The coronavirus pandemic has ravaged Italy with more than 80,000 infected and 8,510 deaths due to the virus. But amid all this gloom and doom, there are stories of hope emerging like quarantined Italian residents singing from their homes and atheists turning to faith in God.
Dr. Julian Urban, from Italy realized needed God’s help with the COVID-19 pandemic hitting his country hard. A Facebook post by Jim McCarthy, shared a powerful testimony from a doctor forwarded by his friend from Italy.
It says, that the 38-year-old medical doctor is serving in a hospital in Lombardy, Italy. Dr. Julian spoke abut the situation inside the hospital while fighting against COVID-19. “Never in my darkest nightmares did I imagine that I would see and experience what has been going on in Italy in our hospital the past three weeks. The nightmare flows, and the river gets bigger and bigger.”
He speaks about how a few patients suddenly turned into hundreds. “Now, we are no longer doctors, but sorters who decide who should live and who should be sent home to die, though all these patients paid Italian health taxes throughout their lives.”
In this unlikely situation inside the hospital, some doctors have come to know God. Dr. Julian narrated, “Until two weeks ago, my colleagues and I were atheists. It was normal because we are doctors. We learned that science excludes the presence of God.”
He spoke about how he used to mock his parents going to church in the past. And how that all changed after meeting a pastor who was admitted to the hospital. “Nine days ago, a 75-year-old pastor was admitted into the hospital. He was a kind man. He had serious breathing problems,” recounted Dr. Julian.
“He had a Bible with him and impressed us by how he read it to the dying as he held their hand. We, doctors, were all tired, discouraged, psychologically, and physically finished. When we had time, we listened to him. We have reached our limits. We can do no more. People are dying every day. We are exhausted. We have two colleagues who have died and others that have been infected.”
Then he and his colleagues realized, “We needed to start asking God for help.” He testified, “When we talk to each other, we cannot believe that, though we were once fierce atheists, we are now daily in search of peace, asking the Lord to help us continue so that we can take care of the sick.”
Dr. Julian, said that the 75-year-old pastor died. He said, “Despite having had over 120 deaths here in 3 weeks, we were not destroyed. He [the pastor] had managed, despite his condition and our difficulties, to bring us a PEACE that we no longer had hoped to find. The pastor went to the Lord, and soon we will follow him if matters continue like this.”
But even with the threat to their lives, Dr. Julian said he was thankful because he found God again. “I haven’t been home for 6 days. I don’t know when I ate last,” he said. And realized his “worthlessness on this earth” and wants to use his last breath helping others.
“I am happy to have RETURNED with God while I am surrounded by the suffering and death of my fellow men.”
What a powerful testimony by an atheist doctor after finding his faith back in the midst of death. Let us keep him and all the medical staff in Italy and around the world in our prayers. God is using this situation to bring many of His lost sons and daughters back to Him. Amen!
