My name is Marion and I have been a volunteer with CHM for over 15 years. My duties as a volunteer mainly involve visiting people who are ill, either at home or in hospital.

 A typical hospital visit involves quite a bit of preparation even before the actual visit. Preparation involves liaising with fellow volunteers to determine availability as visits are normally conducted with a minimum of 2 volunteers and sometimes 3. 

Even though visits are requested either by individuals or their families, we always take the liberty of contacting individuals and/or their families to ensure that they are still willing for us to visit. Upon arrival on the hospital ward, we inform the relevant ward staff of the purpose for our visit after which we then proceed to the clients bedside. 

After formally introducing ourselves to them, we spend some valuable time finding out about them and their current situation. Following this, we ask if we can spend time praying with them, and if they agree we proceed to pray with them. I really enjoy being a volunteer especially conducting hospital visits, as this gives me the opportunity to gain useful knowledge and advice about medical conditions. 

Not only am I able to implement the new-found knowledge in my personal life but I also share it with others to hopefully prevent them from developing certain medical conditions. It is quite humbling when one sees people with a variety of medical conditions as it makes one greatful for ones health.

Some of the challenges that arise include coordinating visits with fellow volunteers, travelling great distances to get to hospitals, finding the hospital or ward and also dealing with situations where family members are resistant to our visits but the patient is willing or vice versa. Whilst the situations mentioned can often be problematic they are quickly forgotten when you see people benefit from our visits and prayers.