If you've read my previous posts you know that I have been volunteering in a hospital here, mostly in the maternity wards. One day we also visited people in the "burned victims section"
As I am a religion major and am interested in the role religion plays in the lives of people around the world, I have been trying to find a way to incorporate religion into my study abroad experience. I am not taking and religion classes here, because it is not normal to study "religion" especially religion in general in Argentina. And my host-family is not religious, so I don't really get to experience and first-hand accounts of religion and culture in Argentina.
However, last thursday while I was volunteering at the hospital, and we were making our rounds offering amenities and hopeful words to patients, I realized that I am seeing religion work right in front of me.
As I explained in an earlier post, the volunteer group I am a part of is religious - evangelical I believe- and a lot of our time is spent simply talking to patients. It is difficult for me to talk for several reasons. First of all there is the language barrier; although my spanish has improved immensely, I don't know medical terms and have a hard time starting a conversation with a depressed patient. Second of all, although I was brought up Christian and study religion academically, this doesn't mean I am necessarily going to go around preaching to patients. So, most of the time when I am not offering something like shampoo, soap, or yerba mate, I am observing and listening.
I watch as Anita (the elderly lady who seems to be in charge and volunteers at the same time I do) gets the patient to open up, maybe explain why they are their or what problems they're having. Almost always these patients, whom are mostly women because we spend our time in maternity, are not able to smile and are obviously in need of any fraction of hope they can get. Anita begins preaching and explaining that whatever suffering they are going through, as hard as it may be, is part of their life plan created by God. I remember distinctly of her talking with a woman who had lost 2 babies and was told she was about to lose the 3rd. I can't always follow exactly what she is talking about, however I watched the patient's expression as it changed from a nearly crying one, to a more relaxed one with eyes that looked understanding and possibly even hopefully. I have seen this transformation with many patients from a simple reminder about God and that suffering does not last for ever. I feel as if I can see these women putting their situation in perspective inside their heads as Anita helps soothe them.
Anita is speaking from her love of God and, in turn, she is able to help these women, if even a little bit, through their seamlessly hopeless situations. This is exactly what religion can do for people. It gives them something to live for, insight as to why things happen to them, and hope that things will get better. Religion is what drives Anita to serve other people and attempt to share with them what she has found in her life; in turn, religion and faith in God serves to put patients' suffering in perspective and give them something to believe in when they have nothing else.
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