The Story of a Girl

This is The Story of a Girl…
It all started last Saturday afternoon when Val, myself, and our translator Abigail visited a nearby walk-in medical center to encourage the sick.  The nurse on duty led us to a side room housing a barely-conscious woman lying on a floor mat.  I have seen a lot of disheartening things on this race, but for whatever reason this young woman named Silvia rocked my heart.    At first glance I knew her condition was serious, and after some gentle probing Silvia confirmed my fears as she explained to us how she got there. 

The violent beating of a cane caused the dramatic swelling in both arms, dislocation of her left wrist, and the significant bruising and areas of broken skin scattered along her forearms and shoulders.  The sharp blade of a kitchen knife drew the large gash on the back of her skull, and left little hair remaining after what looked like a terrible hack-job to her scalp.  She also expressed pain in her chest and legs from where a pipe had relentlessly come down on her helpless body. 

             …Whose Pretty Face She Hid From The World…
Silvia is one among many victims of domestic violence here in Uganda.  Thankfully she was able to survive the abuse from her husband, this time, but the road to recovery will not be without a long struggle and a lot of pain.  My initial fear for Silvia was her return to the unhealthy relationship.  She has two children with this man, and like so many other women had nowhere else to go.  Consequently, her plan was to go back to him.  It broke my heart to see this woman in such a state of desperation and hopelessness. 

That night we prayed for physical healing, but also for God to provide a safe place for Silvia and her two kids.  By the time we left she conveyed that her pain was decreasing, and she believed that God was at work.  Was that enough?  Only time would tell.

                               …While She Looked so Sad in Photographs…
Tuesday night found our little trio back at the clinic for a second visit to our new friend.  I was happy to see Silvia’s wounds bandaged and stitched, and her coherency greatly improved.   Through our translator, she was able to update us on her status. To our amazement, Silvia told us that she had made arrangements to move herself and kids into her mother’s house once she got cleared by the clinic.  She would have to recover quickly and return to work in order to pay for this new living situation, but it was safe.  The strength behind her words and determination in her voice was startling.  Where was this coming from?  A woman who cannot yet look me in the eyes has made a life-altering decision that most individuals struggle to make– walking away from an abusive relationship. 

While getting physically stronger, Silvia was still unable to walk or even stand by herself.   Again, we asked God to heal Silvia, and give her confidence and strength to carry out the next chapter of her life.  After praying we challenged her to get up and walk.  With some assistance to get her on her feet (remember, both her arms are bound with splints at this point), Silvia is able to stand without help for the first time since ‘the incident’.  We don’t stop there, but ask her to try and walk.  Why not?  And so, timid step after timid step, Silvia walks – without assistance – a few paces around the room before becoming lightheaded.  We help her return to a resting position on the mat. 
                                                                                                                                                                    …I Absolutely Love it When She Smiles.
Silvia’s conditions were officially on the up and up.  She felt at peace, and had made a significant leap in physical mobility.   Still, I had yet to see this woman smile.  So, being the subtle and elusive person that I am, I asked for one.  Just one smile before we left, for good measure.  To my great joy I got it.  =).   No eye contact (yet) but Silvia was unable to fight back the curve of her lips as they made their way into a beautiful smile.

I left that day encouraged, but still very concerned and greatly anticipating our next visit.  This picture was taken outside the clinic on our third drop-in, now two weeks post-episode.  By this point she was full of laughter and joy, and her eyes finally met mine as she greeted me with a big hug and that captivating smile.  Seeing Silvia move around with considerable ease and just act…human…again literally brought tears of joy to my eyes.  The drastic improvement was nothing short of a miracle.

As Sylvia continues to heal both emotionally and physically, it would be awesome if you could keep her in your prayers.  She is currently still getting treatment from the clinic, and just wants to stay strong in her decision to live independently.  It’s going to be a rough road but I pray that good things will come out of this horrible circumstance, and as she overcomes this hardship she’ll be able to comfort and encourage the many women battling similar situations.