Let me tell you the story of Abel. He is a pretty normal 10 year old African boy who lives out in the country. He likes to play with his friends, he loves to play football, he has a very large family - pretty normal african little boy.
Oh...wait.....let me show you a picture of Abel when he first came to the ship a good 4 months ago;
ok..ok....maybe i was a bit un-realistic when I said he was a normal african boy.
While Abel was still a toddler his muscles stopped growing, but his bones had not. As a result, his legs were not growing correctly because there was so little musculature to direct them. They began to bend backward at the knee, forcing his upper thighs out behind him. His parents took him to three different doctors, but none of them knew what to do for him. I mean, can you blame them, when was the last time you saw something like this?
Despite this condition, the resolute Abel learned to lean forward, correcting his balance enough to walk, climb and do just about anything any other active boy can do. He even became the goalkeeper on his football team.
So, Abel grows up like this, making the most of his situation, putting up with the somewhat expected mocking remarks and strange looks of some of the members of his community. I mean, lets put this into perspective. In an environment where EVERYTHING is spiritual, every blessing, disease, crop, dream, person....when you put a boy who looks like abel into an environment like that, what else would you expect? 'Surely he is evil? He must be cursed?'
So, back track to March 2010, what were you doing in the first week of that month? Do you remember? Anything stand out? Did you make any life changing journeys? Well...Abel and his father did. They travelled 6 hours south, to the City of Lome, to the Port, to the Africa Mercy. They travelled up the gangway, down 2 flights of stairs to deck 3. They walked along a corridor, turned right into a busy ward, sat down on their bed, and waited.
Within two days, Abel had been operated on. He awakes to find his legs, out straight before him, in thick casts - and now his legs were white!! (quite a shock...especially when you are black!)
So, after 3 months of physiotherapy at our hospitality centre (a clinic where our pre and post op patients live and wait) Abel was ready to go home.
Now, this is where the journey gets fun. I was overjoyed to be given the opportunity to drive abel, his father and 4 members of our Communications team the 6 hours north back to Abels village. Now the first two hours, very easy, an amazingly smooth straight road out of Lome, directly north. We then come to a small town where we turn right and our road stops.....literally. There is a track, if you can call it that, that went on for 4 hours. Now again, context, this was towards the end of the rainy season, so this track, at times, was more like a swamp.
We bounced our way along, sometimes finding a smooth section, most of the time dropping down pot holes that would eat most cars in the UK. You knew it was getting rough when we come to pass large trucks that were half consumed by the sinking mud in front of us. For about 1 hour of the journey we were going less that 10 kph in the lowest of low range gears, simply trying to make our way through.
All this time, in the back of the Land Rover sat Abel, huge smile on his face, laughing all the way, excite to see family and friends again and to show off his new legs.
And Eventually, after the grueling journey, we arrive at a small, out in the sticks, truly comic relief looking village. Our Vehicle quickly became swamped in children running along side, banging on the side, laughing and jumping, trying to see the funny looking white people and their friend Abel.
So we reach Abel's house, turn off the engine, open the doors and we let the prodigals climb out and set foot back onto their home dirt. For a brief moment that will live within me forever, for what would have been less than a few seconds but seemed to stretch out for minutes, there was silence. Silence from around 100 faces, wide eyed, opened mouthed, shocked faces - as Abel steps out of the land rover looks around him, and takes a few steps forward to greet his mother. SILENCE.
But, this is Africa....and silence doesn't last long.
Shouting, jumping, singing! Arms waving, hugs all round, kisses and so much more - joy was as tangible as the heat in the air and the red dirt on our feet. Abel, the little boy with backwards legs was home - and a miracle had happened. I could pick up that there was a phrase being said over and over again, so I asked our translator, "What is everyone saying?" Her responce? "God is good, God is good, God is good!"
There are so many little things that happened during our brief stay there, but I will be unable to convey the atmosphere of the place. I will let some pictures try and do the job.
Abel reunited with Mama.
Amazed faces of a hand full of the villages children
A quick pic with the close family.
The Centre of attention!
We say very easily how we got to change the life of one little boy, but that is not the full story. This little boy, and his testimony, HIS story, has the power to change a village forever. "God is good, God is good, God is good..."
