Where do you turn when you need help? Whom do you trust in times of crisis?
Soccer is a favorite leisure-time activity here, and the boys from our neighborhood play on a field next to our house every free minute they have. One late afternoon while playing soccer, Romaric collided with another boy, badly injuring his knee. Toussaint immediately took Romaric to the nearby hospital where an x-ray showed that the knee was dislocated, but nothing was broken. Since Romaric was in severe pain, the doctor decided it was best to keep him on an IV painkiller for the night. In the morning, we planned to take him to another hospital to see a specialist who would reset the knee and decide if the leg should be immobilized. Romaric’s brother came to spend the night with him, and his mom sent food.
The next morning, we learned that Romaric’s parents were very upset with us for taking him to the hospital. Although we told them we would pay for the treatment, they refused to transfer him to the specialist and insisted on taking him to a witchdoctor instead. The hospital doctor, a kind, elderly man, was frustrated, but he told Toussaint not to argue with the parents. Sadly, he is used to people preferring witchcraft over medical treatment. So Toussaint let them go. All we could do was pray.
Later, we learned that the witchdoctor reset Romaric’s knee in a very painful procedure without any pain reliever (three people had to pin Romaric down). For about a month, he went to the witchdoctor every other day for treatment and ceremonies, although the witchdoctor had assured the family he would be back on his feet within three days. For about three weeks Romaric was hardly able to leave his house, except for visits to the witchdoctor. It was six weeks before he could return to school.
We don’t know how long it would have taken Romaric to heal if he had gone to the specialist, but that’s not the point. Romaric’s parents turned to the witchdoctor because they trusted him more than the white people’s science and a God they don’t know. We can’t really blame them for their worldview.
Soon, we will begin field testing our first series of Bible studies here in our neighborhood. We want to invite Romaric’s parents and others to learn about the God who is truly trustworthy, because He only wants the best for us—healing for body, mind and soul. Please pray that God will reveal Himself to our people.
