CBS 60 Minutes On the Africa Mercy

Time is winding down here in Togo, West Africa (Only 2 weeks of surgery left and I leave in 2 weeks!) and I find myself so busy with last minute projects that I quickly forget about my blog! The past few weeks have been filled with patients, vision trips, and media teams. One media team that has claimed some of my time is 60 Minutes! You’ve got that right; CBS 60 minutes had 2 producers, a film crew, and even Scott Pelley (anchor of the famed show). It has been quite an adventure working with them.

First, I drove them 3 ½ hours north to a small village where a patient from 1995 lives. Let me tell you, 7 hours of defensive driving in West Africa is tough, but the conversations were rich and I hope I was able to help the producer get a sense of who we are.

Later that week, something completely frustrating happened. One of the film crew had their hotel room broken into! So I was “blessed” with the opportunity to be Mercy Ships representative and help him at the police station. This ended up being a 4 hour interview/interrogation that left everyone unsatisfied.  

Monday, I drove two of the film crew to the airport. I have to say that I am both impressed and blessed to have met such a wonderful group of people. Their professionalism made our job a lot easier and we could tell that they really respected us. Where some people fear of what they will report (60 minutes is known for their investigative tactics that shine the light on all sorts of issues in the world) I said goodbye to them completely comfortable that Mercy Ships has made a positive impact on their lives.

As they all make their way back home, I pray that God will bless them for the way they have blessed us. I pray that Mercy Ships vision and mission truly inspire them to see the heart of us volunteers and that they will want to report on the thousands of lives we change every year. I hope that as they have to go through the pain staking process of dwindling 1800 minutes of footage down to a 12 minute show that God would guide their hands, minds, and spirits as the decided what to choose. Lord, most importantly, I pray that as they go back to their lives you keep itching at their hearts. That what they’ve seen here in West Africa inspires them to see the power of your hand in everything we do. Thank you Lord, so much, for such a wonderful opportunity for the USA to hear and see the detail of what it is we do here for the people of West Africa.

Afi's Release from Shackles

“Every moment of my life is difficult to survive. I struggle greatly, and I struggle alone,” Afi says with tear-filled eyes that testify to the pain she has suffered for the last four years. As she speaks of the suffering she has endured, she takes a rag to wipe the tears streaming down her scarred face and recounts her story with courage and grace.

Afi suffers from a disorder called epilepsy. She can suddenly have seizures that force her body into debilitating tremors. One day in 2008, Afi was cooking over a fire with her one-month-old son strapped to her back. Suddenly, she felt ill and thought she needed to sit down. Before she had time to react, her body went into a seizure, forcing her to fall face-first into the fire. She lay there in the fire, seizing helplessly. Luckily, her infant son was not harmed, but the damage to Afi was brutal. She suffered severe burns on her face, neck, hands, and legs.

Afi tried to go to a hospital to get medical help, but the hospital turned her away because she had no one to take care of her son. As her wounds began to heal, her skin started to contract, pulling her face down and her shoulder upwards. The injuries became her shackles over the next four years. Afi’s husband left her because he could not stand to look at her. Riddled with guilt, he ended up committing suicide, leaving Afi to be the sole parent to their three children.

People believed that Afi’s deformity was the result of a curse. She was no longer able to sell fruit in the market because people were too afraid of her. She was forced into a life of isolation, with only her children to help her. The village would no longer allow Afi to walk through the center, touch anything, or be near anybody. When children caught a glimpse of Afi's face, they ran away in fear. She had to hide in her home. If she wanted to go anywhere, she had to sneak around the outskirts of town.

Recently, she went to the hospital again, desperately seeking help. Catching a glimpse of a TV, she heard that Mercy Ships was coming to Togo, West Africa. Afi wrote down the dates. Leaving her children with her father-in-law, Afi tried to get to the port. Relentlessly, she made three trips to the port gates, each time being turned away by the local security. Finally, she was allowed through and examined by Mercy Ships crew.

It was a wonderful day when she was given her appointment card. “I know now that things are going to be better. I can tell my life will move in that direction,” Afi says as she spends her days on her hospital bed onboard the Africa Mercy. Afi’s surgery will release the contracted skin, allowing her neck and shoulder to move again. Her eyelids and lips will be released and repaired. She will receive function and movement again – release from the shackles, the injuries that have held her captive.

She has already had a taste of how much better her life will be. Mercy Ships crew are not afraid of her, and they look her in the eyes. This is the start of a new life, with new hope and a new future. She smiles through her tears saying, “Thank you for everything, and thank you to everybody. I now see a new life coming my way. I pray God will help me each step of the way.”