Letters From Grandpa #386

LETTERS FROM GRANDPA

• 386

Dearest grandchild,

• Of all things, today’s letter will deal with the unusual subject of “hospitals” and “churches”. First, please consider these charges about hospitals made by Queens University of Charlotte in advertising for students. They state: “It’s a fact: preventable medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the United States”. (Heart disease is
• 1. Cancer is
• 2. Preventable medical errors is
• 3) Their advertisement continues:

•

“According to the journal of Patient Safety, preventable medical mistakes claim 210,000 lives a year. However, errors of omission and diagnostic errors cause that number to rise to 440,000. That’s more than 1,200 deaths a day”.

•

“10,000 serious complications cases resulting from medical errors occur each day”. •

“A medical patient has a ONE IN FOUR chance of experiencing injury, harm, or death when admitted to the hospital”.

•

“In the U.S., more than 2 million people are affected by hospital-acquired infections each year, killing anywhere from 75,000 to 100,000 people”.

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“Adverse Drug Events are injuries resulting from drug-related medical interventions. ADEs affect nearly 5% of hospitalized patients, making them one of the most common types of inpatient errors”.

•

“Though medical errors continue to occur in the U.S., many healthcare workers excel in their jobs every day. Some, such as Clinical Nurse Leaders, exist to help reduce the frequency of these errors. Receiving your Master of Science with a focus in Clinical Nurse Leadership from Queens University of Charlotte can help make a difference in the medical field for setting the standards of excellent patient care”.

In spite of these shocking statistics I am thankful for hospitals!

•

As you know, I had cancer surgery on March 7, 2013. Dr. Alan Buchele successfully removed the cancer along with 24 inches of my colon. Dr. Buchele is an excellent surgeon and also a devout Christian. My brother died of the same type of colon cancer on Feb. 7, 1985.

•

This cancer raised it’s ugly head while I was on a mission trip to Nicaragua. I vomited so much that I was too weak to even walk. Jesse Stone had to push me in a wheel chair for the flight back to America. It is a minor miracle that they allowed me on the airplane.

•

So I am thankful for hospitals. Without a hospital I would be dead!

•

On a lighter side, my good friend Dr. Wayne Bigelow, offered this tongue in cheek prognosis: “You are going to be all right, it don’t take no guts to be a preacher”. Your Uncle John opined that the scar on my stomach would have a negative affect in my swim suit competition. Your cousin Elijah gave me a ball cap with a “semicolon” for a logo.

•

Yes! Mistakes are made in hospitals but common sense compels us to acknowledge that hospitals are basically good and save millions of lives every year.

•

Life expectancy for a man in the U.S. has increased from 46.6 years in 1900 to 78.99 years in 2021. This could not have happened without hospitals!

CHURCHES

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People in churches, like people in hospitals, also make mistakes.

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Inspired men wrote letters to churches to help them correct these mistakes.

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The church at Corinth, for example, had problems with division, immaturity, fornication, marriage, spiritual gifts, the Lord’s Supper, and the resurrection. Jesus, of course, was helping them solve these problems through the church.

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The church is the “Body of Christ” (1 Cor. 12:14-27). What Jesus began to do in His earthly body, the church continues to do as His Spiritual Body.

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It is obvious that both hospitals and churches have people who make mistakes.

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These mistakes are exacerbated by the fact that both hospitals and churches welcome people with problems with the hope of making them well.

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While people in churches and people in hospitals both make mistakes, both churches and hospitals are still necessary and both are still an asset to the community.

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Most people would not want to live in a community without a hospital. Rational people also see the benefit of living in a community that has churches.

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The book of Revelation contains 7 letters to 7 churches. 5 of these churches had serious problems and were told to repent! (Rev. 2:5, 16, 21; 3:3, 19).

•

All 7 of these churches had individuals with problems. God wanted them to be saved and made special promises to those who overcame their problems (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). •

Official government statistics indicate that there were 77,000 protestant churches in S. Korea in 2012. Wikipedia states that there are only 4 churches in the N. Korea. They are “show churches” in the capital of Pyongyang (1 Catholic, 2 Protestant, and 1 Russian Orthodox). These four church buildings were built with foreign money and only foreigners are permitted to attend. Citizens of North Korea are executed for going to church or possessing Bibles. •

Which country would you prefer to live in?

In spite of all it’s problems, Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her (Eph. 5:25). In fact, the church is the Bride of Christ! I also love the church and have dedicated my life to serving others through the church. It is my prayer that every one of you will also love the church and dedicate your life to serving others as a part of the church. Some day soon Jesus will return for His Bride, which is the church! I pray that each and every one of you will be a part of that church!

I love you,

Grandpa Boyce