Our friend, B, braved the officials at the barriers on each side of the border, as well as braving a return to the town she was chased out of about 2.5 years ago. She needed to come to our mission hospital for treatment of a very badly infected foot. At one point we were wondering if she would need an amputation, but thanks to prayers and the persevering treatment and care of the hospital staff, she returned to her home on Thursday, with an almost completely healed foot. As we pulled up to her home, you should have seen the joy of her family! She and her daughter (who went along to cook and care for her) had been gone over 2 months. The kids, jumping up and down and smiling, grabbed her hands and led her around to the back of the house where her room is. It was interesting to watch how her husband greeted her, as it is very important in their culture to not show emotion. It is a rare sight indeed to see a husband and wife even touching hands. As she came around from behind the truck, getting her bags, her husband passed her, and calmly said “Hello”. That’s all. “Hello.” Not even a handshake, but certainly a slight grin. While the grandkids climbed all over her in her room, we 3 missionaries who had brought her home were invited in to the husband’s living room – read: bare brick walls with a mud floor with mats to sit on, a bench and a plastic chair. We were treated royally by the hubby and 2 of his brothers and 2 of his adult sons. We were fed hot sugary tea and plenty of food, and we had a very sweet time of talking and laughing and most importantly sharing about how thankful we are to the God who loves each one of us.
