Jon told Chris that we would post his story on my blog. This happened while we were in Yekepa. This is the story told to Jon by Chris Mendin, Yepeka, Liberia. Here is a picture of Chris who is on the right.
After working at ABC, Chris returned to his home in Yepeka, which he shares with a relative and her two small daughters. Chris is finishing his HS education and was studying from about 8pm to 11pm. He has no electricity in his small home in Yepeka so he has to study by using artificial lighting. At 11pm he decided to go to bed , he went outside to use the restroom and as he returned to his house he heard an unusual sound coming from the corner of his small home. Using his cell phone as a flashlight he looked into the corner and was surprised to see a large spitting cobra. After placing the cell phone in his mouth so both of his hands could remain free, he grabbed a four foot piece of board and tried to pin the cobra’s head to the floor so he could kill it with his machete. Chris missed the snake on the first try and the Cobra rose up and spit into his right eye. (This type of Cobra spits in the eyes of its prey to blind it before killing it.) Now blinded in one eye, Chris’s fight or flight instinct kicked in and he was totally focused on this deadly snake and knew that he had to either kill the snake or it would strike and kill him or one of the others who were in the house witnessing his battle with the snake. The cobra kept striking the board, each time just avoiding Chris’ hand. Not wanting the snake to spit in his good eye, Chris closed both of his eyes and slashed out with his machete finally stirking the snake - lashing at it until the snake was dead. Hearing the struggle, his neighbors arrived in time to dispose of the snake’s body. Needless to say, Chris was a hero in his home that night.
Chris did not sleep well that night because of the pain in his right eye. At ABC the next morning, he was instructed to wash his eye out with milk, and after a short time his sight returned and the pain went away. Jon watched Chris tell his story to many of the workers during the day and they were all amazed that he was not bitten.
So life goes in Yepeka Liberia.
The snake measured 25 cm around and was over 4 foot long. Chris stated that “God being so great, He gave me the power to finally kill the snake”. “Praise God that I am well”.
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