“I’m miserable. It would be better if I was dead.”
Samuel Soong recalls encountering residents at MWS Nursing Home – Yew Tee expressing such distress. Faced with chronic health conditions coupled with loneliness, some of them grapple with a deep sense of hopelessness.
“Some residents are frustrated with life because they are beset by health issues and loneliness. I have ministered to stroke survivors who cry and question their prolonged suffering. Many don’t have family visiting them, so they feel lonely,” shared Samuel.
For a year now, the 54-year-old business analyst has been ministering to residents at the Nursing Home in his role as a pastoral care volunteer.
A member of Faith Methodist Church, Samuel began volunteering with Methodist Welfare Services (MWS) as he wanted to go further in serving God. “I have a burden for the sick and the elderly who are dying but do not yet know God. Engaging in chaplaincy work allows me to provide care and comfort to those in need,” he said.
“Most residents are elderly, but I encountered a young man who was there because he had brain damage, and was unable to talk or feed himself. I was moved with compassion to pray for him at his bedside. I’ve also met residents whose health declined over the years, rendering them bedridden. I feel a calling to minister to and pray for them,” he said.
