Teresa

I was on the South Africa team. The third day we were there we got the opportunity to visit a small, rural, Zulu village called, Bushyvale. While we were there, we broke into small groups and went out to do door-to-door ministries. We visited a few homes, and got the chance to encourage families that were already believers, and pray over any needs that were present within their homes. We were at our second to last home, and Ken had told me I would be talking to the family. When we got in there one of the guys that was with us, that spoke Zulu and was translating for us, told us that the lady's daughter was in the next room, and was dying of AIDS. I got to talk to the mother, encourage her and tell her that God is always in control, and would always be there for her, no matter the circumstances. After talking to the lady, she invited us to pray for her daughter in her room behind the curtain. A few of us went behind the curtain, and we got the opportunity to pray with her, lay our hands on her, and hear her recite the sinners prayer. Soon after that she fell back asleep. She was only 26 years old, and she was in her death bed with AIDS. I never found out her name, but I'm thankful that God was able to use her to show me how valuable our life is, and how I should live every minute of it for him, and him alone, because it could all be gone in a matter of seconds. She was definitely one of the most memorable people I met while in South Africa, and I'm thankful for her life, and that one day we'll meet again in heaven, away from all the pain she felt that Saturday afternoon.