Witnessing A Miracle
November 7, 2021
Kim calls with news from Neema Village.
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A mom has come to Neema begging for help. A few years ago, her husband had gone to work in the mines and there was a cave in. He and nine other men were buried and their bodies never found.
You can see it in her face as she talks, there is no closure for this mom; she is still hoping he will come walking in the door someday.
Her name is Anna Francis but we call her Mama Neema. She has four children; the oldest girl is named Neema. One year after she lost her husband, Neema fell into the fire and was burned over much of her body. Many Africans still cook on a wood fire on the floor in the middle of their homes and children being burned is a common problem. Neema’s hands and arms did not heal well and her fingers were frozen like claws.
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Mama Neema had sold everything she owned to pay for surgery to help Neema’s elbows bend but her hands are still needing surgery. She had been at Plaster House and was recently released and had nowhere to go. Flora, one of our MAP moms who was there learning to walk without four toes from a burn, told her about Neema Village. (Flora, below, after her surgery)
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So Mama Neema came begging. The family has been sleeping on the floor of friend’s houses. They have nothing.
Kim was with Anna, our MAP director, as Mama Neema told them her story. (Below, Kim and Anna out interviewing another mom)
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When the mother realized that Neema Village was not only going to help with her immediate needs, that we were going to give her a place to live while she got back on her feet, that we would start her in a business to help her take care of her family and that we would help pay for the surgery for Neema’s hands, she fell on her knees, arms raised in Praise, and began crying and shouting “I’m saved, Praise God, I’m going to live!”
There are no words adequate to describe moments like this. “This woman received a miracle and Anna and I got to witness it,” Kim said. Knowing Kim and Anna, there were no dry eyes in that room that day!
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Kim says, “To see God’s miracles in your own life is an incredible thing. Witnessing a miracle in someone’s else’s life, right in front of your eyes, is nothing short of a Gift from God.” That He lets us be administrators of His Incredible Grace is our beautiful gift! I sometimes think we are just like a great big “God funnel.” He funnels it in and we get to funnel it out!!
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On that same day Social Welfare brought in another mother with her new baby (Kasim, Above). The mother is very young but is a prostitute on the streets and does not want the baby. She said, “You take him or I will put him on the street. I can have four men a night and make 50,000 shillings a night, I cannot have a baby.”
Anna tried to talk her into staying with the baby at Neema Village for one night. “Just give us one night,” Anna pleaded. She told her about our MAP program and that she could have a different life but it remains to be seen if she will stay and if she will keep the baby. Please be praying that God’s love for her will reach this young mother’s heart.
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Two other new babies came to Neema Village this week, Nasiri (above) and Philbert (below). Kim says, let’s just call him Little Bert. I don’t know their stories. I will get those later. The baby home is a full house, so be praying for the Nannies, too!
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From the highs and lows of daily life at Neema Village, a day can leave you breathless one minute and exhausted the next. But this is not unusual, it is what we do by God’s Overflowing Grace.
As we head back to Africa and the babies and moms at Neema Village please remember our personal mailing address (Not the Neema Village mailing address) is now :
Michael and Dorris Fortson
524 Tynes
Robinson, TX 76706
We hope you get to see a miracle this week; if not, be one for someone else!
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