The Faces of AIDS

Hi Friends!

Just taking advantage of the good internet connection here in Ekwendeni. Yesterday we had a pretty intense day where we looked AIDS right in the face. We traveled out into the community with the director of the AIDS program for the hospital- Esther. This woman wears many hats at the hospital, and wears them well. The AIDS programs that she coordinates includes an orphan care program, a home based care program (visiting patients at home), youth education, and HIV testing. She also has to play business woman, and raise funds for these programs. Government pays for some things- like selective drugs and testing, but that only goes so far.

We piled in a truck and headed out to get feed for the pigs (a fund raising part of the program) from the maize mill. Believe it or not, we are getting pretty familiar with maize mills here in Malawi. Then we headed out to a tiny village- 30 minutes down really bumpy, dusty roads (again, we are getting really familiar with these as well...). We arrived in a village with about 5 mud huts and met Green, a man living with HIV. He invited us inside his house- no bigger than a small bathroom in the US. We went in with Webster, who runs the Home Based Care program. Webster explained that this man had contracted HIV 3 years ago and was having reactiong to the ARV drugs. He has some skin rashes and was having difficulty even standing up, but was actually doing better- and was walking with a homemade cane. He told Webster he was feeling no pain, but he was trying to renovate the roof of his house because it leaked in the rainy season. Webster told us the Home Based Care program was helping him fix his roof because they knew when he died, his 3 young children would need to be looked after. I couldn’t even imagine those preparations. Webster also advised him to come back to the hospital in one month to be checked out. Again- I cant even imagine his journey to the hospital- walking down those dusty roads for hours, hoping someone picks him up. As we sat there in his tiny hut, hearing about how he shares it with his 3 children and young wife, I realized that this was what AIDS looks like. A man, only 34, trying to prepare his home for his small children that he will inevitably leave behind. And his wife- dutifully cleaning his wounds and cooking for him and her children, knowing what is coming. And yet, God is using this man Green- he volunteers to keep the pigs that the AIDS program sells for fundraising. He was so proud of them and we took many pictures. Luke asked me what I was thinking when we left- and all I could think about was how we complaining about our small house in Atlanta.

From there we went to see a nursery school- mixed with orphans and non orphans (so as not to discriminate). Every village that the hospital serves has a one of these orphan nursery schools- over 300! These children were so happy and full of life, you might forget that most of them have experienced so much death already. But Esther pointed out several that had been badly burned, blaming the lack of supervision after their parents have gone. The community really does step in and take care of the orphans, as most of the teachers are volunteers. And at the nursery school they get at least one nutritious meal a day. The teachers keep the children busy with songs, dancing, games, counting, ABC reciting—all kinds of activities. Esther said the aim is to keep their mind off the sadness in their lives. But I kept thinking about how lonely the nights must be- with no one to tuck them in or say their prayers with them. Please pray for the orphans, and pray for a cure for this horrible disease.

Tomorrow we leave for Mzuzu to spend our week in the Crisis Nursery. I am excited to get back to those precious babies! What joy and hope there is in a baby’s face! Jim and Jodi McGill (Presbyterian missionaries who we met in Atlanta) and their 6 children have invited us for dinner Sunday night. Luke has also scored yet another teaching engagement with the Gideons in Mzuzu- word is out on the Divinity grad in town! We are also looking forward to connecting with other friends and friends of friends in Mzuzu- I think it will be a great week to end our time here. We miss everyone and appreciate your prayers so much!

xo, js (and luke)

ps- We heard the internet is great in Mzuzu so we hope to send lots of pictures there!