March 31, 2008

A journey of understanding

I, Brett, had the wonderful opportunity to be part of the PC(USA) health team to visit Thailand and to travel throughout India. Our main focus was to see what our partner churches are doing to help combat HIV/AIDS in South Asia. The trip was so packed with people, places, and events that I will have to write it in two or three installments.

The staff at CAM and the PC(USA) health team.

The group comprised Bob Ellis, our leader and PC(USA)’s coordinator for international health ministries; Les Morgan, M.D., a mission co-worker serving in Bangladesh since 1989; JoAnn Saunders and Gail Bingham, who both work with Bob in the International Health Ministries office; and me, Brett Faucett,  HIV/AIDS regional consultant for Asia.

We started off in Thailand for a couple of days. We witnessed God’s love through an organization called CAM (Church of Christ in Thailand AIDS Ministry). The members of CAM have been ministering to HIV/AIDS patients for 17 years. We formed into groups and visited homes of people living with HIV/AIDS. The Reverend Sanan Wutti, the founder of CAM, was with us during this visit and provided translation.

We first visited Duangjan Jaisom, a 43-year-old man who has been HIV positive for approximately 10 years. He lives in a ramshackle house and does motorcycle repair to earn a living. His first wife passed away 11 years ago from AIDS, and his 13-year-old daughter recently passed away from AIDS as well. He has since remarried and, unfortunately, has not told his new wife of his health status.

Bob Ellis and Rev. Sanan talking with Duangjan Jaisom, 43, who is HIV positive. His first wife and daughter have already died from AIDS-related illness.

Mr. Jaisom said he was going to get his CD4 count checked, and when he found out the results he would tell his wife. Who knows if he’ll tell her or whether she’ll find out the hard way? He confessed to having unprotected sex with her about half the time. We will be praying for his wife, both that she does not contract HIV/AIDS, and that her husband will be honest with her about his condition.

There is still a lot of stigmatization here if you have HIV/AIDS. You risk being rejected by your family, friends and the community. Then, where do you turn for support? That is why CAM is so crucial for these people, who feel that they have nowhere else to turn. CAM not only provides for their physical well being by helping obtain anti-retroviral medications and taking them to the hospital, but they also provide a less tangible gift of just being there and being with the person.

I can only imagine what a lost and lonely feeling it would be to have HIV/AIDS and be ostracized by your family and community, which would normally be your support network. CAM has a wonderful staff of dedicated Thais who know what it means to spread God’s love. They work tirelessly and with great enthusiasm. I don’t know how they do it. It is not uncommon for Reverend Sanan to be called at 2:00 a.m. by a patient having difficulties. And I never hear them complain.

Rev. Sanan (far right) sitting next to Mrs. Wanna and two woman from her HIV/AIDS peer support group, Fiu and Sangkan.

We also visited Mrs. Wanna, a woman in her late 30s who has HIV/AIDS. Her husband passed away recently and left her with a lot of debt. She also had a 9-year-old daughter pass away from AIDS. As Rev. Sanan, Bob, and I are talking to this young woman, two other women showed up and joined the conversation. Rev. Sanan explained to us that both are HIV positive and that they are part of a peer support group that CAM started a couple years back. This way, people affected with HIV/AIDS can feel comfortable talking about issues with a person who can relate and be non-judgmental. CAM also provides training for people with HIV/AIDS to make handicrafts, which helps them generate some income. There are some kinks to work out with the income-generating plan, but I believe they will make it work.

It was very inspiring to see both CAM at work and the people infected by HIV graciously receive CAM’s help.

Brett

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