Spiritual Battles

The longer we stay in Sierra Leone, the easier it is to see the spiritual warfare.

Every time that someone moves into a new office in our hospital, the staff gather for a prayer of dedication. It didn’t seem unusual to me, until the office prayer was delayed for several days due to busy schedules. The staff member refused to move into the new office until the prayer. I asked around and learned that it is often dangerous to be promoted. Jobs are so rare, everything is seen as a zero-sum game. So, if someone is promoted they become a target: threats, poison, curses, etc.  Spiritual attacks are so common the phrase, “I’m going to Waterloo for you” means that you’re headed to Waterloo to find one of the many witchdoctors to order a curse on someone. One of the reasons people are so happy to work at a Christian institution is they feel some safety from these attacks. Prayer is protection.

I had another case where a young Muslim man (maybe in his 20s) came in unconscious. Nobody from his family could provide any conclusive history. On physical exam, it was clear that he wasn’t completely unconscious. I would lift his leg and after letting go, it would slowly return to the bed. I told the CHOs, “I don’t know what this is, but you need to be thinking beyond just physical. In the States, this would be a psychiatric issue.” I ordered a bunch of labs, all normal. I ran some IV fluids and just waited.

Oh, I did have to tell the family I didn’t want them rubbing raw garlic all over his body. Who knows what else they did at home.

After several hours the nurse came to me and told me that the family wanted discharge. “What‽ Do they want to take him home unconscious?” The nurse responded like I should somehow know without being told, “No, he woke up and feels fine.” I pulled the patient into Mr. Abu’s office, because I didn’t trust my Krio enough to dive into psychosocial issues alone. Without the family present, I delved into all the sensitive issues: Sex, HIV, Drugs, Anxiety, Abuse, Depression. All negative. As I dug into psychosis, I got an unexpected answer: “Does your mind ever play tricks on you? Do you see and hear things other people don’t see or hear?” “Well, no. But 7 nights ago a Devil came to me in my bedroom.”

He told me that more than a week ago, he went to the ocean. He was swimming while wearing a hat, and he lost his hat into the waves. With fear in his eyes, he described how he was unable to retrieve the cap. (Demons and beliefs relating to water are very common here). Then after a few nights he was asleep and a Devil woke him up and presented him with two identical caps. “One of these caps is yours, one is mine. Pick the correct one or you will be sorry.” The man grabbed the one on the left. “Wrong!” the Demon shouted, as he started to cackle and dance around the room. Then he vanished.

For several nights, the Demon visited to ‘torment’ the man: ‘You’re going to die’ ‘I still have your cap’. Then the next few nights he slept well. Later he was in town, walking down the road and the Demon appeared. “Give me my cap right now! I need it!!” The man pleaded, “I don’t have it! I’ll go home and get it right now.” “Too late” screamed the Demon and the man went unconscious.

It was at this point that I realized my mouth was hanging open a bit. I asked him, ‘Have you told your family about this?’ He hadn’t. I asked him if he would benefit from a Christian prayer and he declined. Mr. Abu and I encouraged him to tell his family so they could provide ‘Muslim Prayers.’ He left and I never saw him again.

In the States, Demons and spiritual battles are the last thing anyone thinks about. Here, even rashes can be attributed to spiritual curses. I’m learning more and more that the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I need to keep an eye on the Great Controversy, while also leaving room for a contact dermatitis of unknown origin.