Someone Was
behind Us

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone

1 March 2010

As Hbibatu Z Turay holds the tattered blanket tenderly in her hands, a big smile spreads across her face. To the onlooker, the torn, stained blanket may look like something to be discarded. But to Hbibatu and her family, the blanket is an emblem of hope.

When civil war broke out in Sierra Leone in 1991, Hbibatu and her family were among thousands of innocent victims. The brutal rampage led by political rebels spanned over a decade, leaving thousands dead and thousands of others fighting for their lives, including Hbibatu.

“During the war, things were hard for us in Sierra Leone,” Hbibatu said. “In other churches, they left. But the Latter-day Saints endured. Why? Because we felt that someone was behind us.”

Generous contributions by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provided the victims in Sierra Leone with food, hygiene kits, clothing, and blankets. “It [the aid supplied] was so important to us because by that time, we couldn’t work. No one knew which government would pay you, who was the bank, or who was the boss,” Hbibatu said.

Just when it seemed things couldn't get worse, they did. One seemingly ordinary morning, Hibatu woke up and went to the bathroom to wash her face. While she was washing, the rebel force came to attack. She quickly ran from the bathroom, picked up her baby, and grabbed the first thing she could lay her hands on—a blanket that had been donated by the Church. Then she fled into the bush with her husband and children.

“That was the end,” she thought.

From that time, neither Hbibatu nor her family had clothing. She only had one thing with which to cover herself—the blanket. She wrapped it around her body; under it, she held her little baby. Forced to keep moving in an effort to escape the rebel forces, she would nurse her baby under the blanket as they walked 10 miles or more. At night, the blanket kept her family warm and safe from the mosquitoes that pervaded the bush.

When they were able to return home, they found that the rebels had taken all of their belongings. The Church provided them used clothing and three additional blankets. They continued to use the tattered blanket, along with the three others, to keep the family of seven warm during the cold season.

“This blanket kept me and my family alive,” Hbibatu said through a wide smile. “It is one of my prized possessions I’ve kept from the war to show how grateful I am and my family is to the Church. I’ve decided to keep it as a remembrance. Whenever I have important visitors, this is what I will show to them. I am not finished. I am alive!”

Twelve years later, Hbibatu still shows the blanket to her children. When they are fighting, she reminds them of the blanket and explains that it is a miracle they are still alive. But the blanket hasn’t only blessed the lives of her family alone. Now a nurse at the new health clinic in Sierra Leone, Hbibatu uses the three blankets that are still in good condition to help keep the patients and newborn babies warm.

“How great God is!” she exclaims. “I know that when you have faith in the Lord, He won’t let you down. I feel that those people who provided supplies to us are sent by God. Ordinary people may not think of this kind gesture. They are good people. I thank them. And I ask them that they will continue doing good work. May God bless them and their children wherever they are.”