At around 2012, Rev John Layang was first contacted by the staff of the National Heart Institute (NHI) to comfort a mother whose child was in a critical state at that time. However, her child passed away a few days after that. Subsequently, Rev John got to know that many Sarawakians were receiving treatment in the NHI. That was the start of the Iban Ministry’s visitation programme to the NHI.
Carbella John and Stanley Lee write more on this.
The visitation programme to the National Heart Institute (NHI), Kuala Lumpur was first started in 2012. The programme was conducted to care for the welfare of, and provide guidance to, Sarawakians who were receiving treatment in the NHI. This is because most Sarawakians who receive treatment in the NHI and are not fluent in Bahasa Malaysia, much less in the accent of people in the Peninsula. There are also those who cannot read and did not know about the process of registering in the NHI. As such, one of the pastors from the church of St Mary’s Cathedral, Rev John Layang, together with his wife, Madam Roselina Sumin and Madam Linda Crocker, took the initiative to conduct a voluntary programme to assist in the management of patients who were receiving treatment in the NHI.
Rev John often conducts his visits to the NHI on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, depending on the circumstances. There are those who are generous in giving financial assistance and necessities to this program, such as the choir group of St Mary’s Cathedral and the Sarawak House. The Sarawak House also usually manages the process of sending the body of a deceased Sarawakian back home.
As far as we know, this programme is not an easy task as it can take up a lot of time and energy of a volunteer. However, there is something that encourages people to continue serving in this programme. As it is written in the Bible, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34 – 35).
These verses state that a Christian has received grace from God through Jesus Christ who died for us to free us from the judgment of sin. Since Jesus has shown us His love, we must also share His love with others. These verses provide encouragement to the people serving in this programme. It is not merely for the sake of showing our kindness to others but it is also to glorify the name of Jesus for those who have yet to know Jesus as their Saviour.
The people who are serving in this programme also take the opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to the patients. In the beginning, there was no visible progress, although there were several patients who gradually accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour.
As we know, although the majority of Sarawakians are Christians, many of them are still following the pagan beliefs of their ancestors. Although they know Jesus is Lord, their faith in Jesus is still partial.
While they were in the NHI, they witnessed several miracles that had occurred. There were cases where patients who had no hope of recovery became healthy in the end. Testimonies like this gave them confidence in the power of God. They believe that Jesus does not merely heal diseases but He is the Saviour who saves us from the judgment of sin. Many of them also accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour when they were in the NHI. Subsequently, after their acceptance of Jesus Christ, Rev John contacted pastors who are located near their place of residence in Sarawak for follow-up action.
It is the hope of those who are involved in this programme that more young people will become involved in programmes such as this. This is so that the younger generation can share the Good News with the patients and remind them to pray and stand firm in the faith of Jesus Christ.