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 Abner,
a victim of polio as a child, was a 14-year-old boy
who could not walk. Since contracting polio at age
seven, he spent his days crawling on the ground.
When some visiting short-term missionaries met him
at a missionary school in Nigeria, they began to
look for ways to help.
Abner’s
parents are Nigerian missionaries, ministering to
Muslims and unreached peoples in an area where
schools and medical facilities are inadequate. SIM
missionaries have been working with Evangelical
Mission Society (EMS), the mission arm of
Evangelical Churches of West Africa (ECWA), to
provide a good education and a loving and safe
environment for the children of their missionaries.
Seeking
Medical Help
Through the inquiry and help of the visiting team,
Abner was admitted into an orthopedic hospital in
the city of Kano, four hours away. The treatment
began with traction, the process of connecting the
legs to a weight to slowly straighten them. Because
Abner’s legs had been bent and unused for seven
years, this took weeks and was extremely painful.
After the traction process was complete, doctors
operated to release the contraction in his hips and
placed his legs in casts. Throughout the process,
there was no guarantee about the outcome.
Our nurse was able to
visit Abner just before Christmas. Even though he
had been in the hospital for so many months, he was
positive and thankful. He had made close friends
with the other patients and the staff, and everyone
loved him. They enjoyed many hours together
coloring, talking, and reading. Our nurse left
thankful and excited to see what God was going to do
for Abner.
He
Can Walk!
On January 13, she received one of the best calls of
her  life.
Abner’s doctor called to say that he was able to
walk! He is assisted by the use of leg braces and
crutches, but he is no longer crawling on the
ground.
When Abner
traveled to his village to meet his family, his
father wept with happiness, and many people in the
village called Abner’s walking a miracle. This
visible work of God is showing His love and power to
many who do not know Him.
When Abner
returned to Jos, he was greeted by more than 100
fellow classmates who began dancing and crying and
laughing, praising God that their friend was
walking! When our nurse saw him walking towards her,
she was filled with awe at God’s goodness and love
for this precious boy, and began to cry tears of
joy.
Abner
wants to follow in the footsteps of his father and
be a missionary pastor when he grows up. “Abner,
may you not only walk, but run to tell people about
Jesus!”
Submitted by Peter Fretheim, Nigeria
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