Rich in Mercy

RICH IN MERCY
written by: joanna shippam


The sun was shining high in the sky and all the different shades of green in the grass were painted brilliantly on the hillside. There was a cool breeze blowing against my skin and I was dancing in circles with my arms raised and my long skirt twirling shouting "Zekomo Yesu!" which translates to, "Thank you Jesus!" in an African dialect. It was one of those days, one of those moments I will never forget. The beauty of this moment was emphasized by the company I shared it with. My companion. A young African girl from Malawi named Mercy. Mercy was, and is, one of the most beautiful, fun loving, joyful, free, and inspiring people I have ever met. She hasn't always been this way, however. Months earlier when we first met, she was shy, timid, scared, and ashamed.

I met Mercy when she was brought to San Diego by Cindy and Leroy Metzger, missionaries living near her village in Malawi. Mercy was the village reject. She walked around with her arm lifted to cover the lower portion of her face. Why? When Mercy was a young child she fell into a fire and her face was severely burned. Due to lack of medical care, an infection ate away the skin tissue, leaving her with most of her chin and bottom jaw missing, several missing teeth, and bad scarring on the corners of her mouth and cheeks. You can imagine what kind of problems this causes physically; trouble speaking, trouble eating, and a constant flow of drool on her clothing.

However, the true shame was caused by the poor treatment she received from her neighbors and family. The villagers thought that she had been cursed by the witch doctor and ultimately shunned her. When Cindy and Leroy first saw Mercy in Malawi they thought she was lovely and knew she was precious to God. They told Mercy's mother how beautiful her daughter was and she responded by pushing Mercy towards them and saying, "Do you want her?" The missionaries decided to bring her to America to give her the gift of a new smile through a series of reconstructive surgeries.

When she first arrived in America, it was obvious that she was overwhelmed with all the new sights and sounds of the city. The shame of her deformity was also obvious. In the beginning Mercy was shy and quiet; overwhelmed and confused by the positive attention she was receiving from people who didn't care what she looked like because they know she is loved and treasured by God.

It didn’t take long until Mercy started to unfold like a blooming flower. The immense amount of selfless love she received helped her realize for the first time that she is lovely and valuable. She transformed from the timid girl covering her face on the sidelines of her village, to the center of attention with her arms open wide and a huge smile on her face. Mercy felt the love of Jesus and was never the same. Someone once asked her, "If you could ask anything from God what would you ask?" Others might have expected her to ask God why her mother didn't love her, or why she had to grow up deformed and rejected, but she didn't ask any of those things. She said, "I would ask him to come into my heart." And that day, He did!

Words cannot express how much Mercy has been changed. In the beginning when I saw Mercy I would point to her, look in her eyes, and say "Congola" which means, "Beautiful" in her language. She would react to this by making a serious face and saying, "No, no congola," then pointing to me, "You congola". It hurt my heart that she was unable to feel how beautiful shewas. After a few months of consistently reminding her how congola she is, her response has evolved into a huge bright smile and a gracious, "Thank you!"

Now, let’s fast forward to that day on the hillside. Mercy and I were dancing and thanking Jesus for the warmth of the day, the birds flying around us, and the freedom to dance. Mercy taught me how to be free and unashamed as I thanked God for all the wonderful things He has done. Her childlike faith is an inspiration to all those who know her. When Mercy came to San Diego we knew God would use us to help and heal her. To our delight, God also used her to help us and heal us!Mercy is currently well underway in the surgery process and will be headed back to Malawi with Cindy and Leroy later this year to live with them and to continue the schooling she began here. She will be returning to Africa with a new and beautiful smile. But the real treasure she will be returning with is Jesus.

If you would like to learn more about Mercy's story and see more picture please visit: http://leroycindy. tripod. com/

Read the newsletter! Cindy and Leroy are personal friends of mine. They are active in changing lives in the same way they have changed Mercy's. On their site you can choose to donate to their ministry or receive a newsletter about all the wonderful things God is doing through their ministry of loving others.

Grand Opening: Letter from the Editor

"If we open ourselves to the despair and pain of the world, and if broken-hearted, we can still love the world, then we can become part of the medicine for the world." -Mary Pipher

Touchè is my dream manifested in the form of an online magazine. What is that dream you ask? Simple: To light up the spirits of the people who have been worn down by the human struggle. I believe our struggle rests in our relentless desire to survive, despite our coinciding circumstances. My heart goes out to individuals who are without love, without companionship, without another human being who acknowledges their existence. So many people in this world want to be seen, understood, accepted, and included. My dream is to share their stories, and hope that you connect in such a way that you open your heart to all other human beings.

When I was 9 years old, I was infatuated with being homeless. The idea that a person could live anywhere they wanted was fabulous. But something else also captured my curiosity. Who are these amazing, traveling people? What is their story? Where do they come from? Despite my interest, my parents were not really into me hanging out with homeless people at such a young age, so instead I wrote my first short story about a young girl struggling with her life on the streets. When it was complete, I shared my story with my friend’s mom, Amy. After the second page, she was in tears. Apparently, Amy had spent several of her teenage years on the streets struggling with drugs and alcohol. She connected with my words and my ending, which wrote of a woman reaching out to the young girl and bringing her into her own home. Amy remembered how painful those years were, how much she needed someone to acknowledge her existence, and show her the light she could not find for herself. Ten years later she was a magnificent mother of three talented children. She was leading bible studies and giving hope to others who needed it. Her story was powerful, but it might not have changed so dramatically if that one person had not heard Amy’s cry, felt her pain and offered their heart.

I learned that day that writing can connect us to each other. My job from that day forward was to tell stories that connected readers to all the people on earth, to show these people as the complicated human beings they really are, with histories, families, emotions and legitimate needs. That is what this magazine is about: connecting you with people who need you, sharing reasons why to love each other & inspiring ways to change the world, one person at a time.

"If we have no peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other."
-Mother Teresa

Our first article will be posted here on blogspot, on Friday, February 6th. Please befriend us on myspace or send us an email. This way you can receive updates on events to get involved with, and find out about new articles posted. Whoever you are, we want to meet you. Also, if you are already involved in an organization or are helping others through art, music, education, or activism please tell us! We need everyone’s support!

Sincere Thanks,

Arabella D’Acquisto
Editor-In-Chief