We have had the privilege over the past few years to host many people who desire to know what the mission field is like, or to see God use them in another country. Recently, Beth Reilly from Millington Baptist Church in New Jersey came to visit and use her nursing skills. Below is her impression of the time spent in South Africa and Mozambique.

“It has been a blessing to see God working, but also sobering to see the devastation to health, finances and families that HIV/AIDS leaves in its wake. My first day was at Lawley. We met with caregivers, went to the clinic and then took several people to Nazareth House inside Johannesburg for treatments. One woman was newly diagnosed with AIDS. She was going in for her first visit to begin the process to get on antiretrovirals. I was amazed at the sheer number of people who were sick with AIDS!

“The second day of my trip, we were off to a village even farther out than Lawley. Kathy taught under a tree for the community on HIV/AIDS and how they can help their friends and neighbors who are affected by the disease. The following day I was able to go back to Lawley to help with Bible Club. Children from grades one through three come to this “mini-VBS” once a week and learn a Bible lesson, have a snack, play a game and do a craft. About 75 children were there on that day. They learned about how King David was chosen by God. I taught them some new songs with motions that they really enjoyed learning.

“At the beginning of my second week, Kathy and I traveled to Mozambique. We held two seminars on HIV/AIDS at two different churches. About 60 people attended and were taught the basics of HIV/AIDS and how to take care of those who are sick – both physically and spiritually. We were also able to make some home visits. One particular woman we visited was in her early 20s and was widowed in October 2006. She seemed to be suffering from severe depression and had convinced herself she had HIV, even though she had tested negative several times. This is why the education is so important! Even though AIDS is rampant in these two countries, the knowledge that people have regarding HIV and AIDS is somewhat faulty. You could see the light bulbs go off in their heads as they understood more of how they could care for their loved ones and neighbors. The Marracuene church even blessed each of us with a capulina (a skirt made out of a strip of cloth that most of the women wore) and danced and sung in our honor.

“I saw firsthand the ministry going on in Southern Africa. Prayer is the most effective tool. I am praying that the Lord will spark a fire among the people who were at the seminars, that they will make an impact in their community and that many will come to know the Lord. The ill have many needs and obstacles to overcome, but God can change hearts. My prayer is that he will do just that in Southern Africa. Please pray that the churches in these communities will be able to model sacrificial giving to help those while they are sick and that they will become master gardeners, so that they can grow produce on their own. I believe that the seminars in South Africa and Mozambique are just the beginning.”

As Beth experienced, the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Southern Africa is overwhelming. In some countries about 1/3 of the entire population is affected by the devastation of this disease. At first it seemed a daunting task to effect change in one community, but it also made me realize that God alone can really do the work of producing transformation within a community. I can only help one person at a time. God has been faithful in walking with me through this journey of ministry to those who are sick with AIDS, and their children and families who are left behind to deal with the grief and often poverty that comes when the parents are gone.

We have seen many blessings and provisions over the last three years of working in the Lawley community that show God can change things. One is the expansion of the nursery school that we work with. About 130 kids in three different sites are being looked after, taught God’s Word and his world, and fed two wholesome meals a day. A small group of people in the community are willing to look after child-headed families or bring orphans into their homes to care for them. We have a Bible Club, where young children can hear of God’s unfailing love for them every week. Nearly 300 people have been touched by Christian love and outreach while they were dying, and more than 75 people walk and work in the community after getting on the antiretroviral medication. The partners who have made all this happen have been brought from many different walks of life and from many countries. Yes, God has been working in these last three years! Let us not forget to praise him for his listening and answering our prayers!

Read the original post at http://www.worldventure.com/News-And-Prayer/Stories-Around-the-World/Stories/The_Privilege_of_Serving.html