The air was thick with the smell of urine in this small little one room house. I found myself on my knees holding the hand of a young 23 year old woman who was dying from tuberculosis (TB). There was talk that she also has HIV which is not known whether if any of her 3 daughters have it either.
When I heard about Zondila’s sickness I was sad for her and her daughters. Then I started to see the picture more that she did not know Jesus Christ and that she was actively choosing to die by not taking her medicine. ( TB is treated with a set of pills that must be taken for a certain amount of time even after the body feels better. Zondila chose not to finish her pills and is now in a life or death matter.)
While holding her hand beside the bed I wanted so bad to tell her about Jesus; to have our pre-school teacher translate to her how she can enter the Kingdom of Heaven. But instead I began to beg… I begged God to forgive her, to save her life, to save her soul. I cried out most of the prayer and spoke a few words. I had never prayed for someone on their death bed before.
The rest of my team had God moving through them as well as they shared the story of what Jesus had done for Zondila and encouraging stories that life can be better.
I wish I could tell you the ending of this story. I wish I could tell you I know she accepted Christ and what he did on the cross. To this day Zondila is alive struggling with TB and not wanting to live or care of her children. Please pray and beg with me. That God would work in her heart and use her life for His glory.
