Frail health led Janice Eisaman to pray for a new ministry. She now visits hospitalized patients as a volunteer chaplain, praying for Jesus’ healing and grace to overshadow them.

During Eisaman’s seven-month hospitalization in 2000, she remembers hearing a chaplain’s prayer for her while in the intensive care unit. She also remembers the love she felt from a nurse who always ended her shift by saying, “It’s been a privilege to serve you.”

Blessed by the dedication of many physicians, and the caring nursing staff at both Adventist Hinsdale and Adventist La Grange Memorial hospitals, Eisaman recovered and developed an amazing empathy for others who are hospitalized. As a result of the healing ministry she experienced, she found herself praying for a new ministry and found it as a volunteer chaplain at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital.

Eisaman notes, “Prayers and listening are vital to someone experiencing a health crisis. They are in turmoil waiting their prognosis. Whether they are in the hospital for one night or longer, they struggle to cope with being there.

“I had many fears and was frustrated about lying in bed so long. I felt I could relate to other patients in a ministry because I could identify with what they were experiencing,” says Eisaman, who eventually enrolled in a volunteer chaplaincy program offered by Adventist Midwest Health. After training and shadowing full-time chaplains Eisaman now volunteers weekly, visiting up to 15 patients on her rounds.

When the 4-foot, 7-inch Eisaman enters a patient’s room, she introduces herself as a member of the chaplaincy staff and chats with the patient about whatever is important to them. “It’s a listening ministry, but I offer to pray about their concerns and remind them the chaplains will continue to pray for them.

“I want to tell others there is hope. I was not supposed to live, but here I am. Throughout my experiences, I saw the hand of God moving. I never questioned His sovereignty. God places us in situations for a reason—to help others.

“I want to be the extension of Christ’s hands here on Earth. I prayed for the Lord to show me what He wanted me to do, and the answer was to extend His love to others.”

Being a volunteer chaplain is very rewarding, explains Eisaman, but she notes the experience starts with prayer the week before she comes for visits. “Jesus was in constant contact with the Father to release His power. I pray for His wisdom, His power, and for the patients to feel His love when I pray with them.

"Some patients have family and friends or a member of their own clergy who will visit them in the hospital, but they still appreciate a visit from a hospital chaplain," says Eisaman. Yet, she also has a heart for those who experience hospitalization without the comfort of other visitors. “I like to take their hands and pray for Jesus to overshadow them with His grace and healing.”

Lynn Larson, Adventist Midwest Health Lake Union Herald correspondent