Chapter 47 - A Tribute to Our Doctor

“A good name is rather to be chosen than great

riches, and loving favour rather than silver and
gold.”

—Proverbs 22:1

Let me tell you about our wonderful doctor

who is now retired but in good health. When
I was a young boy and fell from a tree, our nextdoor
neighbor took me to see Dr. Stalling. He did
not waste any time but immediately took me into
the examining room and stitched up my split leg. He
did a marvelous job, and to this day, you can barely
see the scars. That man worked what I considered
magic as a youngster.
    Dr. Stalling was always quick, to the point, and
always right with his diagnosis. He always prescribed
the right medications and told you exactly
how to take them. From the first time I met Dr.
Stalling, I admired him. I felt there was more to this
man than that of being a doctor. He did his remarkable
work with love and care for each one of his
patients.
    As I grew older, I continued to use Dr. Stalling
as my personal doctor; and after I was married, he
became my family’s physician. In 1978 I trusted
Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour, and my family
and I headed for Bible school at Tennessee Temple
University. Dr. Stalling was still our personal physician,
though.
     When we became missionaries, he changed
the way he charged for his services to us. We discovered
this new arrangement when Linda wrote
a check in payment for services received when
she visited him one day. About two days later the
check was returned to us in the mail. I thought there
was a mistake, I stopped by the doctor’s office to
inquire about it. His receptionist told me that Dr.
Stalling had said there was no charge and to send
the check back to me. What a blessing—this was
truly “un-Belizeable.”
    Sometime later I needed to see the good doctor.
He was as friendly as usual. He asked how things
were going in our missionary work, and I told him
that it was going well. I then discovered that Dr.
Stalling was a Christian and loved the Lord. I knew
then that was what I had sensed about him when he
had stitched up my leg as a young boy.
    This man, whom the Lord had blessed to become
a doctor, loved the Lord very much. After our chat
and his examination, he gave me a prescription; I
headed to the receptionist to pay for the office visit.
     She said there was no charge. Since the day
when he did not charge Linda, Dr. Stalling has never
charged us a penny for his services.
     Dr. Stalling is retired now, but we still consider
him our personal physician. We praise the Lord for
a man of God who has been both a great doctor and
a great blessing to us for many years.

(Copyright by Jay B Ayers)