Talk about homecoming !!! I got to meet the little girl, well, not so little any more, she's 15 years old now. But Grace is the one that Anita had written about that she could not forget. Grace had a....
Well let me just share it in Anita's words:
GRACE
by Anita Tarlton
Wadesboro, North Carolina
Written in June, 2003
Grace.
Her name is Grace.
I saw her for the first time last summer. She stood apart from the other children, watching us as we walked through the dusty paths in her village of Potwabin. Her eyes never left us; they were deep pools of brown that locked into mine. She was about 8 years old.
It was only after I returned to the USA that I realized I didn’t know her name. Her eyes had never left mine, yet I had not asked her name. I thought of her often throughout the year, wondering how she was.
I was thrilled to learn that we’d return to Potwabin this year. While the team’s main purpose in the visit was to bring food and clothing to the children and more firmly establish ties between the church and the village, *my* main purpose was to find out that little girl’s name. We drove as close as we could, but had to leave the van and walk because the road had washed out about a half-mile away. As we approached the town, I saw children clustered on benches beneath a make-shift palm-branch shelter that served as their schoolroom. I scanned the crowd of children until I found her.
She was easy to spot. When I asked, “Ye fro we sen?” (What is your name?), her eyes sparkled and then her hands fluttered to her face as a reflex. She replied, “Ye fre me Grace.” (They call me Grace.)
You see, Grace has a cleft palate. Her nose and mouth combine create a hole in her face. I wondered how on earth she’d survived, how she’d learned to eat, how she’d learned to talk. How she had learned to cope with being “different”.
Grace. Her name is Grace.
We held hands as we walked through her village. We ambled past mud huts topped with palm leaf roofs, and past the goats grazing in the sunshine. We walked among the mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers who were going through the daily routines in the hot sweltering sunshine of an African midday. I wondered how much – if any – those routines had changed in the past hundred years in this village that had no electricity, running water, or automobiles. I felt both honored and humbled to be guided through this village by this precious little girl, Grace.
Her name is Grace.
As custom demanded, we sat and visited with the town’s chief and elders. Grace sat in my lap, clutching my hand. Her eyes sparkled and smiled into mine. When it was time for us to leave, I felt that all-too-familiar ache in the back of my throat as my eyes stung with tears that blurred my vision. She walked with me back to our van, squeezing my hand along the way. I slipped a little money into her hand, instructing her to give it to her mother. As we drove away in the dust, I watched her waving at me until I could no longer see her.
I wonder sometimes.
I wonder why I feel so overwhelmed at times.
I wonder why God takes me to these places and connects me with people in the way He does. I know He is ultimately in control, and has a plan; yet, still I wonder.
I wonder if Grace knows I care about her.
I wonder if Grace knows I have seen her in my thoughts hundreds of times.
I wonder if Grace knows that I pray for her every single night.
Grace. Her name is Grace.
Author’s note:
Grace lives in Potwabin, Ghana. This is a small village near Mankessim. I have maintained contact with Grace through Rev. James Godlly at Christ Harvests the Nations Ministry in Tema. If you feel led to help Grace, please contact me at weministry2@gmail.com, and I will put you in contact with Rev. Godlly. God bless you all for the work you do.
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GRACE, TODAY
Anita A. Tarlton
June, 2005
I sent Grace’s story and photograph to many people and organizations, trying to find her some help. Eventually, I received an email from a lady at Operation Blessing, a part of the 700 Club. They asked how to get in contact with Grace; they had a doctor in Ghana that could help her! Praise God!
A quick telephone call overseas to Rev. Godlly connected the him with the doctor. A team of people from Operation Blessing, including the doctor, were taken to Potwabin to visit Grace and her village. Grace was taken back to Tema where she was examined. In March 2005, she underwent surgery to repair her face! She is currently having speech therapy and taking extra classes to catch her up in school.
But that is not the end of the story. The Operation Blessing team noticed there was no running water in the village. A part of their ministry includes digging wells to provide water. Because of Grace, the village now has a well with clean running water! And now, that they have a well, the government of Ghana is allowing them to receive electricity, and the preliminary wiring has begun for that project.
All because of Grace.
Today, Grace is a beautiful, happy 12-year-old.
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Well, happy to update you with news from 2008 and the state of GRACE !
I also learned and saw a nut from which Canola Oil is pressed out of. Fascinating!
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We visited Elmina castle which is where the point of no return for many men and women took place in the slave trade many years ago. I really just don't want to glorify anything about this disgusting place and it's atrocities. If you want to know more, check it out on the web. Below is one link.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmina_Castle
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Can't end on a sour note, not me, The Eternal Optimist!
Anita had a GREAT day. Your prayers have been answered and we believe we have a solution to the malaria pill nervousness.
It was a wonderful day, full of adventure, joy and sadness. Beyond the van driver scaring the bejeezes out of us, we're looking forward to going at it again tomorrow!
Peace out -
David Lee Waters Sr.,
Ghanaian in the making!
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1 comment:
Hey Dave,
Still enjoying your blog.
Great picture of Anita and the two girls. Good to see an updated photo of Grace too.
Hey, please don't eat the goat!
Take care.
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