THE new “sister” had not worked very long in the district, but it was soon well known that she was what they called “pious.”
It often happened that Sister Elsie, when she had helped her patients and tidied up the room, took out her little Bible, and read a little aloud for them. How often by their bedsides did she kneel down and pray for them. The most of the people in that neighborhood did not like that “pious stuff,” as they called it, and so it came about that although the district-nurse had many friends, she had still more enemies.
Particularly from the half-grown boys she had much trouble. If on her way she came across a troop of them, she was sure to hear a nickname, some slighting remark or mocking.
But Sister Elsie was not timid and went on with her work just as joyously as if she only met with love. For she worked not for herself but for the Lord, and her greatest joy was to speak of the Savior, who came on earth to save sinners.
On a certain day she was going to a patient. Just as she turned the corner of a street she came across a lot of boys that were noisily amusing themselves.
“Hello, there comes the ‘pious’ sister! Say, boys, let us have some fun with her!” cried out one of them.
In a moment Sister Elsie was surrounded by yelling boys, but without taking any notice of anything they said, she tried to continue on her way.
“Come boys, let me pass,” said she calmly, “I must help Mrs. Derksen for a while.”
“O yes, let her pass, she must go,” sneered the boys. “Has she her little Bible with her?”
In the meantime Sister Elsie managed to get through and walked on hurriedly. All at once a stone whizzed past her ears, then another, but the third one reached its goal.
The stone struck her on the back of the head and so violently that she fell down. Some passers-by lifted her up quickly and brought her in an unconscious condition to the hospital. Instead of helping patients, she herself must now be nursed.
It was many days before Sister Elsie was so far restored as to work again. They gave her some light tasks to do in the hospital until she could take up her district again.
Some weeks passed by in this manner, when one afternoon a boy was brought in, that looked in a bad condition. He had climbed on to a large freight wagon, but not being able to keep his balance, he fell heavily on the road. As he was seriously injured they took him to the nearest hospital and as it happened, right into the ward where Elsie worked, who at once recognized him as one of the boys who had spoken so rudely to her. After the doctor had bound his wounds and given directions for his treatment, Sister Elsie took up her task. She nursed him faithfully and affectionately, just as if she had not recognized him.
But one day, when she came to his bedside, he lay with his back turned to her. No matter how she tried to get him to speak, or even to look at her, nothing helped. At last she thought it wiser to let him alone. She had had difficult patients before this and by kind treatment they came round, but one like this she had never met. He would not speak to her one word, and even when she brought him his meals he would cast his eyes down so as not to look at her.
Sister Elsie made it a matter of prayer. Who knows, thought she, but perhaps this fall, and the illness resulting from it, may be the means of bringing the boy to serious thought, and to the Lord.
The following week she had “night duty.” Something that Sister Elsie particularly liked. At night when all was still in the house, one could calmly think and it did not happen often—but now and again one could have a heart to heart talk with a patient.
Then on a quiet night that happened, for which Sister Elsie had so long hoped and prayed.
The boy turned suddenly with an effort. It must have hurt him, as moving was difficult for him.
“Say, sister, why are you always so good to me? You know very well, who I am?”
“Who you are, and what your name is, I don’t know. But I know you by sight, as I have often seen you in my district. But tell me now, why won’t you look at me? Have I done you any harm? Do tell me.” And with her soft, friendly eyes she looked at the boy.
“Do you know why I won’t look at you sister? Every time you help me, I see that ugly mark on your head and....and ... ”
Then all at once the big boy burst in tears: “I threw that stone,” he said, “I did that, and that is the reason I don’t want to look at you.”
“O, John!” said Sister Elsie, and there were tears in her kind eyes too, “don’t look at that mark any longer. That wound is healed. But do you know where you must look now? You must look at the Lord Jesus, who loves you so dearly. He has also been wounded and we helped to do that, John, you and I.”
With wide opened eyes the boy looked at Sister Elsie. How was it possible for her to speak to him so kindly! And Sister Elsie went on telling John how the Lord had been sneered at, mocked, beaten, wounded, and finally brought to the death of the cross, and that even in His dying hour He had prayed for His enemies.
John listened, not only that night, but also the many times afterward when the sister spoke to him of the Savior’s love and slowly he learned to understand that the Lord had gone through all this for himself too, and wished to make him happy for time and for eternity.
Now he sang with all his heart:
“Jesus, the One who left the throne
To save a ruined race,
Thy love and lowliness still shine
Upon that glorious face.”
Sister Elsie still often hears in her district many rude and unkind remarks. They often tease and ridicule her. But in spite of all that she has deep joy in her heart. Laugh on, she thinks, one of you is won for the Lord, and some more will surely follow.
ML-04/25/1920