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.

trusting in God to make hope

Amariche Demoshe, 36, is the single mother of seven children – six girls, and one boy. And she is infected with HIV.

Her Children:

Arsema: 18
Alem: 17
Rahel: 13
Sarah: 9
Esubalew (HIV+): 7
Yordanos: 4.5
Deborah: 6 months

Amariche was born in Addis Ababa Ethiopia, but her family immediately moved with her to the countryside in the southern part of the country. She stayed there until she was 18 years old, when she came back to Addis Ababa to attend school. She completed her schooling through grade six, and then made the decision to join the Ethiopian National Army, where she fought in Asmara Eritrea for about seven years.

Since returning from fighting in the war, Amariche was able to start a family, though her husband has since died. Amariche herself isn’t quite sure where she acquired HIV, though she believes she may have contracted it while caring for others who were infected.

(Amariche puts her antiretroviral medication back into her purse.)

Two years ago, Amariche put her faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of her sins and the hope of new life beyond the one she is living. Even beyond this hope, Amariche has experienced physical rejuvenation through Christ’s work in her life. At one point Amariche weighed only 70 pounds, and her CD4 count was only 135 (the CD4 count is basically a measurement of the cells in the blood that fight diseases and infection; anything below 200 is considered to be AIDS.) More recently, her weight has improved to a healthier amount, and her CD4 count has increased to 610. Amariche has been taking Anti-Retroviral Treatments (ART’s) that are made available to her free of cost by the Ethiopian Government, but when asked what increased her CD4 count, she said that overall, it is prayer. Amariche said through translation:

Every sickness is not a curse from God. If you believe, and pray to God, God will hear you and respond to your prayer. You have to trust in God to make hope.

Amariche and her children are currently living in a home that is smaller than most of our own bedrooms. They had no access to a home of their own, so the hospital where Amariche is being treated allowed her and her family to construct a shelter on their property. The shelter is very rugged, as it is made up of plastic tarps, rope, tin, pieces of wood, and a thin piece of cloth for a front door. They keep the family out of a majority of the elements, but the conditions certainly don’t seem adequate for one who is trying to build up a healthy immune system, especially with the often quite biting cold nights in Addis Ababa.

(Yordanos (4.5) and Rahel (13) stand in the door of their home.)

(Sarah (9) prepares a lunch for the family and their visitors.)

(Amariche and her children earn much of their living through making table and bed clothes. Even the children help to sew them.)

Amariche continues to live, conscious of her need to be sustained by her Savior, all the while seeing evidence of His working hope into her ever so difficult circumstances. He has not abandoned her. He has not left her. He rather, continues to hold Amariche and the family she supports in the center of His embrace, and in the palm of His sovereign hand.

Some Prayer Requests from Amariche:

1. Being homeless. If the hospital needs the space she has built her family’s temporary residence on, her family will be forced to live on the street. Pray for the provision of a house, and the other practical needs such as nutritional foods and school supplies.
2. Even though challenged by HIV, she says, “I should like to be in front of my God every time.” Pray that she may experience the life and continual rejuvenation that is found in the presence of God.

dark room/ shiny cross

Tigist is 27 years old and HIV Positive. Her name means patience.

Etasesn is 45 years old and HIV Positive. She is the mother of Tigist.

Tigist is the oldest of four children. In 2003, she tested her blood and found that she was HIV positive. She thinks she acquired HIV at a younger age through sexual intercourse with a boyfriend. She was then bedridden for two years, as there was no access to free Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) at that time. At one point, her CD4 count was down to just 1, but through prayer, and access to the free ART’s, her CD4 count is now above 500 and she is able to live an active life, working as much as she can to help generate even a small bit of income for her family (I later asked a nurse at a clinic in the area about such a drastic transition, and the nurse spoke of how such a happening could only be a miracle). Tigist now often teaches others about the realities of HIV, and has even shared about the socio-economic effects the disease on her life over national television.

(Tigist's younger sister, Magdes enjoys the company of their family's cat)

(nutritious foods like spinach are very helpful for those on ART)

It is possible that Etasesn acquired HIV through caring for Tigist when Tigist was bedridden. Etasesn is mute, but she will quite often make hand motions and smile widely to communicate her happiness and thankfulness to God, or her appreciation for having you visit her in her home. Her CD4 count is above 400, but is not taking any ART as she is bedridden, and an active lifestyle is necessary for the ART’s to function properly. Etasesn is cared for faithfully by Tigist and the rest of the children, and also by her husband, Hailu, whose name means, “Power of God.” Hailu continues to faithfully care for and support his wife, but he has yet to come to a personal faith in Jesus.

Tigist accepted Jesus through one of the former directors of a church program in the area, who would come to pray with her two days a week. Before accepting Christ, Tigist recalls a very disturbed life with no peace of mind. Since accepting Jesus as her personal Savior, she speaks of how she became healthy and received peace of mind. Sitting in her naturally lit living space, Tigist sang aloud with her friends, Pastor Esayas, and Sheba, from the local church:

Jesus is the joy of my heart. I’m living in this world my Your name.

(Tigist and Sheba, the counselor for the church's community outreach program)

Prayer requests from Tigist and Etasesn:

1. Improved Health.
2. Ethiopian Economy. When going through ART, it is necessary to have a well balanced diet including a lot of protein-rich foods. The price of these foods though has gone up in cost. In the past few years, it is not uncommon for certain costs to have risen over 100% of their normal cost.
3. Family members to come to Christ. Hailu, Etasesn’s husband has not yet accepted Christ, but they believe he is close.

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.

weeping daily / a hand to be held

Hayat Mohammed/Muktas is four years old and in a place of difficulty most of us never have known and never will know. When Hayat was four months old, her biological father, Mohammed died of AIDS. According to common customs in Ethiopia, Mohammed’s brother, Muktas, then married the widowed mother of Hayat. By entering into a marriage relationship with his deceased brother’s wife, Muktas was choosing to take responsibility to provide for his brother’s widowed wife and daughter, Hayat. Hayat never knew her biological father, but she has known Muktas as a type of father for all of her life thus far.

Just ten days before our meeting her, Hayat’s mother passed away to AIDS. Obviously, this has been a difficult transition for Hayat, as she has lost the mother with whom she was surely very close. Lately, she is very reserved, unhappy, sad, withdrawn from the people around her, and full of tears. Just a few hours earlier, Hayat’s uncle was not able to go in to work for the day, as he had found her weeping.
She smiled, but you could tell it was not a real smile. It was hard to know what to say to people who had gone through far more than I have ever even imagined experiencing. And it makes it even harder considering Hayat comes from a Muslim family, who has not yet experienced the love, life, hope and grace that are found in Christ. They’re getting through the situation, but it is hard to know what this must be like without the comfort of a God who is intimately involved with their every care and worry.

Pray that this currently empty hand will be led to encounter the hand of Jesus - the hand that is straining and longing to hold her hand forever with an everlasting love. He will give her hope. He will give her life. He will wipe away her tears.

Pray also for her uncle and other surrounding community members, that they too would have an encounter with the God that loves them. He is the one who can show them how to care for this child who has lost her parents. He can show them how to raise Hayat in a way that will give her hope of life beyond the death of her parents.

(a couple from the community who assists in caring for Hayat)

Pray that what the enemy tried to use to steal life will be redeemed by Christ to bring life that is more real than this family otherwise would have known. I am a strong believer that this is what our God is doing with AIDS. What Satan is trying to use to steal people away from God, God can use to bring an even greater amount of people to himself. This is who He is.

(Pastor Esayas,director of the church's community outreach program)