drowning…

As we began walking down the dirt
road from the church, we came across some children who, of course, were so
excited to see us and ran up to greet us. Ginger and Greg took out their
cameras and the kids were immediately captivated. Allan and I escaped the scene
and met three women sitting together near the dirt path we were walking down.
They were working with their hands and talking as we approached, hardly
noticing us. Pastor recognized one of the ladies, Josephine, who used to be a
member at his church. He said she was going through a hard time and needed some
encouragement. He began talking to her, and the other translator was quick to
tell us that the other two women were Catholic and Protestant but not “born
again.�

I am still unclear about this
concept in Africa. Everyone is so quick to judge whether or not people are
Christians and difference in religion creates barriers. It is difficult to do
ministry the way they expect us to do it here because it is so much different
than we are used to. I am a very relational person and love sitting down to
meet people and hear their stories. However, our translators are often quick to
say, “Ok, now ask if she is saved!� before we even know her name. Or they will
say, “Just give her a word!� without even knowing anything about her
circumstances or what she’s going through. It can be very frustrating at times…

Today was no different, so I just
remained calm and started by asking her a few questions about herself and her
family. Her name is Rose. Her husband died recently of AIDS, and now she has
been infected with the deadly virus. She has five children that may also be
infected. As I was talking to Rose, she wouldn’t look at me and she had tears
in her eyes. She seemed hopeless. I asked if I could pray for her and if she
had any requests. Hers, unlike many others we’ve met, were requests that could
ultimately be the difference between life or death. Most people we meet ask us
to pray for money, phones, cars, etc. But Rose’s request was for healing, not
as much for her own sake, but more for the sake of her young children who will
soon be left behind as orphans. I can’t even begin to imagine what will happen
to them when they wake up one morning and realize their momma is gone. Perhaps
they will starve to death, turn to the streets, or even prostitution.

[some of the kids]

This is not uncommon in Africa.
AIDS is truly a pandemic that plagues so many families here. Many times,
husbands are unfaithful to their wives and they acquire AIDS from another
woman, which is then transmitted to their wives and passed on to their
children. Because of the husband’s unfaithfulness, the whole family is
destroyed. Kids are left behind to fend for themselves. I am not sure if this
is true in Rose’s case, but it is an unacceptable reality in Africa.

We followed Rose to her house and
she brought a bench outside for us to sit on. Then, Rose brought out her sister
who was very sick and she wanted us to pray for her. We prayed that the
sickness and pain would leave her body…that peace would overcome her…that she
would be healed. But my mind was still on Rose. There was just something about
her that drew me to her. Something about the hopelessness, the tears in her
eyes, and the way that she put the needs of others above herself intrigued
me.  She was beautiful and fascinating,
and from what I could tell, her heart reflected Christ. She was selfless. She
really loved others more than herself. She made sure everyone else was
comfortable and taken care of before she worried about her own needs.

[Rose with her sister]

When it was finally her turn to
join us on the bench, Allan began talking to her. He told her about the Gospel
and that Jesus died for the sins of the world and that He desires to have a
personal relationship with her. I could tell she was beginning to get excited.
When he was finished, she told us that she had met Jesus before (we’re assuming
she meant that He had visited her in a dream) and she wanted to know more about
him. She had been on her way to go somewhere that morning, but she stopped when
she saw us coming down the dirt path toward her. She felt in her heart that she
wanted to know more about Jesus, and she must have figured the white people
would know more. God had divinely placed us in that specific place at that
specific time to meet Rose.

 She prayed with Pastor Alex to accept Jesus
into her heart, as I sat next to her with my hand on her shoulder and continued
to pray over her silently. When we finished praying, I encouraged her that
having a personal relationship with God means that she can talk to Him whenever
she wants. Not just at church. Not just with us. He is there whenever she needs
Him. He will be there to comfort, strengthen, and encourage her when she’s
feeling discouraged. In Him, she can find hope even when she feels hopeless.

[Rose doing laudry]