- Syntax error, malformed JSON
[{"id":2734,"order":0,"imagePath":"https://admin.ezystream.com/static/images/article/8a801f80-8960-4bf2-9ac8-1f0070716378.png","type":"image","content":"https://admin.ezystream.com/static/images/article/8a801f80-8960-4bf2-9ac8-1f0070716378.png"},{"id":2735,"order":1,"contentText":"

As I walked home the other evening, I bumped into a couple walking with their five-month-old baby. The last time I saw them together was in a hospital room, immediately after the baby was born. Sally, the childu2019s mother, had experienced a blood clot, and things were tense. When I arrived at the hospital, there were a few people in the room:

  • Sally, lying on the bed, who communicates using sign language
  • her mum, who knows sign language and English
  • a hospital intern, who uses the local language, but neither English nor sign
  • a number of others who use sign
  • and me.

The intern walked into the room and, in the local language, asked me a very specific medical question. u201cWait! Am I translating?u201d I asked myself. u201cIu2019m only here to provide emotional support.u201d But, of all those in the room, I was the only one the intern could talk to, so she started addressing her questions to me. 

I turned to Sallyu2019s mum and repeated the question in English. She turned to her daughter, lying on the bed, and asked the question in sign language. Seeing her daughteru2019s response, she replied to me in English, and I replied to the intern in the local language. The intern asked a second question, more obscure and technical than the first. We repeated the process, and so the interview progressed.

It was getting late as we walked home from the hospital. I turned to Sallyu2019s mum and said u201cItu2019s remarkable really, over the past few weeks I happened to be memorising an enormous collection of vocabulary in the local language for medical treatments, anatomy, and medical conditions... now I understand why! God just has a way of arranging things, doesnu2019t he?u201d u201cYes, he does,u201d she replied. u201cAnd in such detail.u201d

From a Tranzsend worker in East Asia

","type":"text"}]

Read More Articles

Register now for Hui ā Māori 2024: ‘no greater time to be unified’ Image
Events
July 1, 2024 | Luke Kaa-Morgan Channel: 2144749

Register now for Hui ā Māori 2024: ‘no greater time to be unified’

A call for Baptist Māori to engage with the significant kōrero coming to Hui ā Māori 2024.

Reflections on the season of Matariki Image
News
June 27, 2024 | Ruth Clarke, James Kaa-Morgan, and Te Rangiaruaru Hema Channel: 2144749

Reflections on the season of Matariki

Three Baptist Māori share what they’ll be doing to acknowledge this season.

Are our social support services making a difference? Image
Articles
June 26, 2024 | Greg Knowles Channel: 2144749

Are our social support services making a difference?

Transactional or transformational support: what services should our local church aim for to empower our communities?

';

Privacy Preference Center