Chaplaincy Ministry at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan
At the Craig Joint Theatre Hospital, Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Church of God Chaplain Chris Underwood says you never know what might come through the door of the Emergency Room.
By Air Force Chaplain, Captain, Chris Underwood
We receive a variety of patients from all over Afghanistan. Often times we get multiple injuries and it gets pretty intense here. Ministry opportunities abound.
We have had as many as thirteen patients come in at one time with multiple injuries. Going from bed to bed in the ER and spending time counseling and praying with the patients who are working through the trauma of their experiences is a wonderful opportunity to bring the comfort and care of God to their lives. War doesn’t discriminate either. We also have local Afghan children that come in who have been the victims of the conflict and it is sad to see them come in injured and in pain but very rewarding to see them smile when they are able to leave and return to their families.
Chaplain Underwood ministers in Afghanistan.
We recently had a servicemember that came in the hospital who had been hit by an IED and had lost his foot and one of his legs was broken in the blast. He was so grateful that he was not any worse and looked forward to returning home. He asked me if I would pray for him and his family as he journeyed back. After our prayer, he was excited about getting back to his family. Even in the midst of such loss and pain, he encouraged me by his positive outlook.
I often go into the Operating Room to be a representative of God’s presence with the doctors and nurses. I pray for the doctors, nurses, and patients as they perform surgeries. One day I was thinking that doing this was not really helpful but, as I was on my way out of the OR, the head surgeon stopped me and said thank you for coming because it seems peaceful in the room when a chaplain is there because of my presence they are reminded of God’s presence with them. Praise the Lord!
There are also moments that are not quite as intense but most definitely rich and very meaningful. One day I spent some time walking through the ward and visiting and ran into a man that said he was Muslim but wanted me to pray and told me that he also believed in Jesus and prayer and so I prayed that the healing power of God would touch his body in the name of Jesus Christ. He cried and with big tears in his eyes told me thank you so much for praying for him. As I walked to the next bed, I talked with another man that wanted a large print Bible and told me that he had just recently gotten saved. With tears streaming down his face we prayed that God would help him through the illness that brought him to the hospital and return him well to his family.
I could go on and on about all the wonderful ministry opportunities I have had out in this unusual place. My experiences here will always be a part of me but I am looking forward to returning home to my wonderful family and sharing my ministry experiences with others.
