Nurse Ellie

by melissa bradshaw

When Ellie was young, she loved animals. She often said that when she grew up, she wanted to be a veterinarian—an animal doctor. Whether birds, squirrels, or tiny bunnies, whenever she found an injured animal she did everything she could to nurse it back to health.

As Ellie prepared to graduate from high school, it was time to choose a career. Although she had always dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, she wasn’t sure that that’s what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Instead, she decided to become a nurse and care for people.

While she was in nursing school, Ellie worked as a nurse technician at a local hospital. Caring for patients gave her valuable hands-on experience and helped prepare her for her future career.

After graduating and passing her state exams, Ellie officially became a registered nurse. She loved caring for her patients.

When Ellie was little, her parents often read missionary stories to her and her brother—stories that quietly planted a seed in her heart. Ellie decided that after finishing her education, she would spend a year serving as a missionary nurse in Africa.

With three and a half years of nursing experience, Ellie packed her bags and was ready for a new adventure. She had never lived so far from home, but after much prayer she believed God was leading her. She trusted that He would help her make a difference.

Life in Africa was very different. The water from the sink often ran brown. She washed her clothes by hand in a bucket and never knew when the electricity might go out. At the hospital she cared for patients with cuts, burns, bedsores, and even injuries from a hippo attack! Through every challenge, Ellie experienced God’s presence and knew He was helping her serve others with love.

Near the end of her year in Africa, God gave Ellie an unexpected surprise. A mother cat had hidden her kittens in the hospital’s linen closet. Since someone needed to care for them, Ellie gladly took them in until they were old enough to care for themselves. After spending a year caring for people, God gave her the joyful opportunity to care for animals once again.

The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart . . . and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5, 6). Psalm 37:4 tells us, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

Ellie trusted God to lead in her life, even when His plans were different from her own. In the end God used her to bless many people and even gave her the joy of caring for helpless kittens. 

When we trust God and follow where He leads, He will use our gifts in ways we could never imagine.

See the kittens Nurse ellie looked after in kenya!

Visit this link to see the kittens!

This article is provided by My Place with Jesus, a ministry of It is Written, a Christian media ministry based in Chattanooga, Tennessee that has been proclaiming the message of God’s love since 1956. Check out more fun and games on the My Place with Jesus website!