hope in blood

Most of us have heard something about AIDS in Africa. There are numbers. There are percentages. There are opinions. But more than numbers and statistics, line charts and pie graphs, there are real people who are affected by a disease that is just as equally real.

The following are stories from a few of the families we were able to spend some time with while in Addis Ababa during the month of March. Their stories are hard, but for most of the people, they have found an enduring strength in Jesus that has brought them through the hardest of times.

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Depressing? Not necessarily. It seemed to me that the hope of Christ was somehow expressing itself in the lives of each of these individuals and their families. They may continue to be infected by HIV, but for a majority of these people, the love of Christ has brought the hope of something beyond a disease.

The families we visited are part of a local church program that supports some of the poorest of the poor in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. This program cares for many families, mostly non-Christians, who would otherwise have great difficulty in acquiring their basic living necessities. These families are being given monthly support to provide for school fees, hygiene products, blankets, and some food. The church also makes a point of visiting the families in their homes and praying with them. Of these families, we spent time with some of the ones that had in some way been affected by HIV. All of these people live in very trying circumstances, but it is a comfort to know that the church is reaching out to them is practical ways.

By all means, AIDS is still an issue in our world, and it will continue to be an issue in the years to come. But beyond statistics and numbers that would seem at first glance to be disheartening, there are also stories of people who have found life in what we as humans would call impossible circumstances. This challenged my faith in that I see that I am in relationship with a God who is not challenged by the seemingly concrete things like percentages and infection rates. This God, who loves us, gives us reason to hope even when the “facts” tell us otherwise.