“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the
Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11(ESV)
God bless you. My name is Anderlisa Gotay, and I am privileged to say that I serve as a Chaplain for The United States Chaplain Organization, Inc., I am currently volunteering at Staten Island University Hospital, in Staten Island, New York. I sensed the call to become a Chaplain early on in my walk with the Lord, about 20 or so years ago. Prior to accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior, my father passed away and on his deathbed accepted Jesus as his Savior while being ministered to by a chaplain from the hospital. I wanted to help others in a similar situation yet could not see how that would be possible. BUT God! He always had a plan for my life and when the opportunity presented itself to become a Chaplain I did not hesitate to respond with a resounding, “YES LORD!”
When I began doing the work of a chaplain I’d serve where the need was, pantry, counseling, and assist another USCO Chaplain in officiating a funeral. My heart, however, was/is to serve Jesus and to bring life and hope to those who are sick in body and are dealing with health issues, and may be confined to a hospital and are alone. Chaplaincy made it possible for me to volunteer at SIUH and I have never felt such a fulfillment in my life, outside of receiving my Lord, Jesus Christ.
During the past six months, serving weekly as a volunteer Chaplain, has placed me in a position to meet a lot of people, both staff and patients. While meeting and working alongside a wonderful staff, I am driven to the patients who are in need. So many people hurt physically, which affects them emotionally, and most importantly, spiritually.
One woman in particular that I met, for the sake of confidentiality, I will call Michelle, had been hit by a car while on her way to “to do something bad,” as she put it. She felt embarrassed to say she was going to get high. Getting hit by the car did not stop her, although hurt and left alone, she continued on her way to “do something bad.” After doing what she set out to do with a friend, the friend dropped her off at the hospital and left her there all alone. She did not know how long she had been in the hospital but she figured 2-3 days.
Upon entering her room and seeing her, she tried to fix her hair and straighten out her gown. But she could not hide the pain I saw in her eyes. She looked overwhelmed. After introducing myself to her and simply telling her that I came to check on her and see how she was feeling, I can not tell you how her countenance changed. She was in pain but hearing her speak I could tell she once had a relationship with the Lord. The more she spoke, the more she smiled and slowly changed.
Michelle kept saying how grateful she was, and how wrong that accident could have gone. She continued to stare at me and say, “you look familiar, will you come back tomorrow?” I asked if she wanted prayer and she immediately said “please, yes.” The first thing she wanted prayer for was her relationship with her daughter, or better yet to have a relationship with her daughter. I held her hand and we prayed for quite some time. It took a while for her to let go of my hand, it was as if she wanted me to stay. The presence of God was there! I hope to see Michelle again, but I know the Lord ministered to her and I will continue to pray for her and all of the other “Michelle’s” and “Joseph’s” I meet as a volunteer Chaplain. Only the Lord made this possible and he did so by way of Chaplaincy!
Being a Chaplain has opened my eyes to some heartfelt and intense realizations; the world is filled with people suffering, hurting, and feeling hopeless(I know I was one of them and so was my father); aware that pain causes us to be vulnerable and need someone, someone to listen to us, someone to cry with us, someone to do for us when we cannot do for ourselves, and no one, absolutely no one is exempt from any of that.
Every Christian is called to the ministry of healing in one way or another. Do you have time to listen?