The first home was a man dying, probably had a few months to live. He was coughing uncontrollably. He had been treated for TB already, but we (all 9 in the group) were worried about being exposed. Everyone was too scared to talk. The man was happy to great us, and have us pay him a visit. He was told that "Americans" had heard about the Caregiver ministry and wanted to come and encourage Caregivers and clients. We told him the same thing, and he was very quick to say wonderful things about his caregiver, between fits of coughing. We prayed for him, and chatted with him in an affirming (hopefully) way. This was pretty much hospice care type stuff, a difficult thing for anybody, let alone strangers, but we did it in a way that felt kind to him. His eight year old daughter watched it all quietly. We wondered what would happen to her after he's gone.
Second home, Mother of two children, widow, HIV positive. The babies aren't. She is on medication and is strong enough to even serve as a caregiver to others, and to work in the community garden. In fact, we met her a day earlier as one of the caregivers, so when we got to her home, we were confused. They explained that she was a client, (and still is), but had gotten strong enough physically to want to help, so she's a caregiver now too. That's pretty cool.
Third home, a mother of three children, one of them is severly disabled. She just found out she is HIV positive. She was devastated, wondering what was going to happen to her son. We all joined her in that concern, comforted her, prayed for her, then left.
You can see AMAZING pictures of our trip from one of the travelers, photographer Mark Kuroda. He is my hero too - for his ability to capture a moment, and share it so powerfully. Here's a link to his amazing work...
