayer