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I called Pastor Richard Freeman today. Truth be told, I should have called him sooner. There were always other things to do. The call just never got made.
My first conversation with Pastor Freeman had taken place many months ago. The listening ear and encouraging words that Pastor Freeman shared during that conversation were such a gift. I owed him a follow-up conversation.
I had called him early one morning when I learned that a little girl from our church was going to be at his hospital to receive an organ transplant. Actually, I did not make that call to Pastor Freeman. I made that call to the hospital and I told the receptionist that I needed to speak to a chaplain. Pastor Freeman was the voice that answered my call.
My intention was to introduce myself and explain the situation. I told him that this little girl’s family were people of faith and that they would welcome his spiritual and pastoral support. I wanted him to know that there was a church in Knoxville that would be praying for that little girl while she was in the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.
My intention was to explain all that, but I never got past “hello”. The first sound out of my mouth was a sob. Pastor Freeman just listened and said, “Amen.” I am fairly certain that I did not utter a single coherent sentence in the whole conversation, but Pastor Freeman seemed to understand every word.
Later, after the surgery was successfully completed, I was able to visit that little girl during her long days of recovery. During that visit, I met the person who answered my call that morning and who continued to minister to the family. I thanked him then for what he had meant to me that morning and for his continued efforts on behalf of the family. At the time, my thank-you seemed small and insignificant in relation to all that he had done.
I was vividly reminded of my need to call Pastor Freeman a few days ago when I saw that little girl dance. He needed to hear this news.
So I called him again.
I took a minute to reintroduce myself.
“I called you almost two years ago.”
“Yes.”
“There was a little girl who had a five-organ transplant.”
“Yes.”
“That little girl danced at the Community Fair a few days ago.”
“Oh, my…”
It was Pastor Freeman’s turn to cry.
Joy and peace,
Ed
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