Testimonies
Rumana
The Gospel sometimes requires a bridge of love for those hearing it to fully understand and accept the Way, Truth, and Life of Christ. Rumana has been that bridge of love needed to enter a certain Muslim community here in Zuime.
The day I met Rumana she was simply doing what she has done every day since she suffered a stroke at the age of 6, which was scooting on her bottom on the dirt road in front of her compound. Squatting down to say hello to Rumana, the first thing that met me was her heart-warming smile and big brown eyes. It was love at first sight which would be the foundation for a bridge of love into her whole community.
Rumana cannot stand, walk, or speak clearly, and has deformities on the left side of her body. Because of these disabilities, she is considered a social outcast and even burden within her own community and family. The morning I met Rumana, I was with the local church visiting house to house to share the love of God and encourage others on a Sunday morning. After meeting Rumana, the group I was with went inside her compound to meet her family. We learned that Rumana is the third of six children. Her mom was obviously overwhelmed by the responsibilities of single handedly caring for six children because the husband had three other wives he was involved with.
We enquired about Rumana’s medical history, but it was obvious we were not fully welcome at the compound because we were strangers asking intimate details. The Lord opened an amazing opportunity to build a trust with this family through Rumana. How he did that was allowing me to present the mom with the idea of me coming every day to bath and spend time with Rumana in order to help relieve some of the burden she had taking care of the other children.
Naturally, she was hesitant about the suggestion, but by the grace of God she agreed to it. So, to her surprise I showed up the next day at 4 pm, with a bucket, sponge, soap, and some peanut butter. Hundreds of daily visits to Rumana’s compound followed. It became obvious that Rumana had been craving and needing attention and love. The consistent visits also slowly broke down walls and barriers that her mother and other women in the community had towards outsiders. Several months later I remember walking into Rumana’s compound and feeling overwhelmed by the grace of God to have such a close and trusting relationship with this community that was so hesitant about people outside their own faith at first. Our whole relationship was based on smiling and hand gestures, but I know God can speak through all forms of communication to draw others to Him.
Since I came back to Ghana in February, I was not able to visit Rumana as often because I did not live as close to her anymore. Each time I would come to visit after a few days and sometimes weeks of not coming around, I had a fear that our special relationship might be hindered, but she always lit up no matter what!
Now that I have found a new place to settle here in Zuime, I am able to go visit the community more often. The bridge of love that Rumana has made possible into her community has allowed the Gospel of Christ be expressed in various ways among several people in her community. Her mom who is a burdened mother of 6 that has let her guard down and allowed herself to smile and has even committed to learning English twice a week.
The compound across from Rumana has two women that I have become close with in my time here. These two women are sisters-in-laws. These two women were both married off at a young age because it is part of their culture. They have both shared with me how they wish they could have stayed in school longer and finished, but because of their duties to their family they were forced to marry. I have been able to share with them about Christ and how He loves us, they listen but have yet to let go of their own beliefs that they have to earn God’s love through their rituals. The reason I can be so open with them and talk so freely about these things is because of the bridge of love that all started with Rumana.
Just recently, the mother and mother-in-law of these women died from a long and grueling journey from being sick with cancer. It was a heartbreaking experience. My heart broke not just because she died, but because I knew that this woman never accepted Christ and was now eternally separated from Him. This is the reality that faces all my dear sisters in this community. Please join me in prayer that the Word of God will take root in the lives of these women and that they will leave the endless cycle of trying to please God by works rather than accepting His grace upon their lives
