Connie Scott, Monroe, LA

The CHM family recently shared medical expenses for my husband and me. Both incidents were sudden and unexpected.

Last summer our family was excitedly preparing for our 25-year-old daughter’s wedding. It was two weeks before the big day and I was driving to work when a sharp pain filled my right shoulder. Though it throbbed for most of the morning, I didn’t think too much of it.

However, on my lunch break, it became very clear that this was more of a problem than I first thought. As I drove to pick up some food, the pain suddenly shot through my shoulder and up to the back of my head.

In an instant, my face and arm went numb.

I sat at a red light, unsure of what to do next and praying God would enable me to drive to the strip mall just ahead. God answered my prayer and I called my husband as soon as I parked. Thankfully, he works nearby and arrived within a few minutes.

In the emergency room they ran several tests and kept me overnight. In the meantime I called CHM to ask if my medical bills would be eligible for sharing. The staff member I spoke with was very kind and calmed my fears. She prayed with me and asked if I would like prayer from the rest of the CHM family.

The power of prayer and God’s healing hand touched me. With no residual effects, I was released the next afternoon after the doctors diagnosed my symptoms as a transient ischemic attack (a mini-stroke). Within one week I returned to normal activity. We celebrated our daughter’s marriage the following week, without incident!

Two months later my husband was at home and stepped the wrong way, hurting his knee. When the pain didn’t subside he sought the council of an orthopedic doctor. The doctor confirmed a torn meniscus and the need for surgery.

For both events, we followed the steps CHM recommends* for submitting medical bills and set up a payment plan with our providers until we received a check from the ministry. After roughly $19,000 in discounts, CHM shared more than $28,000. We can’t thank CHM members enough for their generosity and for the many encouraging cards and prayers they sent our way to get us through not one, but two medical events!

*Editor’s note: Please see CHM’s video on how to submit medical bills at chministries.org/videos. The information is also available at chministries.org/stepbystep.