Sometimes chance encounters have the ability to transform our lives. One such occurrence forever altered the life of Marilyn Berger. Originally in Africa to write about Dr. Rick Hodes, This Is a Soul is her story about how her life is forever changed as it becomes intertwined with the poorest children of this continent.
Hodes has been in Ethiopia for 20 years, ministering to the sickest, most vulnerable children on earth. Originally drawn to Africa from suburban New York because of the famine, he eventually made it to Rwanda and then Ethiopia. He found his true calling, caring for children, at Mother Teresa’s mission. His life is about what Yehudah haNasi describes as the proper path that a person should choose, performing both “minor” and “major” mitzvot and seeking no financial reward. His approach to medical care is often lost in western society, as he tends to the soul as well as the flesh. Berger describes his story with warmth and humanity. Hodes’s life serves as an inspiration to physicians and laymen alike, and the reader will find this volume an uplifting experience.