If someone asked me for one reason why they should support HEAL, I would answer instantly, “the Messengers of Justice”! The Messengers of Justice (MOJ) religious order, founded by Deacon Leo Okonkwo with the spiritual charism of Jesus’ Self-Emptying (cf. Phil 2:6-11), carries out the day-to-day programs that make HEAL’s mission present in the world.
In my travels to Nigeria, I’ve witnessed and joined the MOJ’s in work and prayer. I can only say that these sisters are the real deal! Among so many examples I could highlight, I recall one missionary outing that I participated in this past April. Sisters Ann and Linda took me to visit one elderly woman in the village of Mbaise, “mission central” for many of HEAL’s educational and poverty relief activities.
As we walked through fields and under palm trees to the thatched home, Srs. Ann and Linda explained to me how this woman had been tending her garden one day when she felt a burning sensation on her legs. After some time, her condition became so bad that she couldn’t walk as the skin on her legs deteriorated. The woman and her children speculated that someone in the village sprayed her garden crops with some harmful chemical as a way of attacking her!
We entered the house and saw the woman in her condition, which she told us was slowly improving. I was moved by how Srs. Ann and Linda comforted her and then invited all of us to form a circle for prayer. We prayed for several minutes as the MOJ’s lead us in a true spirit of devotion and love, asking God for healing and also for the conversion of the unknown perpetrator. As we finished, the woman was so happy and content I realized that it was God who visited her that day!
I’ve learned that one of life’s spiritual ironies that God is often found in places you normally wouldn’t want to be. When you make the leap of going to such places, you begin to see and know God like the MOJ’s do — up close and personal!