April 2008
Journal entry, February 12, 2008
I have begun to understand some of the things Jesus was trying to teach us during His ministry. How? By coming to know three people: Solomon, an evangelist who is HIV positive and has a vision to build the capacity of the Jaja children; Rev Ayano, the country director of ANERELA+ (the acronym for Africa Network of Religious Leaders Living with or Affected by AIDS); and Aynalem, the teacher who goes to Jaja three days each week.
Aynalem inspects the clean hands and face of a student during life skills class. As Jesus did, I must listen, love, and be present. These are more important than anything else. Tonight I went to Aynalem’s house. She is the teacher whose story I shared with many of you in the United States. She is HIV positive and was fired from her teaching position in a private school and evicted from her home when she told her best friend of her status a couple of years ago. She is gaining back her dignity by helping in Jaja, which is made possible by donations from many who listened to her story. Tonight she used the word “frustrated” several times, and I finally asked her to tell me about “frustrated.”
She cried as she wondered if she will pass the virus to her 13-year-old son! Most of her conversation was in Amharic, most of my responses were in English, but the nonverbal signs of relief lead me to believe that she understood what I attempted to teach her about transmission. What a burden to carry around! We talk about “free HIV testing,” and how important it is to “know your status,” but have we missed the instruction that goes with this information? Where is the support of others who are HIV positive? Am I missing opportunities to “teach” some very basic facts that I’ve been assuming everyone knows? Or shall I listen more than I speak? This was a learning experience for me. Thank you, God, for lessons that continue to be placed in my path!
In Africa, caring for children is community-based, not segregating in orphanages. Many big donors come here and build orphanages, so pray for wisdom. In addition, there are organizations taking children outside the country for adoption. The actions of these well-meaning organizations come close to child trafficking, in some instances—removing options for poor parents, choosing children who have parents, taking the children without full disclosure, etc. My concern is that these children, while vulnerable, have a mother and are growing up in culture rich with love and tradition! What is best?
April prayer request
For the vulnerable children of Ethiopia. In the AIDS literature they are called OVC, orphans and vulnerable children. I know them personally. They are what this country calls “half orphans,” one parent having died, leaving the other with limited resources to care for children, who need school fees, good food, lots of love, etc. Some of these families also have a “full orphan,” that is, when the widow or widower is guardian of a child. Family ties stretch wide and are very inclusive. Occasionally that orphaned child is mistreated by being required to do heavy labor, carrying water and wood, but they are fed and housed without additional resources. My experience with the Jaja community has shown what a joy and boost a little outside assistance can bring.
J
aja children in the courtyard of the "new" house. When a donation came from Pathways Church in Houston (which sent a team here last July), Solomon rented a good house up the hill from Jaja, turned the downstairs into classrooms, and used the upstairs for offices. The children have a place to go after school and on weekends. There is water and electricity there, after-school tutoring and three days a week there is a big piece of bakery bread for each one. When I visited last Saturday, expecting to see only Solomon, I found children were enjoying the water and using it to clean everything—floors, furniture, benches, banisters, etc. I took one of the smallest boys and washed his hands and face in the sink under running water. An infection of some kind has left him and two of his siblings with itching of the hands and far-reaching rash. I'm sure the water burned the broken area, but he stopped picking and scratching his palms thereafter and was a new boy, a very precious one! Pray that, in spite of 26 percent inflation in the cities of Ethiopia, there will be enough in the food dish of each home. Pray that these children will feel loved. Pray that each one will conquer his or her school lessons and excel, gaining the opportunity for higher education. Pray for the children’s caregivers, raise them up to God—solutions come from above and therein lies the future for all that confronts them.
Thank you for your prayers!
Prayerfully,
Dorothy Hanson
The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 12 |
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