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"Me hu mennsa! Nyame meda woa asi!" Ekua
Bekyere repeated those words in her Fanti language after undergoing
sight-restoring cataract surgery at the International Aid-supported
Christian Eye Center in Cape Coast, Ghana, recently.
"I can see my hands now! God, I thank you!" Ekua, an 85-year-old widow,
traveled over an hour from her tiny coastal village of Dutch Komenda to
reach the Christian Eye Center. Due to cataracts, she no longer could
fetch water from the community well. Or cook in her daughter's kitchen. Or
see the faces of her 10 precious grandchildren.
She was seeking a miracle.... the gift of sight. She came to the right
place. After undergoing preliminary diagnostic tests in the morning,
a volunteer ophthalmologist performed surgery in the afternoon. A patch
was placed over her eye. Then she rested. And prayed. The next morning a
nurse cut the bandage away. Ekua was re-examined. There was no doubt about
the results.
"I knew if I put my trust in the Lord, He would provide and open my eyes,"
she said. "I am so happy and excited. Before I was so depressed.... my
family had to take care of all my needs. It's a miracle."
A miracle that is repeated often in Ghana through International Aid's
Christian Eye Ministry (CEM), which supports clinics in both Cape Coast
and Accra with training, volunteer eye professionals, supplies and
equipment.
Since 1987 CEM and its partner clinics have provided eye care services to
500,000 patients and restored the eyesight of 19,000 people in Ghana where
there are only 25 ophthalmologists in a country of 18 million.
International Aid is a health-focused, Christ-centered relief and
development agency located in Spring Lake, Michigan.
In early April, Rep. Peter Hoekstra from Michigan and other Congressmen
visited the Emmanuel Eye Clinic in Accra during their fact-finding trip to
Africa. Hoekstra came away impressed after a tour of the facility.
"I have long been a strong advocate of International Aid and its programs
and my visit to the Emmanuel Eye Center will enable me to be an even
better advocate," he stated. "The Christian Eye Ministry is a wonderful
collaborative effort which addresses both the medical and spiritual needs
of the people of Ghana. I was impacted by the level of professionalism and
compassion of the staff."
Ekua is now back in the kitchen, fixing the foods she has become famous
for. She can see the smiles on the faces of her grandchildren. She
can walk to the pristine beach and watch the boats return to shore with
their nets full of fish. "Nyame nhyrar wo - God bless you," she exclaims.
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