Meet Mesay!
Meet Mesay. She is the mother of BCI child, Estifanos Tariku. Mesay has recently been blessed by God with a wheelchair, by way of a short-term missionary named Donna White from South Carolina. About eight years ago Mesay tragically discovered that the sickness she had been fighting with began hindering her ability to walk. She went to the doctor and found out that she had nerve problems in her lower back which caused her inability to walk.
At the time, Estifanos was only 2 years old. In fact, she told me it was approximately one month after his 2nd birthday that she became crippled. She was kind enough to show me a picture of them behind a table decorated for his birthday. In the picture she is standing behind him as he surveys his birthday table.
Even though she was now a crippled widow raising a two year old, she was lucky enough to have been living in her new home where her Christian and Orthodox neighbors helped in any way they could getting her to church or the markets or taking care of little Estifanos. Perhaps God has shown her this blessing or might one day reveal it to her: The blessing of having to move to that new house.
Her father was (and probably still is) a drunk and her brother has rage. One day in particular – the day that drove her away from her home and to the city of Debre Zeit – her brother, full of anger, decided to beat up her and her mother. The only thing Mesay could do then was to cry out for help, but even that attempt at rescue was cut short when he grabbed her throat, breaking part of her neck which prevented her from screaming anymore. Mesay’s brother beat their mother so much that she was driven to a coma where she stayed for around a year.
It was this reason she packed whatever possessions she had and left to Debre Zeit. She now lives in fear of her brother who lives only an hour away. She requests prayer for protection and safety in this matter.
She is now living in a different home in Debre Zeit since moving here, away from the kind neighbors who helped her before. Her only helper now is a lady who comes in occasionally to help where needed and look after her when Estifanos is at school. But Mesay and Estifanos look forward to being able to get around town with the use of Mesay’s wheelchair – even if Estifanos is a little scared about the idea of pushing his mom around the busy streets. Even still, he is excited about God’s gift of the wheelchair.
However, Satan never likes when God’s children are blessed or when God is praised. It has been about two weeks since she has gotten her wheelchair, but has been unable for the most part to use it due to the flu and other sicknesses that have attacked her. She hopes to be able to praise Christ’s resurrection on the day of their Easter on the compound of their church Easter program. What a praising that will be when she remembers the resurrected life of her Savior who also has given saving life and now new life that comes with her wheelchair!
So please pray with us for her safety and health. Pray also that Mesay and her son will be able to get accustomed to the new wheelchair and be able to go to church and the market without problem.
Mesay & her son, Estifanos
Blessing the Children International 