February 4, 2008

And Jesus sent them out to proclaim the reign of God and to heal.
Luke 9:2

Jaksu, a 30-year-old man of the Lahu tribe, has been HIV positive for 5 or 10 years.

On the outskirts of Chiang Mai lie several rural communities. Hill tribe people such as Lahu, Lisu, and Karen occupy many of these areas. I visited a small community called Doi Saket on the northeastern edge of Chiang Mai.

I was accompanied by Mit, a Thai man who works for an HIV/AIDS organization called CAM (Church of Christ in Thailand AIDS Ministry). I will be working closely with CAM and their HIV/AIDS ministry. CAM is led by a wonderful Thai couple, the Reverend Sunan Wuti and his wife Jarawan. They and their staff are a dynamic team that has been in AIDS ministry for about 17 years. They are committed to grassroots community development and empowering the people they serve.

As I head out with Mit to visit a couple of families in Doi Saket I don’t know what I’m going to see or how I’m going to feel. Although I have worked with HIV patients in the hospital setting, this is my first home visit to a Thai family where someone is infected with HIV.

We drive down a dirt-packed road and finally reach our destination, a small village with approximately 10 bamboo huts. The man we’ve come to see, Jaksu, is from the Lahu hill tribe group. We find him in the village sitting on a tree stump and greet him with a “wai” (hands close together in a prayer held up to our nose), a traditional Thai greeting that shows respect.

Jaksu and his wife live in a home made almost entirely of bamboo.

He leads us to his bamboo hut to continue our visit. Mit, Jaksu, and Jaksus wife are deep in conversation in the Lahu tongue. I sit on their elevated bamboo floor and listen intently although I can’t understand a thing that is being said. Periodically, Mit stops the conversation to translate. I look around the hut at the sparse conditions. The hut is made entirely of bamboo except for the cement floor. There is a door opening, but no door. The walls are strips of bamboo with lots of cracks and large gaps. It feels like open to all the elements. There’s a clear plastic tarp over the roof to protect them from rain. I can’t imagine myself living in these conditions, let alone sick with HIV/AIDS and living in these conditions.

Jaksu and his wife have two children who live in a "blessing house" because their parents are unable to take care of them.

I learn from Mit that Jaksu is about 30 years old and has been HIV+ for five to ten years. He’s not sure exactly how long. CAM has been ministering to Jaksu for about a year through bi-monthly visits from Mit. Jaksu and his wife have two children, an 11-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy. Thankfully, both children are HIV negative, but they live at a “blessing house” (a boarding house) because Jaksu and his wife are unable to take care of the children due to his sickness and their poverty.

Jaksu has problems breathing at night and has to sleep with his upper body elevated on pillows and bundles of blankets or clothes. His feet and legs are swollen, which probably indicates myocarditis, a common problem associated with HIV. Myocarditis is a swelling of the heart muscle, which affects breathing and swelling in the legs.

Mit has informed me that in the past he has had to take Jaksu into the hospital because he was so lethargic and unable to walk. Mit has had to carry Jaksu to the car to transport him to the hospital.

At the end of our visit Mit prays for Jaksu and his family, and then we say our goodbyes. On the way home, Mit and I are silent for a while, deep in our private thoughts. I keep trying to visualize myself in Jaksu’s shoes and can’t believe how hard it would be to live his life. I thank God for my health and the health of my family.

Please pray for Jaksu and his family. They have a long hard road ahead of them. Fortunately, they have CAM to administer to them spiritually and physically, but we need your prayers.

Sincerely,

Brett and Shelly Faucett

The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 92