A centre for the formation of the visually impaired was recently opened in the parish of Mokolo Mboua in the North of
Cameroon.  The centre is for children and adults from the ages of 7 to 35 and is open to people of all faiths.  It has been functioning for the past two years and there are 22 pupils in the first and second years of formation. The students learn to read and write using Braille and they also learn to do handcrafts such as basket making, embroidery and furniture making.

The director is called Emmanuel.  He is visually impaired himself; is married to Angele and has a daughter called Stephanie.  He always says to me: “I call my wife “light” because she really brought light with her when she came to my house”.

One day I was asked to give religious lessons in the centre. I asked myself how I was to do this.  This was a totally new experience for me.  However in spite of fears, I began the task.  We began by introducing ourselves and then I asked them: Who is God for us? No one has ever seen God, not even those who are sighted.  In this sense we are all equal.  We can only imagine who God is and each one has his/her own experience of God.  God is the One who loves us and has created us in God’s own image.  We see God with the eyes of the heart.  Our hearts need to be enlightened in order to know God’s love.  And God loves us just as we are.

Our first meeting was good and I marvelled at the intelligence and insight of my pupils.  At the end of the year when we did the evaluation, one of them said to me:   

“Sister what has stayed with me is the thought that even though I cannot see, nevertheless I can see and meet God with the eyes of my heart”.

This was a beautiful, profound experience, which has been engraved on my heart.

Mary Ranee

Community of Nazaret