Sheila’s 21 Story
I grew up in a community of missionaries who were serving on a rural mission station in Africa in the 1970s. These men and women had made huge sacrifices to leave the U.S.A. to offer services through medical care, education and teaching and showing God’s love. They lived in conditions that were often difficult. As missionary kids we spent our time building tree houses and forts, riding bikes, playing in the mud puddles during rainy season, catching chameleons and red velvet bugs, hunting with bb guns and slingshots, and so much more—Sanyati was our home and we loved it!
One of our MKs, Grady Fort, had a booming voice, an infectious laugh, a constant smile on his face and a heart full of love for all of his missionary family. He loved music and always requested for us to sing “Do Lord” at mission and station meetings. He also loved to come to our house, put on his favorite record and keep time with the rocking chair. Grady was several years older than my sisters and I and we would love to run up to the back of the rocking chair and hold it back for just a fraction of a second so that it would get him off-beat. Grady would yell “Sharon! Sheila! Susie!” and come chasing after us!
Grady was the fifth son of doctors Giles and Wana Ann Fort. In Wana Ann’s book A Thousand Times Yes http://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Times-Yes-Doctors-Answered/dp/1596693835 she shares honestly the struggles and confusion she experienced when Grady was born and they realized that he had Down Syndrome. As busy missionary doctors in the 1960s serving God in a location far from special needs help and support, this diagnosis was definitely not in their plans. Here are her words as she describes the work that God did in her heart during Grady’s first week of life:
“God had mercy on me in that moment. Grady’s condition was not going to change but mine was. I will never forget the wonderful, comforting presence of the Holy Spirit in my bedroom that afternoon. God assured me that He was going to make our experience with Grady in our family “all right.” Those precious women and God’s Holy Spirit ministered to me.
What I thought would be my suffering turned out to be a deeper walk with the Lord and an understanding of abundant life and joy. Giles’s prayer that God would make us teachable was answered. I was afraid that I wouldn’t know how to be a mother of a child with special needs. I was afraid of failure. I turned to the Father to help me, because I knew that Giles and I needed His direction on how to raise our new son. Our boys, of course, didn’t have the initial reaction we did. They were totally in love with their new baby brother. Our mission family learned a lot, too, and Grady became everyone’s favorite. And why wouldn’t he be? He was a bundle of love from the get-go.”
I haven’t seen Grady in many years, but my parents and sister saw him earlier this year and said he was the exact same Grady we grew up with—remembering everyone he came in contact with and loving each person. Grady loved us all unconditionally and we loved him back. He made an impact on all of our lives and we are better people for having grown up with Grady Fort.
