Sep 25, 2017
by George C. Pettit, Jr.
SDB Church of Shiloh, NJ
In May 2016 I went on a weekend vacation to Lambertville, NJ. On the first night there after dinner, I became short of breath and had a hard time walking back to the hotel. We were with some friends and they suggested that I should go to the hospital to get checked out. I did not want to go because we were several hours from home, but decided to go anyway. Once there, they determined that I was having a heart attack. The doctor for my care that night was the head doctor for the heart center for the hospital. They put me in the hospital for the weekend and would do a stent procedure on Monday. I would then be able to go home the following day. Monday came and went — it was determined that the stent would not work in my situation. One week later I had open-heart surgery for two bypasses and a valve replaced. To get the veins for the surgery they had to cut both legs from groin to the ankle because my veins were not in good condition. After surgery, my back was hurting so bad I sat in a chair instead of lying down. They had put 40 pounds of fluid in my body during the surgery and this water went to my legs and feet. The incisions then broke open and began to release the fluid. The pain was more than I could handle. So in the middle of the night, I screamed out that God had left me. The door to my room opened up and a short black nurse with her arms folded in front of her came in and said, “Where is your faith?” She sat next to me on the bed, held my hand and prayed with me until I settled down and felt better. When I turned to thank her, she was gone. Later, my night nurse came in and I asked her the name of the little black nurse that helped me in my time of need. She told me that there were no black nurses on this floor of the facility. I knew then that there were black angels in heaven. This was a very trying time in my life but God saved me for something to do. I pray every day for God to lead me to what He wants meto do. I feel closer to God now than I have ever felt. This proved His love for me. I feel His presence daily. Never give up — He is always there.