THE VERBATIM

Adventist Medical Centre Valencia City

Chaplain: Jordan E. Castillo Verbatim No.: 1
Supervisor: Clyde Sumatra Visit No.: 2
Venue: Room no. 308 Time: 10:00 am
Date: May 22, 2017 Duration: 15 min

Factual Information:
The Patient’s name is Mr. Edgardo Cambil, and he is 63 years of age, and is admitted to the
Adventist Medical Centre Valencia, for a heart problem, and is three days already in the
hospital. Sir Edgardo’s wife is the watcher. Sir Edgardo Told me that he already started having
heart problems 15 years ago. Sir Edgardo is a very religious person, and I observed that the
census stated he is Roman Catholic, but with our conversation I realized that he is not Roman
Catholic.

Pastoral Plan
To come to know the patient better, and then to show my concern for the patient and through
my presence show the care and mercy that God has for the patient, and when the opportunity
present itself to give comforting words and counsels on his spiritual needs.

Observations:
When we entered the room I saw that the watcher was sitting on couch next to the patient’s
bed, and I also saw that the patient had a dextrose and the patient was lying flat on his back on
the bed. I could see when we introduced ourselves as student chaplains and that we are there
for his spiritual and emotional care, that the patient was really open for conversation and was
grateful for us visiting him.

The Visit:
C1: Good morning sir and ma’am. We are visiting sir again, and I am here again to give our
services as student chaplains and if sir want to talk about any spiritual and emotional issues, we
are here to listen, sir.
P1: Good morning, and thank you for visiting.
C2: Sir, how long have sir been in this hospital now?
P2: How have it been? (Asking his wife)
W1: It has been now three days.
P3: I had heart problems 15 years ago and thought the problem passed, but now I realize I still
have heart problems. And I know we cannot live forever here on earth. God said in the Bible
that man will live three score and ten years. And I am already 63 years old.
C3: Yes sir the Bible says if we reach 70 years we already have a full life and after that is blessed
years.
P4: I know this heart problem is because of my lifestyle before, drinking too much wine and
eating the wrong foods, you know, the party foods. And it is not God who is to be blamed for
my illness, but it is the consequences of my choices.
C4: That is true sir, God wants the best for us, but he also is a gracious and merciful God, who
does not hold our past against us.
P5: I also know we are just passing through this earthly life,
C5: Sir we are just pilgrims in this earth. But when Jesus comes he will save us from all this
struggles in this world.
P6: Yes, but if I die, it will be only up to Jesus if I will be saved or not. (With uncertainty is his
eyes).
C6: But sir you must remember that we serve a Merciful God, who does not look at our past if
He has forgiven us. And if we have a good relationship with Jesus Christ then we have assurance
of salvation, and it is also never too late to turn to Jesus.
P8: Yes I feel like I am like the prodigal son, who came back to his father, but maybe it is too
late.
2C1: Sir remember the prodigal son came back and even though he loosed all he had, his father
still accepted him back
C7: Yes and remember his father did not just allow him back, he gave him the best garment to
wear, the same with God our Father, He also accept us back, and it is never too late, even there
is people who came back I the last minute of this earth, he can be saved.
P7: My religion is not so much different from yours. We also keep Sabbath, and we are very
much the same, the only difference is that we keep the feasts, the seven feasts of the Old
Testament.
W2: All our children went to Adventist Schools and Colleges.
C8: What is the reason for Ma’am to send your children to Adventist Schools and Colleges?
W3: For we know that Adventist Schools give good Christian education and we trust their
schools more.
P8: That is also why I come to the Adventist Hospital, because I know they worship the same
God as I do, and I trust their doctors, for they are more caring and I know they work for my
God. I do not trust the other doctors, for I do not know their religion. And I know the Adventists
believe as I do. For we also keep the Sabbath and do not eat unclean meat as the Bible said.
C9: Yes sir, it is better if we know the doctor and the hospital is Christian and believe as we do,
it give us better assurance that God uses them for our wellbeing.
P9: That is why I come to this hospital. But I am ready if I will not live any longer, and I do not
want to live forever in this world, because this world is wicked, and I know Satan is still working
in this world. And know it is up to Jesus if I would be saved.
C10: Sir can we offer again a prayer today?
P10: Yes, thank you.
C11: Do sir have any special prayer request, that I can pray for?
P11: Yes, pray that if it is in God’s will that he will let me live a little longer.
C12: Thank you, sir that we could have had a great conversation with sir, and may God bless
you and give you quick recovery .
P12: Thank you very much.

Analysis:
My analysis is that the patient feels that his life is at the end stages, and that although he says
he is ready to depart into the grave, he still has some doubts about the assurance of salvation.
The Patient is a sincere Christian, and is converted from out of the world and his young reckless
life, and he has the guilt of his past bad lifestyle. The patient has a very supportive wife, and
they both love Adventists very much, and have faith in our Church’s services and schools.

The Patient:
As I said the patient is a sincere Christian, who seeks to follow God, He has a heart problem
which makes him anxious about the future, and thinks he does not have much longer to live.
And he is preparing himself for the worst. The patient was very diligent in speaking English so
that I could understand, and could see he needed someone to talk to.

Theological Concerns:
The Theological concerns is that the patient is not assured about his salvation in the case he
would not live much longer. And also the fact that he says he is keeping Sabbath and the feasts,
let me think he has a connection with the Adventist Church, and he did mention that they are
friends with Pastor Dumpasan and his wife. Thus maybe he has the Adventist truth but followed
some other group who keeps the Old Testament Feasts. The Concern about Salvation we did
address, to give patient hope of the Assurance of Salvation.

Psychological Concerns:
Psychological concerns might be the anxiousness about the future which can make the patient
depressed or stressed.

Sociological Concerns:
I could not see much of sociological concerns because the patient was very talkative and open,
but it can be an indicator that he needed someone to talk about his concern about salvation,
which he maybe could not directly share with his wife and family. And the concern that he does
feel he does not have much longer to live because of the Heart problem that returned after 15
years.

THE CHAPLAIN:
I had this feeling of “I hope I presented to the patient well, the assurance of Salvation”, but
after our conversation and prayer I felt better, because the patient showed relieve, and
thankfulness. I am still very nervous entering the rooms, because we do not know what will be
waiting for us.

PASTORAL OPPORTUNITIES:
The Pastoral opportunities, is on the Assurance of salvation, and patient is open for discussing
the Bible and truths in the Bible. And the patient’s high regard of Adventists will make pastoral
care easier. Also I think there is a opportunity to talk about the feast keeping issue, because
patient is open for discussion.

THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION:
My personal reflection as a theologian, I can see that patient’s that are close to their end of
their life, can sometimes open up about their Theological concerns, and can seek for deeper
truths, and the patient in such time seek also for assurance of salvation, they reflect on their
lives, and feel guilty before God, and this brings doubt about their salvation. Thus if patient is
open to speak, assurance can be given and bring patient to a restored relationship with God
and their Savior Jesus Christ.