It creeps in from the darkness of night and over takes the senses. This epidemic is not only found to be an extreme problem here in Conakry, Guinea but it also has spread throughout every major city and community across the globe. It is a serious condition. Eating away at the souls of mankind, hopelessness is spreading throughout the world as people drift further and further away from their purpose in life.
Two days ago, I found myself sitting at Mercy Ships HOPE center. It is an off ship outpatient center where patient live while they are waiting for complete healing from their surgery. I was sitting across from a woman who had a large mandibular tumor (tumor surrounding her lower jaw). Her being at the HOPE center before surgery meant that she was from up country and waiting for her surgery. We met eyes and I saw the epidemic thoroughly infecting her entire being. She quickly looked down and I could feel the pain rolling off of her – the pain from a long history of people staring at her and rejecting her. I walked over to her, looking her straight in the eyes and asked what her name was – Ramatoulay she said quietly.
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| Meet Ramatoulay - She is so beautiful and I am hoping she will be a patient I can become close to! |
I brought my translator over and sat down next to her trying to start a conversation. Slowly, her story started to unfold in front of me and the raw emotion of her hopelessness started to break through the strong exterior. She was married at 14 and even though she only looked like a child herself she had already been pregnant four times. Two of her children had passed away and the other two were 12 and 3 years old. Pure raw hopelessness filled her words. Her husband left her because of the tumor that started to grow on her face ten years ago and now she lives alone with her two children. I asked her if her oldest daughter would be getting married soon since she was married at fourteen. Her response was a filled with love for her daughter. Ramatoulay made sure her daughter was getting an education. An education meant that she could choose who she married but Ramatoulay didn’t have an education so she was married off quickly as a child.
I asked Ramatouly where she was from and if a caregiver came with her – “I’m from far away, no one visits me, and no one talks to me.” Her hopelessness breaks my heart and I can’t imagine the strength she must have to go through this alone. I place my hand on her shoulder and simple ask, “May I visit you in the hospital?” She laughed and looked down in an automatic response but then she looked back up and looked deep into my eyes. Was I serious? Would I really care about her? It was in this simple moment that hope started to blossom inside of her. This simple action created a new spring of life from within her because this simple action was fed from God’s love for Ramatoulay.
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| Seeing hopelessness means to look at a person through God's eyes. |
We are the conduits of God’s love for the hurting and hopeless. I am here being the conduit for the people of Guinea but there are hopeless people in every town in the world. It could be your neighbor, the guy sitting next to you in church, or the elderly in the nursing homes. God calls us to reach out our hands, touch someone on the shoulder and ask, “Can I visit you?” When I first came here, I was worried with about difficult it would be to break through these barriers of hopelessness. After living here for a year I can now tell you that it is easier than you would ever imagine and all it takes is to be the person to talk first. After that, God will guide you because we are His conduits and His love WILL pour out of us and into the hurting and the hopeless people of the world.
So I give you a mission - try it – try reaching out to just one person and see how it goes. I am here to tell you, God’s love flowing through you leaves traces behind and you will feel His presence like you have never felt before.
