“It was the middle of COVID, and everyone was masked. But even then—I could feel it. The warmth. The welcome. The sense that this place was different.”
Ruthanne first stepped through the doors of the Neighborhood Christian Clinic in October 2020 as a pre-med student searching for purpose in the midst of a pandemic. She didn’t expect to be remembered. She certainly didn’t expect to be known.
But from her very first day, something stood out.
“I started in the med room, then helped as a nursing volunteer. Back then, I was nervous, unsure, and just trying to find my place. But even as a volunteer, I felt seen.”
People like Cheryl, and Dr. Paul didn’t just welcome her—they made space for her. They remembered her name. She remembers sitting quietly during her first devotional, unsure of how to engage—until Dr. Paul gently asked her to share about herself. “People like Cheryl and Dr. Paul really wanted to get to know me.”
And now, nearly five years later, Ruthanne is a third-year medical student on rotation, caring for patients with confidence—and with Christ at the center.
“I get to see patients, present to doctors, place orders… and pray with people. This is the first place I’ve truly felt empowered to pray with patients.”
That spiritual freedom changed everything.
She recalls one woman who had suffered for over a decade without a diagnosis. “She told me she didn’t feel like she could talk to God. I got to gently remind her: He’s already listening. He knows. He’s just waiting for you.”
Another patient turned the question back on her: “Do YOU have a relationship with Jesus?” He then opened the medication bag she’d given him, found a Scripture verse, and began translating it aloud for her—“so you can understand it.”
“He was ministering to me,” Ruthanne laughed.
But beyond the prayers, the medicine, and the moments of connection, Ruthanne says what struck her most was this:
“I always thought I had to go overseas to do medical missions. But this place—this is a mission field. It’s local. It’s permanent. It’s right here in our backyard.”
The Neighborhood Christian Clinic showed her that whole-person care, the kind that truly heals, doesn’t require a passport or a distant calling. It just requires a heart to serve.
“I did a mission trip to Ghana in high school, and it lit a fire in me. But when I came home, I felt stuck—like I couldn’t serve again until the next trip. Then COVID hit, and travel was gone. That’s when I found the Clinic. And I realized: I don’t have to wait. I can serve here.”
At a time when she was feeling disillusioned with the limitations of modern medicine—when praying with patients felt out of bounds, and burnout felt all too real—her time at the Clinic revived something in her.
“It reminded me who I want to be. And why I started this journey in the first place.”
Dr. Paul has been a major part of that. She’s watched him spot a name on the schedule and recall the patient’s entire life story—anecdotes and all—without even pulling up their chart.
“That tells me he listens deeply. He remembers. That’s the kind of doctor I want to be.”
Ruthanne will graduate next year and enter residency. But if she has her way, her journey with the Clinic isn’t over.
“I hope to come back as a provider. Maybe even do another rotation here in residency. At the very least—I’ll be back to volunteer.”
She pauses, then adds with a smile:
“I’ve just been saying yes to God… and He’s been opening every door.”
Inspired by Ruthanne’s story? Read Ricardo’s journey from interpreter to future physician next.
