Listening for the Call

TODAY: Ponder this written by Reinhold Niebuhr. “Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing which is true and beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore, we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we are saved by love. No virtuous act is quite as virtuous from the standpoint of our friend or foe as it is from our standpoint; therefore we must be saved by the final form of love which is forgiveness.”

Driving through backcountry roads in the Berskshires during my senior year in college, I stumbled across a sign that caught my eye: “Albert Schweitzer Friendship House.” I turned in and drove a short way to a picturesque farmhouse. I entered the house and was greeted by the founder of the Friendship House, Erica Anderson. The story she told me was quite remarkable.

As a young German filmmaker, Anderson dreamed of producing a documentary about Schweitzer’s hospital in Lambarene — a small town in the West African nation of Gabon. Schweitzer’s hospital had captured a great deal of attention due in part to his unorthodox practice of housing patients in a village — not a sterile hospital ward. Patients lived with their families in a setting not unlike their own homes. At Lambarene, the sick were treated in a way that allowed families to play a vital role in the healing process.Anderson showed up on Schweitzer’s door in Lambarene and told him about her dream. “I want to make a film about your work at Lambarene,” she said. He denied her request abruptly. She tried repeatedly — to no avail — to persuade him. Yet, she was so moved by Schweitzer’s work that she asked to stay and help him. This time he said yes. She began a new life healing the sick and those afflicted with leprosy.

Years later, Schweitzer called Anderson to his office. “Erica, do you still want to make your film?” “Yes, of course,” she answered. She spent seven years capturing Schweitzer on film. The film she made, “Albert Schweitzer,” won the 1957 Academy Award for best documentary. It inspired millions by helping people understand the haven Schweitzer created for those in pain — a haven to which he dedicated his life.

Albert Schweitzer was a successful philosopher, physician, artist and theologian when he decided to become a medical missionary in Africa. Erica Anderson was a successful filmmaker when she decided to become a nurse. Both had listened to a call that radically changed the course of their lives.

Anderson‘s stories about Lambarene resurface from time to time, bringing out hard questions. What have I done to relieve the oppressed? What sacrifices am I willing to make? Am I even listening to the call within?

— Chuck Appleby