Manna For Eliya

On Monday afternoon, while Eric was driving one of our ministry partners (Celmpilo) home, he asked if they could stop to visit a go-go (SiSwati for grandmother) on her homestead. Celmpilo explained to Eric how he had heard of this elderly woman in his neighborhood. He had gone to visit her on Sunday and wanted Eric to meet her.

When Celmpilo and Eric arrived on the homestead, the go-go was sitting in the dirt outside, peeling the green leaves off of some kind of weed which grows wild around here. It is basically only good for animals to graze on. This woman was preparing grass for the family meal. Celmpilo introduced Eric to the go-go, Eliya. Through Celmpilo’s translation, Eliya told her story:

Eliya lives on this homestead with her two granddaughters, ages twelve and seven. The seven year old is HIV postitive. The girls’ parents have both passed away due to HIV/AIDS. Eliya is in her seventies. She has been a widow for several years. Her arm appears crippled and bent, held up in a homemade sling. Eliya explains that approximately four months ago she fell and broke her shoulder. She was taken to a hospital by a neighbor and was treated. Follow up treatment was required to properly set the shoulder bone in the socket. Eliya had no money to pay for the initial consultation or any follow up visits. Therefore, the shoulder has not healed properly and Eliya is in constant pain, with very limited mobility.

Eliya also explains that she is, in fact, preparing the weeds/grass to cook for her and the children to eat. She says there is rarely any money for food. Because she is an elderly widow taking care of orphans, she does receive a small stipend from the government three times a year. It totals out to $30 a month…yes, that is right…this old woman and her two granddaughters live on thirty dollars a month. THAT IS ONE DOLLAR A DAY. Eliya says that every day she prays to God, and every day he provides something for them to eat. “It is like manna” she states. Today, it seems, manna came in the form of grass. Eric asked to see inside the tiny hut, which is caving in on one side. Eliya shows them inside and points to the mats on the hard, dirt floor where the three of them sleep.

“Each night, when it rains or the wind blows hard, I am afraid the walls will collapse onto us.” Eliya states, “If we died in the night, crushed by our house, nobody would know we were in here. There is no one.” The place is made out of sticks, mud and rocks. It collapsing is only a matter of time.

At this point, Eric is overwhelmed by the incredible need represented by this woman and her two grandchildren. There is, in fact, no food in the dwelling. Nothing. You know when you open your cupboard or refrigerator at home and say: “We have nothing to eat in this place…” ? Well, this woman had literally nothing. Not. A. Thing.

He tells Eliya that he is going to go to the grocery store and purchase some food for her. He asks her if there is anything special, a treat, that she might enjoy? After a moment of thought, her eyes lit up and she said: “I would like a Coca-cola!”

After returning to the homestead with several bags of groceries, Eric gives Eliya her simple request; an icy cold bottle of Coke! Eliya immediately gave praise and thanks to the Lord, for His provision. She knows He heard her prayer and was answering it.  At least for the next couple of weeks we know this family will have food to eat. What about when it runs out?

Monday night we prayed together as a family, along with Dan and Leah Luyk (friends here with us from Michigan until December) and Brandon (another missionary here for six months). We all asked the Lord to show us how to best help this woman and her granddaughters. In a place where every person you meet has some level of need, this family literally needed everything. Where do you even begin?

Tuesday morning, we were able to bring Eliya to the hospital that originally treated her for the broken shoulder. We have promised to pay her outstanding bill so that they will continue to treat her. They took new X-rays and it was determined that her shoulder has been dislocated (again) and arthritis has begun to form where things did not heal properly. The doctor was amazed at how this woman has tolerated it for so many months. “She must be in excruciating pain.” He said. The course of treatment is that Eliya was admitted to the hospital yesterday and will be examined by the surgeon to determine if they can operate and correct the problem. Otherwise, she may need to be referred to an orthopedic surgeon/specialist at a larger hospital.

This is only the beginning. Eliya and her granddaughters need our help. They really need a new house. They need food provided for them on a regular basis. This is especially crucial with the seven year old, who is on antiretroviral drugs to treat the HIV. Those medications must be taken with food. They are growing girls, they will need clothing and shoes. Eliya will certainly have ongoing medical issues. She is an old woman. Who will take care of these girls when she dies? The list goes on and on.

It struck me, as Eric was repeating the story to me, when Eliya made the statement about the house falling down on top of them and nobody knowing they were inside. God would know. He sees this beautiful lady and these precious children. As I was waiting in the hospital with her yesterday, several hours of confusion and chaos that is the Swaziland health care system, I prayed. I prayed that when I look at this vulnerable (yet amazingly resilient) old woman, I would see my own go-go looking back at me. I prayed that the Lord would constantly remind me: this woman is my family. He sees her and I seated next to one another and He doesn’t see how we are different; He sees how we are the same. “For God so loved the world, He sent His one and only Son…”