Teleza.
A sweet, beautiful, dark-skinned village girl looks up with sad eyes and a frown.
Oh to plunge the depths of those eyes and understand the sorrow in her soul.
Teleza.
Sit in my lap sweet girl and let me hold you and never let go.
Oh that you might hear my voice and hear the voice of our good Father.
Teleza.
We prayed for you, sweet child, that you might hear again and know the love of our good Father.
Oh to see you hear again and understand the words of your loved ones.
This is a longing deep in my heart.
Teleza.
I heard about Teleza before I met her. She was a little girl in a small village in Lilongwe, Malawi who suddenly lost her hearing the middle of the night and woke up screaming. She was brought to the audiology clinic at African Bible colleges and the doctors could not find any physical reason to explain her hearing loss. Therefore, she could not be treated.
Two of the teachers at ABC that I worked closely with told me that they try to go to Teleza’s village every Friday to pray that the Lord will heal her. I remember feeling deeply burdened for this sweet girl.
I got to go pray for her one day when my team was working on a home in her village. And she seemed so sad and so scared of the prayer. Almost like she was afraid to hope.
A few days later I went to pray for her again. She sat in the middle of myself and 3 others. We were all surrounded by the rest of the village children as they watched, eager to see what the “azungus” were doing. After we prayed and held her hand, she looked sad and reserved. We said goodbye and were walking back to the car. She thought we were taking her away. We used hand gestures to explain that we were not taking her away.
We returned the next week, after having spent much time in prayer and fasting. My friend had brought a Chichewa bible for Teleza. When she gave it to her, Teleza clung to it like it was a teddy bear or doll. It was beautiful. We sat down on the ground with her. We prayed for healing and against any demonic attack. And during the prayer I looked into her eyes and said words to her and she said them back to me. She read my lips and spoke aloud! My friends who had been praying for her for months had never heard her speak. So I had her copy me and pray aloud for herself. And then I had all the village children that were around us copy me and pray aloud for her as well. One of my teammates washed her feet. I showed her mother a verse in the Chichewa bible and attempted to read it aloud in Chichewa. Her mother followed my lead and I learned that she could read!! We were in the middle of a small village where it is almost unheard of that someone knows how to read!! I encouraged her mother to read aloud to Teleza and make sure Teleza can see her mouth and repeat after her. Her mother nodded that she would.
Fast forward several months to when my friends returned to ABC after their summer break. They returned to Teleza’s home to pray for her to find that another family was living there. Her family had to move due to poverty. And no one was really sure where they went. It was difficult to hear this news but very quickly the Lord reminded me that wherever they ended up He is with them and has a plan.
A few weeks later I heard that she had been located and that my friends had found a deaf school that she could attend. They also said that she was able to move back into her home. Praise God!! This sweet little girl has so many people who love her and who pray for her and think about her often. I am still expectant that the Lord is going to do big things in her life!!
