FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA” DATE:SEPT. 9, 2014
ZITO IS WALKING!!!!
Zito, now 13 years old, has been in a wheelchair for 5 years after a soccer accident crippled him with a fractured femur at 8 years of age.
It was not set well since no doctors existed in this District at that time, causing it to heal very crooked. He was unable to straighten his left leg. When we met Zito 4 years ago, he was severely anemic, suffering from staph boils, and extremely malnourished. It has been a long road to this point, as his body didn’t seem to want to correct the anemia even with vitamins, a high protein diet, and Hypo (super high protein instant cereal packed with many vitamins for malnourished children). PERSISTENCE is the name of the game with Zito!
We prayed for his healing but nothing happened, until I got a visit from his Pastor yesterday. Pastor Ramadan raced to my house after church on his motorbike to tell me that ZITO had WALKED the length of the church in front of everyone! It was too late to go out to his home yesterday afternoon, as it is 8 miles into the bush, so the Balama Blazers and I went out today to see for ourselves.
Pastor Ramadan interpreted Zito’s story of what made the sudden change in his legs.
Zito stated that he woke up one morning last week and just “KNEW” that he could walk. He told no one, not even his mother, and after she left to go fetch water, he tried his legs AND THEY WORKED! He couldn’t manage to take more than a few steps at first, but said that after a few days, he could walk from their house to their cooking room (about 25 feet/8 meters). On Saturday he told his mother, who didn’t believe him! She demanded to see it for herself. ZITO WALKED for her and then for the entire church yesterday (Sept. 7th).
Today when we arrived, he was more than eager to show us that he is getting stronger and able to walk a good distance. His left knee remains bent from constrictures, as that is the way his leg healed, but he is walking on it without pain! He also states that the pain he use to have in his good leg has also gone away. He never walked on the crutches we gave him because weight bearing on his good leg was too painful.
It’s not a perfect healing–YET! But watching him walk tells me that there is more to come as he exercises, for I can see that his bent left knee looks to be straightening out more and more with each step. His entire body is stronger than I’ve seen it in the entire 4 years I’ve known him, and his anemia is almost gone.
For the first time, I saw a true smile in his face, as I told him how proud I am of him.
He rarely smiles, but that little grin told me our boy Zito is on the mend!
Jesus gave Zito the “go ahead” and now that little boy is moving out with every ounce of strength he has.
THANK YOU JESUS!
Blessings, Bush Bunny Brenda in Balama