Boundless Love: Heartwarming Story from an International Student

Note: The following was written by an international student and is published by request of the student and International Student Services.

Boundless Love: From Classroom to the Operating Room
by Yafu Qu

At 10 a.m. on September 17, 2014, I suddenly began to experience a severe stomachache. It continued to worsen until at 2 p.m. I felt so much pain that I could not get up from my seat. I was sweating all over.
Three of my classmates, Jessica, Yumei Cai, and Pastor Jose, saw this unusual behavior and called the campus safety office. When the emergency car came, my classmates helped me into the car and we went to University Medical where I had a blood test and received immediate care. The doctor told me that it was appendicitis and that I needed to be transferred to the hospital for emergency surgery.

I was in so much pain that I could not sit up. The doctor gave me a shot to relieve the pain, and immediately my thoughts became hazy. It was difficult for me to see and understand things. Pastor Jose drove us to the Lakeland Regional Medical Center in St Joseph. However, I was in the United States from China to pursue my MDiv degree at Andrews University and had arrived only a month ago. Now I faced a strange country, a strange hospital, and a strange medical system, but somehow God was giving me a deep inner peace!

One issue is that I did not know my medical insurance number! This is not something I had memorized (do you know yours by memory?), and I had no card with me. At that time, I just thought that I would go through the medical treatment and then go home to take my son to Pathfinders! So I did not call my wife to tell her about my treatment in hospital. The doctor asked for my wife to be informed, and then the treatment could proceed.
The medicine the doctor gave me to dull the pain had made my thoughts slow and hazy so I had to depend on my three classmates. Also, I did not know English very well, and they were very brave to stay with me and help me. They called many people for help, sending out many urgent requests for help. Thankfully, they were able to make contact with my wife and brought her to the hospital.

After two examinations from the doctor, it was already evening, and my classmates had two tests the next day. So they did their homework and reviewed their lessons in the hospital hallways, staying with me until 9 p.m. They would not go back to Andrews due to their concern for my ability to communicate with the hospital staff. They stayed with me for 7 hours. They did not think about themselves, the time, their test scores or any of their other challenges. I am sincerely grateful to Jessica, Yumei Cai, and Pastor Jose for their boundless love.

Two other friends, Xiaoming Xu and Jianming Wei, drove to the hospital to see me at 10 p.m. after receiving my wife's call. That they would take time to drive to see me at that time of night meant a lot to me.

1 John 3:18 commands us to “love, not in words or speech, but in truth and action.” They were fulfilling this command of God in a perfect way.

The next day at 6 a.m.—before the dawn light appeared—Jianming Wei picked up my wife and took her to the hospital, and Xiaoming Xu went to the student insurance services at Andrews University to deal with my medical insurance, got my medical letter from Andrews University, then took it to the hospital. At the same time, she looked after my 4-year-old daughter. 

At noon, the surgery was completed successfully. In the evening, Rowland Liu came to help me return home and made proper arrangements for my rest. After I had arrived at home, Scott Moncrieff, professor of English, and his wife, Lilia, came to see me with fresh flowers and homemade bread, as well as full expressions of good wishes. My heart was warmed greatly.

Through this situation, I experienced and was surrounded by so great a cloud of love by Andrews University. I will remember my kind friends forever. In turn, I would also like to be a channel of God’s love and blessings to those around me and to help others follow Andrews University’s motto: Seek Knowledge, Affirm Faith, Change the World.