Knock, knock, knock! I stirred in my sleep, then I realized that someone was knocking at our door. It was five in the morning. Steve got up, dressed and went to see who it was. Still a little groggy, he struggled to understand the Gogodala being spoken to him. It was the familiar voice of Wolfi, our dear elderly church member, trying to explain some symptoms he was having—at least that’s what we thought. Coughing, shortness of breath and weakness were the ones we could understand. Trying to think what to do for this dear friend to give him some relief, Steve reached out his hand and felt Wolfi’s forehead to see if it was hot.
“Na: pa:! Na: pa:!” Wolfi exclaimed. “Susa:gi!” (“Not me! Not me! Wife!”)

Certain that something was wrong with Genipa, Wolfi’s aging wife and our dear friend, I grabbed my stethoscope and thermometer and followed Wolfi and Steve down the dark path, accidentally kicking a few toads along the way. It was now 5:30 in the morning, and all we had to light the way was my flashlight. I was bewildered when we turned off the path and headed toward a small house by the lagoon instead of going to Wolfi’s house. “Where are we going?” I wondered. In the distance, I saw lantern light in a yard and the silhouettes of many people gathered there. “What is going on? Why is Genipa here instead of at her own house? Could this be a special ceremony for someone who is dying?” As we approached the house, dim light from a half dozen kerosene lamps in the yard revealed a crowd gathered in front of the veranda and three or four people standing around a sick woman who was sitting cross-legged on the deck. They had their hands on the woman as she swayed back and forth. Near us, I spotted Seyawa, our friend from church who lives across the lagoon. He said the commotion had awakened him, so he had paddled his canoe over to see what was going on. I asked him why all the people were gathered. He said they had come to pray.

Suddenly the place erupted into cacophony as a dozen people started praying at once. Their prayers intensified to a feverish pitch as though each was trying to out-pray the others in order to be heard. I quickly offered up a silent prayer that God would prevail and any evil forces present would be thrown out. I also asked for wisdom and divine guidance for the situation I was now involved in.

At last, the prayers died down with a final wail of, “O Lod!” In the stillness of that predawn hour, all eyes turned toward me, and a couple of the elders motioned for me to approach the woman. It was then that I discovered that it was not Genipa who was suffering but Ailama, a much younger woman. Why had Wolfi told us that his wife was sick? Steve later reminded me that susa:gi in the general sense also means woman and not just wife. This was a learning moment for us.

As I examined Ailama, it was obvious that she needed urgent medical attention. She was having an asthma attack and needed to get to the hospital soon. I quickly asked her if there was anyone who could take her to Balimo. “No,” she replied. It would be up to us get her there. I advised her family to pack her things while we prepared the dinghy.

Back at our house, Steve and Danny got things ready for the trip. I insisted that Steve eat breakfast before leaving. He would need strength. While he ate, Danny drove the dinghy to Ailama’s house to get her.

I noticed Nasa, one of our church elders, approaching our house. His wife was pregnant and due anytime to deliver. We had agreed to help him get his wife to the Balimo hospital when it was time for her to have the baby. She had been having contractions earlier in the week, so we were on alert. Sure enough, Nasa told me his wife was having strong contractions. She was ready to go to Balimo. What timing! If he had come ten minutes later, they would have missed the boat.

Nasa had considered coming to us earlier, but his wife preferred that he wait until daylight. We later learned that someone from Ailama’s had been sent to get us around 3:15 that morning. Karin told us she had heard knocking on our door, but Steve and I slept through it. If we had heard the earlier knocking, we would have helped Ailama sooner, and the boat would have been gone when Nasa and his wife really needed it.

In our haste to help, we committed a little faux pas. According to Gogodala beliefs, it is not good for a pregnant lady to ride in the same boat as a sick person. It means bad things will happen. One lady came along while we were loading the dinghy and insisted that the sick woman and the pregnant lady shouldn’t be riding together. I assured her that everything would be fine, telling her that the lady’s sickness was not contagious.

Fortunately, she accepted my explanation and began assisting wherever she could. Once everyone was safely in the dinghy and Steve had offered a prayer for traveling mercies and divine help and healing, they motored off for Balimo.
Now, both women and the newborn are happy and healthy. Praise the Lord!

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