an exchange of blood?

Harequayin Zeleke is 26 years old and the mother of two young boys. She was born in western Ethiopia, and eventually married in the area. Once she was married, she moved into Addis Ababa to find work, while her husband stayed to work in the countryside. When at one point she went back to visit him, she found that he was infected with HIV. Four years ago he died, leaving Harequayin without a husband, and two boys without a father. Just one and a half hears ago, Harequayin had her own blood tested, and found that she too was infected with HIV.


But Harequayin is not living the life of one who is infected with a deadly virus. Upon the death of her husband, Harequayin returned to her once stagnant faith in Jesus with a new passion and desperation. Since her original blood test, she has not taken any ART, nor has she had a CD4 count. She believes God gave her a message saying, “Nothing is needed for treatment except Jesus.” By this word of the Lord, she is living as if she is not infected with the disease. While other people infected with HIV usually struggle to maintain a healthy weight, Harequayin speaks of how she will often forgo the consumption of her dinner so that she does not gain too much weight. Where people often struggle to have energy to get through their normal daily tasks, Harequayin is active in working to provide for the needs of herself and her boys. Harequayin has chosen to believe that God is doing a work within her body, and the life she is now living on a daily basis speaks greatly of the strength of our God to sustain those who put their trust in Him.

Every night, before going to bed, Harequayin’s younger son prays for her. She has not told him specifically that she in infected with HIV; she has only told them there is a problem with her blood. So he prays, with the faith of a child - this is his prayer:

I pray You would change the blood of my mother with Your blood.

Before her struggles with the death of her husband and the realization of her own infection with HIV, Harequayin knew about Jesus, but was not responding to the necessity of his Lordship in her life. Since these difficulties became a part of her life, she has found that she is completely and fully reliant upon His strength. She says,

Anything and everything will be because of the Lord. It is not on my own strength. I’m depending on the Lord not just for my current health situation, but for everything.

Prayer requests from Harequayin:

1. That God would continue to bring her help in providing for the needs of herself and her two young boys.
2. That God would change the blood of Harequayin with his perfect blood.