After a 27 hour bus ride we finally made it to Uganda!
We are staying in a small village called Kwara and working with a local church
and Compassion International. We’re living in mud huts with no electricity or
running water (I had to travel 3 hours to get to internet!), and it is quite
the experience! This past week we met with a group of HIV/AIDS victims and I
want to share one woman’s story with you…
Feeling very unqualified to talk to this group of people, I watched
as more and more wandered over to our circle. We sat on plastic lawn chairs under
the shade of a mango tree praying that God would give us the words to share with the HIV/AIDS victims. As we began, a woman with a tall walking staff
approached very slowly. There was something different about her; and as the
meeting continued I kept being drawn back to her.
I soon learned her name was Esther and she was “living
positive” with HIV. She also had quite the story to tell and I was instantly
inspired by this woman. The next evening she came to visit me and I got to hear
more about her life. Esther had known about God most of her life, yet she had not
really been interested. She went to school, got married, and had babies. Then in
2003 her husband had insisted they get tested for HIV. The test results came
back positive for both of 
them, but when they came home from the hospital her
husband told the whole village she had been unfaithful and was infected with
HIV. He kicked her and their two children out of the house, and they were not
welcomed anywhere. No one in the village knew that it was actually her husband
who had had an affair and spread the disease to her. So Esther had her
daughters tested and the oldest, Natasha, did not have the disease. But her
younger daughter was infected and very quickly after they moved back to Esther’s
home village, she died at age 3.
Once back, Esther was admitted into the hospital for serious
liver problems. She needed medical attention, but the doctors were reluctant to
help her because she was HIV positive; in their eyes she was already a dead
woman. So for the first time in her life, Esther prayed to God ad begged for
His help. She was desperate and had nowhere else to go. God heard her cries for
help and He healed her liver. She still had HIV, but she could continue living
with this disease. A few years later, Esther got a very bad eye infection and
was blind in her left eye for 4 years. During this time she never stopped
praying, and again, God faithfully healed her. Then in 2009, as Esther was walking home from the market
where she sold things, she was hit by an oncoming car. She suffered major back
injuries and must now wear a brace. She is always in pain and can only walk
short distances. She can’t bend down or sit upright either. Since the accident,
most of her days are spent lying on the ground while her daughter of 13 years,
takes care of her. She can no longer go to the market and make a living, so
they rely on the generosity of others.
As Esther told me her story, she quoted the scripture where Jesus tells us that man cannot live on bread alone, but on the Word of God. For Esther, she takes this verse very literally; there are often days when she and her daughter have no
food, so they turn to God’s word for comfort and solace. I was heartbroken to hear Esther’s story and watch this
disease ravage not just her but her daughter’s life as well. Yet Esther does
not want pity. She accepts that this is her life, and that God still has a
purpose and a plan for her. Even though her community has shunned her, I have
never met someone with so much passion for the Lord and so much resilience in
life.
After talking for a few hours with Esther, I was left utterly speechless. What could I say to encourage this woman? What wisdom could I impart
to someone who has lived such a hard and much longer life than me?
So I didn’t say anything. Instead, I sat and listened. I held
her hand and I shared her pain in that brief moment. And when it was over and I
stood up to walk away, she grabbed my arm, looked me in the eye and said I love
you.
