From the Editor

Donna Hadley
Volunteer Editor

Dear Friends of LLU School of Medicine,

In the summer of 2006, when I accepted the position of volunteer chairperson for the school’s 2009 Centennial Celebration, the charge was given to “include as many people as possible in this significant and unique celebration.”

As I prayed about this and contemplated the best way to carry out this responsibility, I kept encountering individuals who had stories to tell: stories of their time, their parents’ time, or their grandparents’ time as students in the School of Medicine; stories of what it was like to be a patient instead of the healthcare provider they were trained to be; stories of how they had been touched by students and/or graduates of this medical school who believed in the mission of the school and lived their lives and practice their profession accordingly. And through all these stories was the underlying theme of God’s presence.

It became very apparent that the best way to tell the School of Medicine’s centennial story was to go to those who comprised the history of the school––the students, alumni, faculty and friends––and invite them help write this journey of 100 years. In addition, it would involve 365 different individuals, staying true to the original Centennial Celebration charge to include as many people as possible.

The concept of a devotional book was enthusiastically embraced by everyone we talked to, so much so, that I felt enlisting 365 authors to write for each day of the year would not be difficult at all. However, when we had only 153 submissions with no more coming in, I began to have serious doubts about the project succeeding. With much prayer and hard work, additional letters were written to prospective authors, phone calls made, and potential authors were recruited at church, in the grocery stores, and in the local banks. Within a few months, we had more material than we needed!

As I read and re-read the stories that were submitted, I knew that others had to hear them. What I did not realize was how God would bless that book Morning Rounds in ways none of us had anticipated. From here at home to around the globe, from readers who were young and old, medical and non-medical, and from those in all phases of their religious journeys, hearts were touched, lives were blessed and God was lifted up through time spent with the book.

Because of the overwhelmingly positive feedback we received regarding Morning Rounds, and because of the pleas to have a second book, we invite you to become an author of Loma Linda University School of Medicine’s legacy as we begin the process of compiling stories for Evening Rounds.

Thank you in advance for your contributions and prayers for this project!

Donna Hadley
Volunteer Editor, Evening Rounds