Written by Tom, Dr. Schanzer's husband
February 6, 2007
Cathy and I arrived in the small village
of Serabu, Sierra Leone, West Africa, thirteen days
ago on Christmas Eve. Serabu is a wonderful community
that has an equal number of Christians (mostly Catholic)
and Muslims. Interestingly, Southern Eye Clinic is
located between the only two churches in the village--Sacred
Heart Catholic Church to the left and Central Mosque
of Serabu to the right.
One of the cataract patients this morning is Mr. Mohamed
K. Jalloh, the Chief Imam of this Muslim community.
His surgery has a great outcome. As a part of the
surgery, Cathy implanted a multi-focal intraocular
lens which allows him to see clearly both in the distance
and near. He is elated and bursts into a spontaneous
prayer of thanksgiving and praise to God. Later in
the afternoon, following their Friday prayer service,
more than two hundred Muslims parade from the Mosque
and crowd into the clinic to meet “Dr. Cathy”,
to thank her and her staff for their good work, and
to pray over Cathy so that God will continue to bless
and guide her surgical skills. With open arms, a melodious
chant continues for several minutes. We understand
the message of their prayers and are impressed by
the facial expressions of their devotion. At last
they cover their faces with their hands and give praise
to Allah a final time. The next fifteen minutes are
filled with personal blessings, hugs and hand shakes
as they joyfully exit the clinic. This day begins
our most intimate encounter with the local Muslim
community since we opened our clinic.
We are humbled by the strong faith of our Sierra Leone friends and in particular the prayer habits of our Serabu villagers. Southern Eye Clinic begins every morning with a prayer-filled devotion to God, thanking Him for the air in our lungs and opportunity to serve Him another day. This devotion routine was a spontaneous occurrence among the patients that occupied our clinic on its first day of service, one year ago today. These morning devotions are the same each day: Christians and Muslims praying together in celebration of the blessings of God, ending with an exchange of peace between all the participants.
A few days later I was invited to tour the Mosque and local Muslim school. My escort and host was Brami Jalloh, son of the Chief Imam. Brami speaks English and I learned about their past struggles and future dreams. We ate fresh casaba while sitting on the Chef Imam’s porch of their thatched-roof, mud-blocked home. Their young children were curious and giggling about the “big white man”. They rubbed my arms and stroked my beard to experience some of the strange texture of their honored guest. At the end of this warm afternoon visit, I was given a bag of raw potatoes and a promise of cooked casaba for tomorrow’s lunch. We have become good friends and prayer partners. Each day, for the remainder of our trip, Brami had several Muslim friends to check on as Cathy’s heavy surgical load continued. Several days turned into late nights as Cathy would finish her last case after midnight. Brami was ever present and our visits were always interesting.
In this time of world chaos and paranoia about our relationship with the Muslim community, Cathy and I have been blessed with this slice of Heaven called Serabu, where Christians and Muslims embrace each other and pray together in humble thanksgiving to the glory of God.
“Tell Papa God Tenki!"
