Pastor Gift opens the video below by introducing a woman he is going to visit in the Nsoko region of Swaziland who is dieing of AIDS and Tuberculosis. As this woman honestly shares about her suffering and her thoughts in the video, I am filled with compassion for her and her daughter. It is evident that she is a victim of being unaware of AIDS and how it can be contracted. Unless the Lord miraculously heals her, she is going to die soon. In the face of death, she also shares that she has decided to put her hope in God, because without Him there is no hope. She wants to be in God’s hands.
Along with Pastor Gift, we are participating in a small way in the work and fight to turn the tide of AIDS deaths in Swaziland. The monthly support for Ludlati Carepoint in part supports the Discipleship trainers who are educating our Ludlati kids about AIDS. They teach them how it is spread, how to avoid getting AIDS, and they teach them God’s healthy and wonderful plan for sex and marriage. This is an important part of the whole development plan that is giving our Ludlati Kids life and hope, and lets them know we love them and God loves them.
Fortunate: The Face Of AIDS from Children's HopeChest on Vimeo.
In the context of God’s word and gospel, this woman’s condition is not a question of what she deserves or mere consequences. If we all got what we deserve, no one would receive anything good. Christ suffered and died for this woman and you and me. For followers of Christ, God’s word is clear. We are all called to share in Christ’s suffering, but also His glory (Rom 8:17). We are all called to share with the poor and needy (2 Cor 8:13-15). Are you answering the call? If you were the needy one, how would you want someone with abundance to share with you?
Pastor Gift is sacrificially giving his time and life everyday to share God’s compassion and love to many Swazi people like the woman in this video. Those already sending monthly support to Ludlati are giving sacrificially at some level through grace and compassion. Together, God is using Pastor Gift’s work and our support to reduce and stop the AIDS epidemic in Swaziland. The question is not whether you are called. The question…Is He leading you to compassionate action to Ludlati or some other place in His Kingdom work? Is He calling you to new level of giving? I encourage you to know God’s heart and compassion for the poor, and obey His leading. Yes, it may be uncomfortable and sacrificial, but this is where we find His joy. Whether lead to Ludlati or some other place, don’t let the opportunities He has for you pass you by.
