by Wendy Hofman, MD, an ophthalmologist at Bongolo Hospital of The Christian and Missionary Alliance in Gabon, Central Africa
When Emmanuel, a father of eight, arrived at Bongolo Hospital’s eye clinic recently, he was unable to see—except to differentiate between light and dark.
His wife had to lead Emmanuel everywhere. His friends had abandoned him; others mocked him.
Emmanuel (meaning “God with us”) had visited several medical providers in Gabon’s capital city. Since no one could offer treatment, his family had tried to get him to go see the local witchdoctor.
Emmanuel had heard about our eye clinic and insisted that he wanted treatment here. We currently perform about 70 percent of all cataract surgeries in Gabon as well as other types of eye care.
Shouts of Joy
When his eye patch was removed after surgery, Emmanuel shouted for joy—he could see again. He also made a first-time decision to invite Jesus into his life.
When I asked him why he decided to follow Christ, Emmanuel replied, “Why not? I didn’t know that I could ever see again. I have my life back!”
Learn More
Alliance international workers, like Dr. Wendy Hofman, along with more than 100 Gabonese personnel, serve at Bongolo Hospital of The Christian and Missionary Alliance of Gabon. In 2017, more than 40,000 patients were seen and 1,500 surgeries performed. On average, more than 100 come to Christ each month as result of this life-giving ministry.