Interview with Dr. Sharon Rahilly

Over the past couple of years, I have had the pleasure to meet and partner with Dr. Sharon Rahilly, who is a former LUSON faculty. Sharon is a true joy to visit with when she is n the US on furlough from her work in Togo, West Africa, where she serves as dean of a school of nursing. For years, she has been our partner in Togo to bring healing to the hurting through nursing education. Since the mid-2000s, LU and LUSON have sent students for medical missions and for educational opportunities. Sharon has guided our opportunities there and challenged us to always keep the Lord at the center of what we do!

I had the honor of interviewing Sharon earlier this year. I believe her story will bless you and encourage you to walk with Jesus, wherever He may lead! (Interview conducted by former faculty, Dr. Shanna Akers.)

SA: Since many of our students, alumni, and faculty may not personally know share a little about your time here at LU.
Rahilly: I was hired to teach as a faculty member in Liberty University’s Department of Nursing in the fall of 1987. My first “assignment” was to develop the Medical-Surgical and Critical Care courses and to revise the Pathophysiology course. Actual course teaching started in January 1998 and continued to June 1992. I taught Pathophysiology, Cross-Cultural Nursing (for RN-to-BSN students), Medical-Surgical Nursing, and Critical Care Nursing. During this time, I also had the privilege of co-leading (with Dr. Alan and Linda Rabe and Dr. Richard Lane) a combined team of LU nursing students and health education students to Haiti in the summers of 1990 and 1991. The teams served with a local pastor, doing clinics and health teaching in villages.

SA: Can you share some memories of LUSON?
Rahilly: The best memory of LUSON is reflected in visits/contacts this year in the US. I have visited and communicated with a number of former LU students: meeting a former student and her husband on a pier at San Clemente beach; another at her home overlooking a gorgeous valley in Oregon; another near Atlanta; another whose first question after greeting was, “do you want to go kayaking?”; two others who are on faculty at LUSON. The reason these are my best memories is that I had an opportunity to visit these former students (and communicated with many others), hear their stories since LU, met their husbands and kids, and hear of their love for God and their hearts for others! I can think of no better memory and am reminded of 2 John 4: “I have no greater joy than to hear that ‘my children’ walk in truth.”
The other “best memory of LUSON” is the incredible privilege of working with nursing faculty who were professional, caring, and loads of fun! I had the privilege of being the third faculty member hired for the BSN (“generic”) program at LU (after Linda Miller and Dea Britt) and was given the opportunity to develop the medical/surgical and critical care courses. Little did I know that God would one day ask me to develop those same courses, and many others, in a different language and culture and country!

SA: I have heard stories of the fun faculty and student shared in the early years. And something about “slumber parties”! Alumni from the first few classes start laughing every time I ask about it!
Rahilly: Slumber parties in the former nursing lab were a great way to build community with our students while playing “bedpan shuffle” and having wheelchair races around the fountain at DeMoss. But we build community in so many other ways too. One was going to Texas for cheesy westerns immediately following LU graduation, still in our graduation dress. Well as many who were brave enough or crazy enough to do! I remember taking the RN-to-BSN students to Washington DC for a “cross-cultural” experience! According to Sharon Kopis, we ended up flat on the ground in front of the Chinese embassy when shots were being fired (I do not remember this part of our adventure, but Sharon does!!)! Oh, and teaching patho on my birthday in 1988; this was shortly after starting to teach at LU. A singing telegram was delivered to the classroom – but I remember being very embarrassed in front of a class of students who apparently made the arrangements for the telegram (although no one confessed)!

SA: I love the fact that we still build a sense of community today! But slumber parties are not likely to return! Let’s shift to the work you currently do. Can you tell me about God’s leading to Togo and ABWE?
Rahilly: Missions had been on my heart for most of my life, being a missionary kid in Liberia until I was eight years old. I always wondered if God might direct to missions; I was willing to do whatever He wanted, but His plan included education and experiences in the US before directing to missions overseas. In the spring of 1995, I was in my office at Cedarville University, prepping for a class. My department chair had just received a phone call from a missionary nurse in Togo (a Cedarville grad) who explained that there was such a severe upcoming nursing shortage at the ABWE hospital that the hospital might need to close for five weeks during the summer. The missionary nurse asked if there was someone who might be willing to go to Togo for those five weeks, work as a staff nurse at the hospital, and help keep the hospital open. (At that time, there was no hospital school of nursing, so missionary nurses were staffing the hospital). My department chair walked down the row of faculty offices. I was studying and minding my own business, and she stopped and asked if I might be interested in serving in Togo that summer. I prayed and believed it was God’s direction. So I went to Togo.
On the plane to Togo, I wondered, “What in the world have I done? I do not know anyone in Togo other than the one CU nursing grad and that was mostly knowing her as a student.” I remember opening my Bible during the flight, after asking that question, and turning to Psalm 139:9, 10 – “if I take the wings of the morning (and I could look out the window and see the wings) and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea (there seemed to be few places more “uttermost” than Togo – a place that most people had never heard of), even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me”. I took that promise with me to Togo.
Orientation was scheduled for the first day after my arrival. A missionary nurse took me to the hospital for a tour. Just as I arrived, two severely ill small children, one right after the other, were rushed through the door of the hospital. Everyone sprang into action – except me! I had no idea where things were located, no idea of how things were done. After almost 20 years of nursing experience in the US, I felt like I knew nothing in Togo! The next morning, I was scheduled to start work at the hospital. I remember my time with God that morning and my sense of total incompetence! I said to Him: “As far as I know, in my whole life, You have never made a mistake. But You have this time; I should not be here in Togo!” I then read 2 Corinthians 3 – the chapter I planned on reading that day. I got to verse 5 which said, in the version I was reading, “not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” It was like God was saying “you cannot do it, Sharon – but I can”! At the end of the five weeks, I did not want to leave Togo! God had given an amazing love for Togo and the Togolese people. For the next two years, I continued as faculty at Cedarville. At the end of those two years, I heard that there were plans to begin a nursing school at our hospital in Togo. It was like God was saying, “Sharon, you have taught long enough in the US; it is time now to teach in Togo.” That was in 1997 and I had the privilege of teaching in our first nursing program in Togo and every program since.
As far as God’s leading to ABWE (the Association of Baptist for World Evangelism), I really did not consider other mission agencies. God had clearly led to Togo, to a ministry as nurse educator, to a hospital that was built and staffed by ABWE missionaries. So, for me, there was no question of considering any other mission agency.

SA: Isn’t it neat how the Lord gave you a love for the Togolese people that grew over the next couple of years? How did you know you were meant to go to Togo?
Rahilly: People often ask how I was “called” to Togo. When answering that question, I usually change the word to “led” rather than “called”. I think some people who are seriously considering missions are concerned as to whether or not they have been “called”, and that sometimes creates a barrier for them, wondering what that “calling” might entail. Plus, a “calling” seems to indicate that it is permanent and if, someday, that person believes God is directing to another type of ministry, it looks like either he/she misinterpreted God’s call initially or is now rejecting God’s call. I know God has led me to serve Him in Togo. But I also know that, someday, God might lead to a different ministry. That does not change my wholehearted commitment to missions or to current ministry; it just means that I will be wholeheartedly committed to wherever God directs and whatever He wants me to do. Verses that I have claimed since early college days are John 10:3b, 4: “the sheep hear his voice: and he calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out . . . and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.” So what is truly important is that I listen to my Shepherd’s voice – and that I be faithful to following His leading.

SA: What a beautiful thought. Can you explain what ABWE is and how they meet their mission in Togo?
Rahilly: ABWE is a mission agency, headquartered in Harrisburg, PA, that has been in existence for over 90 years; there are more than 1000 missionaries serving with ABWE in about 70 countries around the world. The vision of ABWE is “to fulfill the Great Commission by multiplying leaders, churches, and missions movements among every people”. That goal starts with evangelism (the Great Commission); each of us missionaries are to be involved in evangelism and discipleship. A number of different ministry roles help to accomplish those goals. For example, ABWE Togo missionaries are involved in health care (hospital and clinic, mobile clinics, and health education), radio, school for blind children, Christian schools, aviation, translation, pastoral education, etc. Health care has had a significant impact on evangelism. Our ABWE hospitals provide compassionate care that opens doors to sharing the gospel with patients, family members, and communities. Our desire, prayer, and our efforts are with the goal that God will touch hearts for salvation, that people will be discipled, and that churches will be planted throughout Togo.

SA: What role do you currently fill in Togo?
Rahilly: I am a nurse educator: directing our two schools of nursing (north and south), teaching courses, and teaching students in the hospital setting. The Hospital Baptiste Biblique (HBB) is a 50-bed hospital in the south of Togo, established in 1985. The Hospital of Hope (HOH) is our 60-bed hospital in the north of Togo, established in 2015. I am also the Director of Community Health Evangelism (CHE) in the south of Togo. CHE is a ministry in which Togolese, trained in CHE, go weekly into selected villages to share the gospel, teach disease prevention, and facilitate community development. And I have the privilege of teaching pastors’ wives in the areas of health, stress, biblical communication, and critical thinking.

SA: Nursing schools in the US must be different from those in Togo. Tell us about the Schools of Nursing in Togo.
Rahilly: Our first ABWE nursing school began in 1997 at our southern hospital (HBB). Prior to that, missionary nurses staffed the hospital which, at times, would cause nursing shortages when missionary nurses were not available because of family needs in the U.S., furloughs, and involvement in other ministries. The nursing school was started in response to those shortages and needs.
The program consists of year-round nursing education for a period of three years. Classroom teaching is done in modular/intensive format with integrated clinical experiences. Our four curricular objectives, woven throughout the program, are: 1) godly living – demonstrating a servant’s heart, applying God’s Word to life (even for our students who are not believers in Jesus Christ); 2) compassionate care – providing care in the areas of physical, spiritual, emotional, social, and intellectual dimensions; 3) critical thinking – effective reasoning and judgment based on a thorough knowledge of nursing theory and practice; and 4) effective communication – consistent application of principles of biblical communication as well as effective communication for patient care and meeting of patient needs.
We have now graduated five classes (a total of 64 nurses) from our school of nursing in the south, of whom 40 are currently working at our southern hospital and 16 are working at our northern hospital. We graduated 15 nurses from the first class at our northern hospital in 2019, all of whom are working at that hospital.
The upcoming nursing program will be taught only in the north of Togo (Hospital of Hope in Mango). We expect a pool of well over 1000 applicants for 18-20 student spaces. We are targeting the first week of June 2021 for the beginning of the nursing class, graduating three years later in June 2024.
The philosophy of our southern hospital is to hire only professing believers in Jesus Christ, so each of our nursing students has a strong testimony of faith in Christ and involvement in the local church. The goal of that nursing school is to educate Togolese nurses who will provide excellent, knowledge-based, compassionate care to patients and families and who will use nursing as a ministry for Christ. The philosophy of our northern hospital is to hire both believers and non-believers in Jesus Christ; so, even though they know the gospel, 11 of the 15 nurses who graduated in our first class are not yet followers of Jesus Christ. Our goal as nurse educators in the north is to clearly and prayerfully present the gospel with the prayer that each student would make a decision for Christ. The government of Togo, to this point, has not allowed nursing graduates from any private institutions to take the “registered nurse” licensure exam or to sign as a “registered nurse with diploma”. The government has given permission for us to educate nurses for our two hospitals which is a wonderful opportunity to meet our hospitals’ nursing needs. However, it does not reflect the level of the education of our graduates and that is difficult and disappointing.

SA: I know our alumni and students would love to know more about the nursing school. Can you share an interesting story that would connect readers to the mission in Togo or the school in Togo?
Rahilly: I am overwhelmed when I look back over the past four years and realize that God allowed me to be “dropped” down in the north of Togo, interacting every day, for three entire years, with students of the majority religion of that area, giving opportunities to live in a way that demonstrates Christ’s love and opportunities to talk with them about Who Jesus really is and what He did for them! It truly is unbelievable to have an opportunity like this – and to be respected and loved by these students! Some examples of God-given opportunities to interact with students from our last class. Interestingly, students who have not yet accepted Christ as Savior have asked some thoughtful questions that opened doors for great conversations:

• “Why do you Christians pray as you do: some pray in Jesus’ Name, some pray in God’s Name, some just say ‘Amen’”?
• “How, exactly, does a person follow Jesus?”
• “It is not possible for a person of my religious group to become a Christian. My family is from this religion, as well as my friends – and I, myself, for my whole life. So it is impossible for me to follow Jesus!”
• In answer to the question, if you were to die, do you know what would happen to you?  The employee’s answer, “I would go to heaven”.  “Why do you think you would go to heaven”?  “I believe in God.”  “You know, the Bible says that even demons believe in God and they certainly are not going to heaven.  So what is it about your belief in God that would make you think you are going to heaven?”  “I pray five times each day”.  “You know, the Bible says that we are not able to get to heaven because of what we do; it is through faith only in what Jesus Christ has done for us in paying for our sins . . .”
• After “devotions” in Psalms (each morning started with a passage of Scripture and discussion led by a godly Togolese employee), a student asked, “what does this mean when it says a “just” person?” What an opportunity to share what “just” means in the context of salvation.
• Student with test anxiety asking what to do. I told her she had to memorize Philippians 4:6, 7. And, prior to each test, she had to repeat that verse and pray. We looked at the verse together, going through each part of it. I commented that I realized the verse did not yet apply to her exactly, because the peace God promises is through Jesus Christ our Lord – but that my prayer is that she would one day decide to follow Jesus Christ.
• Sharing Isaiah 9:6 at an end-of-year party for the students – and talking about “a child is born, a son is given” and His names being “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Amazing how this verse demonstrates the fact that Jesus was God Himself.
• Walking into class one day and seeing a student reading the Bible he had accepted at the beginning of the nursing program. I paused and asked what he was reading. He said “The verse that says, ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life’”.  I asked him why he was reading that particular verse, to which he answered, “I have been reading in this part of the Bible and I just came to that verse”.  I asked him if he knew who said that and he said “Yes, Jesus did”.  I told him to keep on reading, knowing that the next part of the verse says “no one comes to the Father but by Me”! 

Sometimes unbelieving students saw God work in response to specific prayer:

• A student’s prayer request at the end of one of the trimesters that his wife would get pregnant (they had been married a couple of years with no pregnancy).  At the end of the next trimester (3 ½ months later), he shared that his wife was pregnant and that the reason she was pregnant was because of praying for her the trimester before. They now have two children.
• A student, at the end of a trimester, asked for prayer for her brother. I asked her to explain the problem.  She shared that her brother, a student in university in Togo, had recently started hearing voices, crying, not sleeping at night, not talking.  A physician had diagnosed him with a mental illness.  I asked the student to bring her brother to our hospital for lab tests to rule out a possible physical cause.  About two weeks later, I received a call from the student. She said, “He’s here” – to which I responded, “Who is where?”  She said her brother was at the hospital (I was at my house in town, it was about 9 PM, and my intention was that her brother be seen when the clinic was open; instead they were at our ER).  I went to the hospital, greeted my student and her parents, and asked permission to pray for her brother.  Which I did – praying that God would choose to heal him.  I then returned to my house. The next morning, prior to teaching, I went to the hospital to see how her brother was doing.  When I asked my student, who was there, she said “Fine”.  I said, “What does that mean, ‘fine’”?  She said, “He slept all night”.   I talked with the physician who had worked night shift, asking what medication she had given him (showing my lack of faith!). She said she gave him nothing – she wanted to see how he did all night without any medication.  He was discharged that morning.  On a follow-up clinic visit a few days later, he talked with me; the family reported that he was totally normal, sleeping well, not crying.  In spite of my lack of faith, God provided the opportunity to share what He alone, through Jesus Christ, had done.  Each time the brother came to the clinic, I would go greet him and remind him again of the only Person Who had cured him.  He graduated from his university studies in Togo and is now in France working on his master’s degree!

In our southern hospital, the goal is that our nursing students/nurses will use nursing as a ministry for Christ. We pray for patients; we talk with any patient who shows an interest in hearing about Jesus Christ. The predominant religion in the south of Togo is animism, so we need to clearly and repeatedly present the gospel. It is easy for an animist, who already worships many gods, just to want to add another “god” to the list – and they will easily say “yes”, they want to accept Jesus as Savior, especially if they think that might bring healing!
In our northern hospital, most of our patients are of that area’s predominant religion. In that setting, there is often more resistance to the gospel. After caring for one female patient, I asked if I could pray for her (I was with a student who had just completed her physical assessment). Her response to my request to pray for her was “no”. I repeated the question and she again said “no”. I asked the student if, perhaps, the patient did not understand my French (with an American accent) – he said “no, she understood; she just does not want you to pray for her”.

SA: God brings the right opportunities to engage in eternal conversations! How can we support you? What are some of the needs in Togo and how can our LUSON family help to meet those needs?
Rahilly: First- Pray! Prayer is our greatest need. So many times over the past four years, while directing and teaching in two nursing schools, 7 ½ hours apart, trying to coordinate schedules, recruit faculty, deal with student problems, and prep for courses myself, I would say “Lord, I cannot do this”. And every single time God would speak to my heart and say, “No, you cannot; but I can!” He provided every single need for the schools in Togo; He provided safety while traveling over unbelievably poor roads. For our northern school, in March 2016, prior to beginning classes in June of that year, we had no committed faculty other than me, absolutely zero money in our account, no textbooks, no supplies, no classroom, no students selected. After talking with God about that impossible situation – the next day, I looked at the nursing school ABWE account and saw that $10,000 had just been recorded as a gift from a retired missionary in the US. It was like God was saying, “this is my job and I will take care of it.” By the time we started classes in June, we had a translator, classroom, supplies and textbooks, commitment of some other faculty, and the beginning of what was needed financially!
Second- Consider coming to help us! If you love God and His Word more than anything else, if you love people and are willing to serve, if you are humble and teachable and realize that you need to learn as well as teach and model, if you are patient and flexible, and if you want an adventure with God that is beyond anything you can imagine – I would love to talk with you! We need nurses and nurse practitioners and nurse preceptors and nurse educators with these personal qualifications. Consider coming for a month, or several months, or a year, or for even longer. It will be the adventure of a lifetime – that does not mean it will be easy, but you will love serving God in this way! As far as specific needs:

• Our northern hospital needs nurses now.  We have a nursing shortage that will exist until we graduate our next class in 2024 unless we have help from expatriate nurses.  For our southern hospital, even though we have a slight surplus of nurses, we would very much like to have nurses who would help maintain and enhance the quality of our nursing services, coordinating and teaching in-services, doing recertification, discipling our nurses spiritually.
• For the upcoming nursing program, we need clinical faculty (working with students in the hospital setting, supervising skills, challenging critical thinking, evaluating student progress) – nurses with experience as preceptors in a hospital setting, who would be willing to be on-site for six months in order to work effectively with our students.  There would also be opportunity, if desired, to help teach nursing skills. And, if there are faculty members from the US who are interested in teaching a specific module in Togo, we would love to discuss that possibility. 

Third- Ask God where and how He wants you to serve! The idea of mission as a nurse is not limited to the US or to Togo! In considering just the ABWE world, there are also health care needs in our Bangladesh hospital as well as clinic ministries in places such as North Africa, Ukraine, Central America. Have a world vision and never limit God!

SA: What is the relationship between LUSON and the school in Togo? And how can we continue to build this relationship?
Rahilly: As far as LUSON as a school, we would love donations of just about anything that might no longer be needed in the clinical lab. Whenever there is upgrading of manikins, etc. – we would be willing to figure out how to get the older versions to Togo!
LUSON has been very involved in our nursing school in Togo in the following areas:

• LUSON and LU faculty teach courses:  Linda Gregory teaches perinatal nursing for every nursing program, most recently teaching that course at both sites. Ruth Patterson taught nursing of pediatric patients to our last nursing class in the south.  From other departments at LU:  Dr. Kimberly Mitchell has taught Intro to A&P to our southern students for the past three programs.  Dr. Laurieanne Dent taught Intro to A&P to our students in the north.
• LUSON faculty, Dr. Kathryn Miller, has spearheaded donations to our nursing schools in Togo, which include donations of skills manikins, donation of a child simulator, donation of “Noelle” a pregnant female, and donations of IV arms.  All of these have been wonderful additions to our skills lab.
• Graduates who have served in Togo:  Bethany Edwards who met her husband, Jonathan, while on a nursing student team from Liberty; they are now full-time missionaries in Togo.  Bethany works in maternity and Jonathan oversees computer services.  Laura Lunsford also met her husband while on a nursing student team from Liberty (she and her husband, Samuel, served for about two years in Togo).
• Sending teams of nursing students: in the past this has been a yearly trip focused on exposure to missionary nursing and serving/helping missionaries with a number of projects.

SA: Our faculty and students always return refreshed and ready to minister! Now, how can readers pray for you and your team, students, etc. in Togo?
Rahilly:

• Pray for God’s direction for our selection team in choosing students for the next nursing class in the north of Togo.  The students we select will determine the “personality” of the class and of the nurses we graduate.  Pray that God will lead us to those who have an openness to the gospel.  
• Pray for a translator for our next nursing program:  a strong believer in Jesus Christ who is excellent at translation, humble, and has a strong work ethic.
• Pray for clinical instructors and faculty for specific courses – especially for Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology which is our first course in the program (June 2016).
• Pray for our nurses: for salvation of those who do not yet know Jesus as Savior!  Pray that we faculty will be sensitive to needs of students, that we would be effective in our teaching, that we will shine for Jesus Christ in every situation and every interaction.
• Sometimes, when asked about priority prayer needs, I respond: “Please pray that we would pray”.  Each of us needs to maintain a close walk with God. Busyness, stress, fatigue can easily interrupt our time with Him and our effectiveness for Him.

SA: Dr. Rahilly, It has truly been a blessing to visit with you. Do you have any thoughts you would like to share?
Rahilly: Our conversation has focused on nursing in missions. And even though these comments have focused on nursing in Togo, each of these comments can be applied to any setting – whether in the US or any other area of the world. We are to be lights. Our communication, behavior, attitudes are observed or heard by everyone, and Jesus Christ should be reflected in each of these areas. I have had opportunity to talk with people while here in the US who have no understanding of the gospel (sales persons, physicians, cashiers). We need to prayerfully interact with others (I Peter 3:15) – with gentleness and respect.
I have been reading recently about the idea of “putting a pebble in the shoe” of others – the idea that, in each encounter, we are challenged to plant a seed, put a pebble, cause the person to wonder or question – even if there is no other opportunity to share the gospel with the person. I texted the PA at my endocrinologist’s office a couple of days ago: “May you have a wonderful, God-honoring new year”. He is someone who never responds to anything spiritual – and he did not respond to that. But he called the next day with medical information and seemed to want to talk – and, while doing so, God gave opportunity again to frequently refer to the hope and peace we have in Jesus Christ. I trust those are pebbles that will stay in his shoe until God changes his heart!

It is my hope that each of you, whether a community partner, an alumnus, a student, or a donor, will pray for Dr. Rahilly and the nursing students of Togo. May the pebble in your shoe cause you to remember God’s goodness and mercy, urge you to always walk where He leads, and remind you to pray for Dr. Rahilly!