Hi! I would like to start this email off giving you a few prayer requests.
1) A young boy named Peter (who lived here at Haven of Hope Home) is very, very sick… For his own safety, he went to go live with his Aunt. Please pray for this situation. PLEASE pray for his healing… It is urgent and very critical. Tell everyone you know to pray for sweet Peter. Very heartbreaking situation…
2) The trokosi slaves. For softening of hearts and for deliverance from bondage (both spiritual and physical).
3) My mind. I need to learn the tribal language Ewe (pronounced A-way), most of the trokosi can only speak Ewe. Pray that I will be diligent and that my mind will be able to absorb and retain all that I am learning.
4) Patience and endurance.
Thank you so much for your prayers. The Lord is moving. I cannot tell you how many times I have been comforted and encouraged when I think about you and your prayers.
“…To give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…” Isaiah 61:3a
What is beautiful about ashes? They are simply a sign that some kind of fire has ruined something. A pile of ashes seem pretty hopeless…
A few weeks ago I met a lady that I will be working with some in a certain area in the southern Volta Region. Her name is Sister Judith. She will be my partner when I am in that area and will go with me to visit the trokosi in that area. She will also be my interpreter until I can hold my own in Ewe. Sister Judith is a middle aged Ghanaian women and has a heartbreaking story of her own. When she was very, very young she was sold to a shrine as a trokosi. She lived her life as a trokosi until she was freed about 9 or 10 years ago. After she was liberated from the shrine, she came to know Christ and began following Him! ECM helped her recovery process and put her through some school. After she finished some school, they asked her to serve as a counselor to other liberated trokosi.
The longer I am here, the more I am learning about trokosi. One thing I have learned is that all trokosi have many scars (physical, emotional, and spiritual). But physically, almost all trokosi will have at least 6 scars on their face (3 on each cheek) and many more on other parts of the body. Sister Judith told me that it is a way to identify a trokosi, it is a way the priest states his claim over them or it is a way of punishment. As Sister Judith told me her story, she went on to say how she hated her scars. She has always wanted to get the scars on her face removed, because anywhere and everywhere she goes, she feels judged. Everyone knows where she has been and she feels ashamed. The scars on her face are a constant reminder of her horrific past. But there is something beautiful about her scars. When she visits other liberated trokosi, they know within the first glance of her that she has been there. She knows. She knows their pain, their anger, their fears, their shame, their scars… She has been there, and she has also been redeemed. She has experienced salvation, healing, and freedom. So, if she has been in their shoes and is now walking in the Light, they can see hope. She is using her experience to bring healing to others. Beauty for ashes.
After spending two weeks working in the southern Volta Region—doing school ministry, hut-to-hut ministry, and some work with the trokosi—I returned to Haven of Hope and have been here with the kids for over a week now. The night I came back, I had my first encounter with a stomach bug… Actually, a parasite. They might be so small that even a microscope can hardly see them, but they are mean little critters. For two days I was sick as a dog and in bed. It was miserable. Not just because I was sick, but because I could not be with the kids. I hated it. The kids would peek through my window and the doorway to check on me several times a day, they would bring me the sweetest (and funniest letters) to try to make me feel better. After the second full day of hardly getting out of bed, 3 of the older girls at the home (Bernice, Abigail, and Mary) came and gather hands around me and prayed for me. It was a very moving and powerful prayer. The next morning I woke up fine!
These kids have been through so much. So much pain and so much hardship, and they continue to encounter hard changes and other heartbreaks. They, of all people, understand what pain, fear, rejection, and loss mean. But there is something beautiful about it. Not only do they know heartbreak, but they have experienced healing and acceptance here at the home. I have noticed how the older kids take care of the younger ones. I have noticed how they can see when someone else is hurting. They know. When I was sick, they noticed and they wanted me to be healed. They did not want me to be in pain. I understand that I am still the new white girl, but that is not the only reason they were concerned. I have seen them cry on behalf of each other. When Peter left and was so sick, the children cried and have prayed for him several times a day since. While they might still be bleeding, they are looking for ways to bandage the wounds of others. Beauty for ashes.
As I sit and listen to Sister Judith’s stories…
As I meet so many idol worshippers and lost people in the villages…
As I pray with women who are worried about feeding their children…
As I listen to a men tell about their worries and fears…
As I hold little Moses in my arms, with his sweet frail arms wrapped around my neck. As he runs to me and gives me huge pucker kisses, plays with my eye lashes, and runs his little fingers through my hair…
As 3 young amazing girls gather hands around me and pray for MY healing…
As I look into some of the children’s eyes and see so much pain…
As I sit and simply listen to the kids and their constant laughter…
…I am finding myself.
Hosea 6:1,
Hannah
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