We spent the past week of ministry working on maintaining the grounds at an HIV/AIDS hospice center called Accept. On our last day there we spent the afternoon meeting with patients and it was there that Ali, a squad mate, and I met Yamanoorappa. He is a 20-year-old man afflicted with HIV who has the physical appearance of a 13-year-old boy. Since he and I don’t speak the same language communication was limited. When I asked him questions he simply smiled and bobbled his head with expectant eyes as to say, “I don’t understand but I want to”, yet in the short moments we spent together he taught me more than he could ever realize.
After 15 minutes of broken communication he reached on the bed behind him to pick up his Bible and instantly we found it. The link that bonds us is Jesus.
Yamanoorappa’s Bible is written in Kannada, the language spoken in Bangalore where we are staying, and I could not read a word of it. However, Ali had the Bible on her phone and we were able to follow one another through scripture and it was one of the most beautiful encounters I have experienced. As he pointed out his favorite highlighted and underlined verses in his Bible we turned to it in English and through hand gestures, facial expressions and the name of Jesus, we were able to feel the power in those words. The Lord used my new friend to draw me nearer to Him:
“Allison, you’ve met Yamanoorappa You’ve seen that because of his illness he is in pain and agony, yet you’ve seen his smile, and you’ve felt his joy, he has little of this world but much of Me. Neither you nor Yamanoorappa are promised tomorrow so why can’t you turn to Me in the same way and praise Me unconditionally and without question like he does? Let go of what you think is the ‘right way’ to love me and just do it. That is all I want, my child.”
The Lord spoke this to me in such a sweet, gentle, yet necessary conviction, which brought about such a beautiful realization. I so often worry about the right circumstances for spending time with the Lord or I concern myself too much with how or what ‘tools’ I need to do so but the truth of the matter is this:
I am loved by a God who loves me simply because He created me. I did nothing to deserve that. He wants to be in communication and relationship with me and my earthly circumstances have no effect on that.
Yamanoorappa is a child of God and experiences the same love and freedom of that Truth. He is sick and surrounded by people stricken with the same illness, which, by the worlds’ standards could yield darkness and isolation. Living in a hospice center under these circumstances would be enough to make a person retreat and sit in sorrow, but Accept is different. Accept makes the Gospel available and gives the patients hope and comfort of Jesus. Yamanoorappa is a perfect example that true joy and satisfaction comes through trust in Jesus Christ alone and he is living out his life with an unconditional, abundant praise and love of God. His faith and trust in Jesus are beautiful and moved me to tears.
One of Yamanoorappa’s favorite verses that he shared with us and so perfectly simple and straightforward.
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24
There is freedom in surrendering and the Lord is gracious and gentle in teaching these lessons.
