Siloam Mission

I was taught another lesson working on the frontlines of Siloam Mission this month.

Early this year, our health centre paid for medication for a patient who was struggling mentally. Although we usually don’t do that, he was in such bad shape medically that I felt it was the only thing we could do.

The medication was expensive at $100.00 a month, but he promised to pay for it whenever he got some money.

A few weeks went by. He said he just didn’t have the money but he would keep his word. I had lost all hope of seeing that money, so we wrote it off.

At the end of July I found out that he had been on his way to see me but had been mugged and all his money was stolen. He was crying when he came to see me, promising that he would pay us but the mugging had taken a toll on him.

Fortunately after this time, he began receiving some social assistance for his medications so he didn’t have to worry about them being paid for.

It’s been a few months since then. Today, he asked to see me privately. He handed me the money he had so carefully saved.

I couldn’t help but notice that there was no money left in his wallet after he paid us, but to him a promise was a promise.

He was so grateful that we had taken care of him all this time he just wanted to fulfill a promise he made.

I ask myself when was the last time I was willing to fulfill a promise at any cost?

-Vicki Olatundun is the manager of Siloam Mission’s Saul Sair Health Centre