It was a blazing hot afternoon, and Christophe needed to take a break from the heat of the sun.
Indoors, it felt like an oven, so he moved to the courtyard and stretched himself out under the shade of a lofty silk tree. Just as he was drifting off to sleep, a jarring ring broke through the tranquility.
It was his phone. He answered the call, and a panicked voice on the other end implored him to get moving. Assana, the first believer from a remote village in Benin, had lost consciousness and needed to be rushed to the hospital. No one knew what was wrong with her, but her situation was critical, and every second counted. Christophe jumped up, threw on the first pair of shoes he found and grabbed the keys to his motorcycle. Over the next 48 hours, he would cover 214 miles as he did his best to help Assana.
First, he sped to her village and picked her up. Then he carried her to the nearest hospital, about 35 miles away.
Upon arrival, he realized that he needed an interpreter because he couldn’t speak the local language to communicate with the medics. He got back on his bike and rode 16 miles to another village where Gounou, an interpreter and church planter, lives. When Christophe got to the homestead, he was told that Gounou was 3 miles away, digging up cassava on the family farm. Christophe rode there, picked Gounou up, and rushed back to the hospital.
Eventually, Assana received the care she needed and began recuperating. The next day, a tired Christophe took Gounou back to his homestead before riding back home himself. There, he was pleased to find the shade of the silk tree waiting. His heart was filled with gratitude to God for Open Eyes. It was through the generosity of Open Eyes donors in providing a motorcycle that he had been able to obey the Lord and minister to a new believer by caring for the sick.