|PIC1|That was the year Victorie noticed a lump on the left side of her neck. At first she tried to ignore it, but after three years it became considerably larger. A doctor at a nearby hospital told her that an operation would be too difficult and too dangerous to attempt.
Desperate and bewildered, she turned to a traditional healer for help. A concoction of liquids was prescribed, and the cutting of skin began. Victorie found herself continually shouting day and night and struggling to sleep. Eventually she went blind, probably as a result of the potions she was drinking. And the tumour continued to grow.
|PIC2|One night Victorie had a vision. She heard a voice telling her she was going astray. Remembering that night, Victorie says, "It was the voice of God. He told me I must come back to him, and then I would be healed." She prayed, "God, I cannot work, I cannot see, and I feel pain. If only you can help me to be healed, I will go to a place in the village to serve you."
She felt peaceful for the first time in years. She mustered her strength and went for a walk in the village. She met a friend and asked if there was a place where she could go to serve Jesus. The friend told her about a church where her husband had experienced a miraculous healing of his leg. Victorie immediately went to the church and asked the pastor to pray for her. He did, and she accepted Jesus as her Saviour – and her sight was restored!
Now Victorie was able to work and sleep once again – in spite of the pain caused by the tumour. But soon a different set of problems arose. Her husband and children were unhappy about her newfound faith. They abandoned her, leaving her to care for her youngest son, four-year-old Hignin, alone. Unable to support herself and her son, she returned to her father's house.
Again Victorie turned to prayer, "God, only you can send the one to help me. If you do this for me I will testify to others of the good you can do. "
In 1995 she went to another hospital. This time a doctor agreed to operate, but the surgery was not successful. Only a part of the tumour was removed, and the remaining part grew more rapidly than before. Feeling utterly hopeless, Victorie considered buying a bottle of rat poison to end her life and her suffering.
The years passed. Hignin was now old enough to support himself. He and one of his brothers rented a house for their mother to live in.
And now she sat in church. After the sermon, the weekly notices were given. An organization called Mercy Ships was mentioned. In a few weeks, a ship would be docking in the port of Cotonou, Benin, to offer free medical care. Victorie's heart leapt. Then her son phoned to tell her about a hospital ship that might be able to help her.
She attended the screening day with hundreds of other people. It had taken a turbulent 21 years to get to this point. Now she stood in the queue, patiently waiting, wondering whether her prayers would finally be answered.
And her prayers were answered. As she sat in a hospital bed onboard the Africa Mercy after the tumour was successfully removed, she declared, "I am fine now. I don't feel pain. I pray that God will continue to use the surgeons and give them wisdom."
The story of Victorie's answer to prayer and her healing has already begun to spread through churches in Benin. Victorie doesn't know what her future holds, but she is confidently at peace. She says, "I have no idea where I am going. It is not for me to decide about tomorrow. All I ask is that I have a place to call home and a full belly, so that I can serve God until my last day."
Mercy Ships is an international Christian charity that has operated hospital ships in developing nations since 1978. Following the example of Jesus, Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the poor, mobilizing people and resources worldwide.
The emphasis is on the needs of the world's poorest nations in West Africa, where the hospital ship Africa Mercy provides the platform for services extending up to ten months at a time. Mercy Ships has 14 support offices around the world, including the Australian office on the Queensland Sunshine Coast.
www.mercyships.org.au