AIDS in Africa. It’s a problem we’ve heard about whether in school, through awareness campaigns or during the “RED” project promoted by Bono and GAP several years ago. But like many other social issues, the statistics mean little until faces and stories accompany the numbers.
The ministry schedule for Wednesday was school promotion in the morning and Bible study in the afternoon. As we were driving to ministry, Pastor John mentioned that we would be make a quick stop to visit a sick woman and pray for healing. This is nothing new, especially after being on the field for six months. We walked into the house confident of what to do and say, but the reality of the situation quickly stripped us of every recited and premeditated word we had spoken before.
Lying in the adjacent room was a 30-year old mother dying of AIDS. Several days earlier, the hospital sent her home, unable to provide further assistance. When we arrived, she was in her final hours, no longer responding. Pastor John went into her room while we stayed outside praying for healing and strength for the family.
The mother has three young boys, all under the age of 13. The oldest, Michael, attends Liberty Preparatory, the school we have been working with this month. That is how Pastor John knows the family. When Michael was only 4-months-old, his father died of HIV, so pending his mother’s death he will be an orphan.
While visiting, we were introduced to Eden (Ed-in), the mother’s brother and Michael’s uncle. Recently, he had to quit his job to care for his sister, her three boys, and his own mother, who has been very sick recently. So Uncle Eden is not only responsible for providing for his own wife and children, but also his nephews and mother. To the left of Uncle Eden’s house, is a home halfway finished, that he was building for his mother before his sister fell ill. He has been unable to complete the project because all of his money has gone towards medical care for his sister and mother.
You can see it in Uncle Eden’s eyes; he doesn’t know what to do. He has no idea how he will be able to provide for his three nephews, his mother, and his own family. No idea how he will be able to keep a job and be present at home. No idea where money for food, school, and medicine will come from.
We stood in the room praying for the dying mother and the family, specifically Michael. As I began praying, I could feel the Father’s heart for this family. I had only known these people for 10 minutes, but my heart broke as I imagined the pain they were feeling, especially Michael. The pain of losing both parents before the age of 13; living in a state where loneliness, fear, and uncertainty appear to have victory. I cannot forget the desperation in Uncle Eden’s voice or the tears that rolled down Michael’s face.
I prayed and watched as this 10 year-old boy lost his mother and as the fear of being an orphan became reality.
In the province of Masaka, 30% of the population has HIV. Other diseases such as Malaria are also very common, leading to many early deaths in Uganda. The average age of death for a man is 47 and for a woman is 45. So Michael’s situation is common for many children in Uganda. Many are left alone at young ages, with no mother or father. No one to physically hold them, provide food, teach them about clean drinking water and basic hygiene, pay for their school or encourage them in their education. Orphans are often “taken-in” by relatives, friends, or neighbors, but the “care” they receive will be different than the other children. Until several years ago, when new medication was introduced, 90% of children with HIV + parents were also infected. The statistic has now dropped to 40%, but that is still almost half. Currently, 20 of the 150 students enrolled at Liberty Preparatory are HIV +.
This is reality for so many. And while new medications and education about HIV/AIDS will definitely help this situation, medicine and education can’t heal the hearts of victim’s families. Only the words of Jesus can. His promises provide a secure hope.
During times of unexplainable suffering, injustice, and death, I often look to the heart of the Father revealed during the death of Lazarus. Jesus reveals the emotion of God as He wept over His friend’s death. Jesus often looked into the eyes of the sick, dying, rejected, and abused. He is not far from our suffering, but enters into our circumstances with us. But we don’t just see empathy in the eyes of our Savior; we see a secure hope, an everlasting promise: it won’t always be this way.
Jesus took action to see that death wouldn’t have the final word.
I am so thankful to be with Michael’s family during this time. Yesterday we attended the funeral and this morning we visited again. As we prayed, we spoke the secure promises of Jesus over and over. During times like these, truths from our Father are they only thing you can say, but praise God, that those are the only words we need.
