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From her bed in our Ebola Treatment Center in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 13-year-old Prisca experienced the love of Christ as she grieved the deaths of five family members.
Prisca’s fever and weakness could have been mistaken, at first, for grief. She was still at home when the symptoms came. Her aunt had just died after days of illness, surrounded by family who had gathered to comfort her.
Medical teams have been serving at our Ebola Treatment Center since the early summer.
Only afterward did they learn what had caused her relative’s death.
“We discovered later that she had died of Ebola, and that was the beginning of the torments in our family,” Prisca said.
By then the virus had already moved through the house. Prisca lost five family members. Prisca and her little sister, Faruha, also grew ill.
Ebola has been spreading across Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, since May. Radio broadcasts told families what early symptoms to watch for, and Samaritan’s Purse teams taught villages how to keep the illness from spreading. Sadly, despite these measures, the outbreak has grown into one of the largest the country has seen, with more than 10,000 confirmed cases and nearly 5,000 deaths.
On Monday, Sept. 14, Prisca and Faruha were admitted to the Samaritan’s Purse Ebola Treatment Center (ETC) in Bunia.
Prisca said our center’s chaplains encouraged her and her sister as they battled this terrible disease.
Staff conduct regular times of worship at the Ebola Treatment Center in Bunia.
“They supported me so much. They are servants of God. They helped me until I was able to get back on my feet,” she said. “If I were not in this ETC, my life would have taken a very negative turn.”
During her weakest days, staff members read to her from the Bible, applying God’s Word to her situation. Their presence was encouraging. Her strength began to come back, though slowly.
“I had come here to the ETC very weakened, but I have felt love in the way I am treated every day,” she said. “They feed me until I am full, they have prayed for me, and I receive teachings from the servants of God.”
Later, weeks after being admitted, the medical staff gave Prisca the news that she had recovered. Praise God!
Faruha, still a patient, was recovering too and nearly out of danger. To see to her sister and others in the ward, Prisca stayed longer, now that she was immune to the illness.
“I did not want to leave the ETC immediately,” she said. “I wished to stay to help my little sister and, at the same time, those who are still weak.”
She spent her days at Faruha’s side and encouraged other patients who were struggling the way she was a few weeks earlier. On the day that Faruha was released from the center, her sister also walked out with her.
“I greatly praise the Lord for my healing, because I have seen several people die, but He spared me,” she said. “There is still a mission for my life.”
She offered a blessing for the people who cared for her and her sister.
“May God bless all the Samaritan’s Purse staff for everything they do for us. Amen!”
Please continue to pray for the Democratic Republic of the Congo during these uncertain times. Ask God to stop the spread of the disease, spare lives, and protect our teams as they minister to suffering patients and their families in Jesus’ Name.
Prisca, left, and her younger sister, Faruha, are grateful to God for His healing at the Ebola Treatment Center.
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Samaritan’s Purse stands ready to respond at a moment’s notice whenever and wherever disaster strikes. We specialize in international disaster relief, meeting critical needs for victims of conflict, disaster, famine, and epidemics throughout the world, often working through ministry partners on the ground. We provide food, water, shelter, medicine, and other assistance in the Name of Jesus Christ.
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