Unforgettable time in
Hengchun
I
lift eyes up to the hills. From where does my help come?
My help comes from the
Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1,2
It’s
God’s
grace that Christian medical work has continued in Hengchun
nearly 50 years already. We know that it advances the spread of
the gospel in southern Taiwan. Many, many patients have
experienced God’s
love there.
I think for instance of a
ca fifty-year-old -lady, who suffered from abdominal pain. She
had worshipped the spirits of ancestors and asked for help in
Buddhists and Taoists temples, but had become even worse. She
had to stay in hospital for several days. In her hopeless
situation she was interested in hearing the gospel and learning
to know Jesus Christ. In the end she was ready to accept Jesus
as her personal Saviour.
After that she started to
attend Sunday services. She memorized Bible stories, but was not
able to read the Bible herself. After half a year this lady was
baptized. Her life was changed. She began to pray fervently for
her family members that they could be saved and took good care
of her father-in-law at home. After some years her father-in-law
became a Christian, too. Then all their idols were taken out to
the field and burnt there.
Once a Taoist priest came
to see a doctor. His diagnose was pneumonia. In the ward he was
angry with every one who tried to tell him the gospel. Chinese
Christian doctors’
and nurses’
prayers and loving attitude touched his heart and changed his
attitude to the gospel. When leaving the hospital he asked me:
”Is there any one here who has time to come and tell me more
about Jesus Christ?”
I am grateful to God for
the years in Taiwan and the opportunity to serve patients with
devoted Taiwanese Christians. May God richly bless the work of
Hengchun Christian Hospital and may His great name be glorified
by it.
“Therefore, we are
ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through
us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He
made Him who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf, that we might
become the righteousness of God in Him.”
2Cor 5:20-21
我要向山舉目。我的幫助從何而來？
我的幫助從造天地的耶和華而來。（詩篇121：1,2）
這是上帝的恩典，恆春基督教醫院傳道醫療事工將近五十年了，我們得知福音的事工仍舊在南台灣進行中。許許多多的患者在那裡經驗到上帝的慈愛。
我想舉一個實例：有一位婦人年約五十歲，她因為腹部的疼痛，她就拜祖先以及去廟宇問菩薩，但是卻每況愈下。當她在恆基住院幾天中。在沒有盼望的情況下，她接受了福音並且認識耶穌基督。最後她邀請耶穌成為她個人的救主。
後來她開始去教會參加主日禮拜，她並不認識字所以無法讀聖經，但她可以記得聖經中的故事，經過了半年之久這位婦人受洗了，她的生命被改變了。從此，她熱心的為著家人得救禱告，並且將家中的公公照顧得無微不至的身體。過了幾年她公公也成為基督徒，之後他們除掉家中的偶像，全家歸主。
還有一次，一位道士生病來看醫生，他被診斷出肺炎。在病房裡他對每一位向他傳福音的人發怒。但基督徒醫師及護士們的禱告及關愛的態度打動他的心，以及改變他對福音的態度。出院時，他問我：「這裡有人有時間可以告訴我更多關於耶穌基督的內容嗎？」
純樸的南台灣鄉親，沒有人不被馬小姐無私的付出而感動的。一次，一名天真的病人異想天開地問她：要上多少次教會做禮拜，才能還她恩情？她笑了。如果真可以用上教會來回報馬立娜拿出來的錢、捐出去的血，只怕再大的教會，都不夠容納要對馬小姐謝恩還債的人。
重視老人問題 心疼外籍新娘
1982年，她經差會安排，轉任屏東基督教醫院服務；也從臨床的護理崗位上退下來，轉而投入公共衛生護理工作；到山地、沿海鄉鎮為小學生作皮膚病篩檢，提供中風、痲瘋、肺結核等慢性病人居家照護服務。
眼看著台灣社會30年來的急速發展，馬立娜早已發現，許多疾病是社會壓力、家庭問題等錯綜因素下的產物；因此，光是醫治人的生理病痛絕不夠，要能醫治他們心靈的傷，才是健康的根本之道。
所以，早在民國七十年代，她即體認到：台灣已步入高齡化社會，老人問題將日益嚴重，她也因此成立了「社區老人中心」，為行動不便的老人辦生活聚會，親自開車帶他們上山賞花、到海邊聽濤，豐富了老人們單調的生活。「老年人不是動物，」馬立娜說，老人家不是養在家裡，給他們吃、給穿就行了；他們需要說話的對象，更需要有人關心。
1996年她重返恆基，注意到當地的菲律賓新娘多了起來，便開始從事外籍新娘輔導工作，教她們台語，幫她們排解婆媳紛爭；遇有夫妻失和，她甚至冒著被打的危險，找上仲介外籍新娘的人蛇，請求他們不要再為了傭金，亂點鴛鴦，以免製造更多社會問題。
曾有一次，恆基急診室收到一名服食安非他命自殺的女孩；馬立娜一得知消息，便趕去看她。但接連兩天裡，女孩對她殷勤的問候，均冷漠以對，到了第三天，女孩��忍不住倒在她懷中，痛哭失聲，訴說她從小父母離異、沒有人關心的遭遇，她甚至從未嘗過被父親擁抱的滋味。年輕的心，早已不相信人間有愛，因而尋短。
這起案例讓馬立娜深深感受到：社會上對愛絕望的人何其多？「我只希望耳朵再利一點，可以聽到更多受苦的聲音。」�����說��
想交棒返鄉 卻放不下台灣鄉親
不��，她這個心願終究無法實現。在外奉獻了30年，馬立娜想趁��身體還硬朗時，回家照顧九十多歲高齡的老母親，因此在1998年退休返鄉。「要我離開，也不是簡單的事啊！」她說，自��早已是半個台灣人，回到芬蘭，反而不習慣了，她實在放不下這裡純��、善良又熱情的鄉親。
從早年被稱呼「馬小姐」，到如今人人口中的「馬阿姨」，30年來，馬立娜撫傷慰痛的手、頂著落山風艱苦���行的腳步，從來不曾猶��；但為了該走該留？卻一度陷入兩難。只是，她心裡很清楚，天下沒有不��的筵席，台灣不再是過去貧窮待援的國度，本土的後繼奉獻者已不乏其人，是該交棒的時候���！
回首前塵，馬立娜將人生最精華的歲月盡付於斯，提起過往種種挫折與犧牲，她卻淡然地說：「不記得了。」曾受她照顧的王老太太忍不住院她：「可惜你讀冊識字，怎麼這些事���忘記了？」
81歲的老人家一臉嚴肅，按著心口、���指著頭：「我可都牢牢��在這裡了。」
其實，何止是王老太太？無數屏東居���都不會忘記，曾有一座北歐來的燈塔，矗立在台灣最南端的醫療孤海裡；24小時守護著他們健康、呼應著他們的需求。雖然馬立娜離開了，�����座燈塔仍將在許多人心中發光，留下溫暖的印記。
