It started out like any day of hut-to-hut ministry. We left our house around 10:15 and walked, not knowing how far away our destination was. Per usual, I had a Harry Potter audiobook playing in my ears. We followed our three translators down dirt roads, contantly turning to wave at the locals yelling, "Mzungu! Mzungu!" Finally, after about a half an hour winding through new parts of the village, we reached our destination.
I thought it would be like any other hut-to-hut visit. We would meet a family, hear about their lives, pray for them and play a song or two on guitar. We would encourage the person in their faith, as people here face many hardships. Then, after a half an hour or so, we would leave and do it again at the next house.
Thats not what we found when we walked in.
We entered the house and were ushered into a bedroom. Inside, we found a young woman laying in bed with an IV in her arm. She looked familiar.
We were introduced to Grace, a member of the church who we had met before. She told us she had sickle-cell anemia, at least as far as we could tell from the translation. She was in a lot of pain, and the IV had some form of medicine to help her feel better. Grace told us she had anemia since she was born, and that she had to get the IV every two days.
We spent quite some time with Grace, well over an hour. We sat on her bed and she told us she believed God was going to heal her. She said she had been a Christian since last January and that she was praying that the rest of her familiy would come to know Him as well.
Grace cried as she told us she had a dream to be able to be a teacher, and to share the Word of God. One of my two teammates with me even cried at the passion Grace had. She was in so much pain, but she was so confident that God would be faithful to her. We prayed for her, that God would bring the healing to her body that she had been waiting and hoping for for so long.
We played two songs for Grace, How He Loves and You Never Let Go. She sang us a song in Swahili, then sang it again in English. She then told us that her favorite books of the Bible are Romans, Isaiah and Proverbs.
She read to us Romans 8:29-30:
"For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."
Grace told us that this verse encouraged her that God had a great plan for her, and asked us to remember her by it. We read Grace Psalm 139, a chapter to remind her that God is with her always.
Grace told us that her pastor and our contact for the month, Celcus, had given her Bible to her back in June, and that he prayed for her a lot and believed in her. You could see in her eyes and hear in her voice how much encouragement she recieved from him. She then showed us photos from February, the last time a World Race team had come to Mwanza. They were treasured items to her.
Constantly through our visit, Grace told us how much our visit meant to her, that she would remember us forever. She told us over and over, "I'm so glad to see you here!" And even in her weak voice, there was a real sincerity and joy.
In our short time with Grace, one thing really stood out to me: she never complained about her sickness. She did mention areas it got in her way, but those were just areas it prevented her from serving God.
The heart of Grace's desire for her life is to spread the Gospel of the Kingdom. And unfortunately, she has this sickness getting in her way. But she doesn't let that stop her from dreaming, or from praying for her healing.
A couple of times in the last month, I have preached about the great things God has planned for all of our lives, and that we can't let our own hardships or lack of trust get in the way. I think Grace is a perfect example of this, and I believe that one day, she will be healed from her sickness and use that hardship to further share God's love and hope with the world.
What started out as a normal day of hut-to-hut ministry changed the moment I saw Grace's tears.
My teammates Katy, Leah and I with Grace
