By Juli McGowan Boit | Published: August 27, 2013
Hannah Bandi
1956 – 2007
I went this afternoon to sit with my friend named Hannah. She is 51 years old. She is married and has nine children. By the standards of the world, Hannah is poor. Over the past four years, a tumor has overtaken her face and parts of her brain leaving her body wasted and her face greatly disfigured. Her situation is full of loss and intense suffering. But this is not the whole story.
As I walked into her mud hut, I heard her voice saying, “Mtoto wangu, karibu sana.” which means, “My child, welcome so much”. I sat at Hannah’s bedside and saw how, even in the past five days, the tumor had grown noticeably larger around her eye and further into her mouth. Her speech was slurred but her spirit was full of life. She talked about how God continues to take care of her and then she waved her arms as she sang “Mungu yu mwema” – God is so good. She praised her daughters for the ongoing care they are providing to her as she is bedridden and dependent upon them 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is hard for me to imagine talking about God’s goodness when faced with such pain, and yet her words are not a cliché; they are her hope.
I went to encourage Hannah, but I also went because she has something I long for. Hannah is beautiful. If you were to see a picture of her, it would be impossible to see it, but there is a beauty that transcends and overshadows her appearance. Hannah knows the love of God, and it has cast out her fears. She is living in freedom and nothing in this world can take it away – not even death.
More than once, I have been humbled by the sweetness of God’s presence that rests upon this home. It causes me to be still and reminds me that God has not changed. Although questions remain unanswered, His faithfulness and love are not lessened by these struggles. As I sat with Hannah, I experienced the truth that God dwells in the praises of His people. In spite of the tumor that continues to grow in her face, Hannah’s hope remains in God. She expressed her gratitude to all who are praying for her and for her family. She declared that God continues to take care of her. I listened to her confidence as she sang the words “Mungu anaweza”, meaning “God is able.” And I felt God’s peace, which surpasses all understanding, ruling Hannah’s heart and mind.
For now, I only know in part, but I praise God for the privilege to learn from this journey I am walking with Hannah. Her life demonstrates the promise that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Hannah and I discussed that Jesus was preparing a place for us in Heaven where there would be no more tears, pain or death. I told her that if she reached Heaven first to go and greet our Father for me, and she assured me that she would. Again, as she had done before, she looked at me with compassion and told me not to worry. She said that God was taking care of us.
Written by Juli McGowan Boit in 2007, just weeks before Hannah’s death.
Photo courtesy of Adele Booysen.
Hannah is worth running for
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