I’ve been here in South Africa for over 5 weeks now, and, although I have been shocked at some things, it’s only been in the last 2 days that I have been really shocked. HIV is a big problem here, with around 1 in every 4 people having the virus. HIV attacks the body’s white blood cells, which defend your immune system. It slowly turns them from good cells into more copies of itself which means you can’t fight against it. People become so weak they can’t even stand, or eat. When they are this weak, they can’t fight off infections so often they have other illnesses as well, like TB. It is usually these other infections which eventually kill them.
I’ve worked in a hospice for people with varying stages of HIv. Some are lucky enough to go home again. But all are in the hospice because they’re families don’t want to look after them, or they have no where else to go. This morning, one of the ladies I get on well with was so ill. She was shivering and, having been awake for about an hour, went back to bed. The nurses had to help her to stand and carried her back to bed. It was heartbreaking to watch.
Yesterday morning, in the skills for life project, we were talking about HIv. The students are all around 18 to 20 years old and most of them said they wouldn’t go for an HIV test. This shocked me so much. I can totally understand why they wouldn’t go, it would be the scariest thing to do find out, because there’s no cure for HIV. I just realised that if I lived here, they would probably be my friends and if they had HIV I would be so upset!
It also makes me so angry to think that places that should offer mos support to people with HIV are he first to discriminate. Churches, for example, won’t necessarily allow you to continue to be a member of their cngregation if you are infected with the virus. and if the leader of the church, or vicar was o contract HIV, they would probably be asked to leave. How is this our way of showing compassion? Which people did Jesus make a point of loving? Surely we should love these people as Jesus would do, instead of judging them and throwing them out of society!
Thank you, God, for organisations like Oasis, who work with these people! The rest of the world could learn so much from their hope and optimism!
13 November, 2008
On My Soap Box… About HIV
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Dear Nicola,
Just last night in our stunt group at chruch one of the guys led a talk on mercy. We thought a lot about what it means to show mercy to people we might meet here in Canterbury, especially fellow students, and homeless people. Now this morning I read your blog on showing comapssion to people with HIV. I don’t think this is a coincidence!
Anyway, I’m enjoying reading your blog and am praying for you. Hope you’re having an amazing time!
Love,
Beth
Comment by Beth — 14 November, 2008 @ 12:30 pm
hey Nicola,
My comment is actually going to be completely unrelated to what you posted about, so sorry about that. However, i do totally agree with what you wrote–it was the unwell and the broken who Jesus loved, the people on the fringes of society, the ones who the rest of society didn’t really want a bar of. Praying that churches there will become more welcoming and accepting of those with HIV.
Anyway, I wanted to comment on a previous post about leading morning prayer.
I was at a Christian student conference earlier in the year and there was time for prayer each morning. (It was optional, and i think I only ever made it twice for the whole week…) One morning, the girl leading it created various stations around the room. At each one there was a bible verse or passage we had to look up, and some thoughts about prayer relating to each one (I think it was all written on paper stuck on the wall or something.) Each station was focused on a particular position of prayer–kneeling, sitting, lying face down or on your back, standing with arms raised, and so on. The bible verses/passages written showed examples of each of these positions, and the idea was for us to get an understanding of the purpose of praying in the various positions. For example, sitting is sort of contemplative and reflective, or listening to God (Mary/Martha? (I never remember which one) sitting at Jesus’ feet).
If you like, I can talk to the girl who ran this session to get the particular verses she used and the descriptions she wrote about each to pass them on to you. If you’re doing this with younger kids it could be a little too abstract for them to understand, but it could be good for highschool/uni students.
Sorry, I think this comment was longer than your post! Time for sleep I think.
Hope you’re well and look forward to reading more from you soon. Will email you when exams are over.
Hugs and take care,
Lauren
Comment by Lauren Hayes — 14 November, 2008 @ 12:41 pm
Hi Nicola
I’ve just caught up with a few days’ worth of blogs and it’s interesting to see how your experience is gradually taking you deeper into all the different attitudes including your own. I’ve always envied and admired people with faith although many get so caught up in their own denonimation that they tend to reject others. I guess I believe in goodness rather than God but either way, if you are prepared to try and help others without deamnding anything in return, you will make a positive difference. I’m just finishing reading a book called ‘The Shack’ and if anyone asks you what you want for Christmas, tell them to get it for you. I think that you’ll find it’s something you can really identify with.
Take care of yourself, Sandra and I think about you a lot.
Alan xxxx
Comment by Alan — 17 November, 2008 @ 9:58 am
Hey Nicola!
Yes I’m still here (hard luck you just can’t get rid of me that easily). Ditto Alan’s recommendation of The Shack by William P. Young. Not read it yet though have heard several positive comments from peeps round here. I don’t know if it’s available electronicly so let’s hope so!
Comment by daz — 18 November, 2008 @ 1:17 am
Hi Nicola,
I know what you mean - I long for ‘the church’ to actually do what it should be doing. I’m sure Jesus would have quite a bit to say on the subject so I expect he would end up being cruicfied all over again by our world today - and sadly, many in the church would be at the front of the queue. Take heart that what you are doing is showing his love in action to the people you are with.
On a slightly different note. I was asked today where you are based in South Africa because one of the teachers I work with comes from their. She is considering go back home to live. She recently visited a school for the blind out there and was overwhealmed - her boyfriend is blind and works teaching mobility out there, so she wondered where you were working.
Anyway, bye for now.
God bless, Lin
Comment by Lin — 19 November, 2008 @ 11:38 am