“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ ~ Matthew 25:37-40
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I opened one of the exam rooms immediately and thought of applying a tourniquet right away even before assessing the wound. 2 LVN's came rushing to help me prepare some gauzes and other things I needed. It felt like we were doing an emergency surgery. And I was the one leading this procedure.
"Lord, help me and guide me..." I softly prayed.
Trying to be calm, I motioned the inmate and had him sit on a chair close to a table where it was already prepared with materials I needed. Explaining everything as my hands started working, I made a make-shift tourniquet out of one of the "stockinette dressings" [a tubular kind of dressing] and made a knot close to the base of his finger.
"Just keep your hand higher," I instructed. After loosening, tightening for several minutes, the bleeding finally stopped and I cleaned the small wound and put special tape that will hold the small laceration together. Applying pressure still, I applied a small dab of antibiotic and covered it with a gauze and some type of pressure tape.
When I got done, I had him get up and wash his hands smeared with his dried up blood. Having an ordinary conversation as if he wasn't even an inmate, he thanked me and uttered a "Good night." The whole night passed by and he never complained. So, the bleeding must have stopped completely by then.
"Thank You Lord," I uttered myself as I thanked the LVN's who came to my rescue immediately without being told.
"You help us, too Rcubes. That's okay," they replied with a smile.
Just one of ordinary moments we do as medical staff inside the prison. This is a dark and evil place where a lot of unexpected things occur. Riots may burst any second. Inmates may fall and sustain different kinds of injuries. Some suicidal ones intentionally hurt themselves.
The first time I started working here and had gone a tremendous change from being an Orthopedic Nurse to a Correctional Nurse, I thought, "God, why are You putting so much pressure on me?"
As I slowly became involved with seeing and treating these inmates, the answer came clearly through those encounters. If I want to be a faithful and obedient disciple for Him, I don't have an option to neglect helping out these inmates, who are both physically sick , much more with their spiritual conditions.
Yes, thousands of them behind bars are making my heart bleed each day that I am there to work. And my heart bleeds as God does put pressure on it, not to make it stop bleeding, but to continue to spill the compassion, kindness, mercy, love and grace He poured into my heart.
Yes, Lord Jesus, May I always be compassionate and merciful like You. Thank You for Your love, grace and mercy on me! There is none like You, Oh Lord, full of love, mercy, and grace. I love You Lord.
THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU
(CHORUS):
THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU
NO ONE ELSE CAN TOUCH MY HEART LIKE YOU DO
I COULD SEARCH FOR ALL ETERNITY LONG, AND FIND THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU(x2)
YOUR MERCY FLOWS LIKE A RIVER WIDE
AND HEALING COMES FROM
YOUR HANDS
SUFFERING CHILDREN ARE SAFE IN YOUR ARMS
THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU
I COULD SEARCH FOR ALL ETERNITY LONG AND FIND
THERE IS NONE
THERE IS NONE
THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU
