The women asked some very good questions and expressed great appreciation for my coming to inform them. However, I cried on the way home. There is so much infidelity here, on both sides, which is why HIV is spreading like wild fire. I read scriptures to them and felt like I got my point across but there is so much corruption it feels a bit overwhelming. I know they heard what I said, but it is hard to know if things will change. There is obviously great depth to the problem. But, on the way home God led me to read Galations 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." What an amazing verse! I need to learn to trust in that. My mind knows that God is in control of all of this, but my heart is sometimes struggles to find understanding. I also need to remember that this is only the beginning :) There will be joy and there will be sorrow, but we will press on!!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
The first "Be Faithful" Meeting
Today was my first day of meeting in the Opeta village with the women of married age. We talked about HIV/AIDS and being faithful in their marriages. It went really well...52 women came despite several large town meetings going on at the same time. The women asked some very good questions and expressed great appreciation for my coming to inform them. However, I cried on the way home. There is so much infidelity here, on both sides, which is why HIV is spreading like wild fire. I read scriptures to them and felt like I got my point across but there is so much corruption it feels a bit overwhelming. I know they heard what I said, but it is hard to know if things will change. There is obviously great depth to the problem. But, on the way home God led me to read Galations 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." What an amazing verse! I need to learn to trust in that. My mind knows that God is in control of all of this, but my heart is sometimes struggles to find understanding. I also need to remember that this is only the beginning :) There will be joy and there will be sorrow, but we will press on!!
The women asked some very good questions and expressed great appreciation for my coming to inform them. However, I cried on the way home. There is so much infidelity here, on both sides, which is why HIV is spreading like wild fire. I read scriptures to them and felt like I got my point across but there is so much corruption it feels a bit overwhelming. I know they heard what I said, but it is hard to know if things will change. There is obviously great depth to the problem. But, on the way home God led me to read Galations 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." What an amazing verse! I need to learn to trust in that. My mind knows that God is in control of all of this, but my heart is sometimes struggles to find understanding. I also need to remember that this is only the beginning :) There will be joy and there will be sorrow, but we will press on!!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Distributions Continue to Grow
Barrio camp is home to one of the largest groups of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) of all the villages we serve. Over 180 people are now registered with us in this village alone. Praise the Lord we are seeing more and more people come forward to receive the medicines God has enabled us to provide, including the men in the villages who are often more reluctant to come forward because of social stigma. Upon speaking to this group of people, I was reminded that although these people are facing a painful, horrible disease that will eventually lead to death, every one of us are certain to
face death eventually...each in our own time. How precious life is, each and every day that God gives us breath. It challenges me to live each day as if it were my last, whether I'm here in Uganda, the U.S., or anywhere else in this world. The only day I have is today, and in that I can fully rejoice in Christ my savior. I have everything I need in Him! Those of us who are in Christ, whether sick or healthy, do not need to fear death. As we did together that day in Barrio, we can praise God with joy and peace in our hearts because we know that death is not the end. It is just the beginning! -Wes "'Death is swallowed up in victory.' 'O death, where is your victory?' 'O death, where is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." I Cor 15:54-57
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
We Made It
So, Jolene and I made it to Lira tonight and were extremely excited to see Wes with the GRI truck. What a nice change from the bus. Normally, the ride isn't as bad as our 8 hour experience, or so Wes tells us :) Our bus was burning oil the entire time - thus the resultant picture! Joshua told us we would turn black before we went back to the States. I guess he was right!!!
Keira
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Many greetings and blessings to you all this new year! We are so thankful to all our WONDERFUL Ugandan brothers and sisters who serve with us at GRI. They ran all of the programs over the holidays, enabling us Americans to spend some time with our families back home. We are thrilled to see what God has in store in 2008! Our New Year's resolution is to write more on the blog. Keep checking back!
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