|
HIV Training for Our Three Island Nation Peace Trip It was our second stop on our “Three Island Nation” Peace Trip. Early the first day we attended a meeting with many of the pastors to discuss our purpose on St Vincent. We learned very quickly that they had many things that they wanted to share with us. It began when two of us were asked to go with two pastors to a hospice that cares for people living with HIV and AIDS. We traveled to the House of Hope Hospice and met with Anita (the woman that runs the hospice) who shared with us the wonderful work that the hospice was doing for the HIV/AIDS patients in St. Vincent. We learned that Anita has a handful of people who help her care for HIV/AIDS patients in their homes. They provide encouragement and food for some patients, and they help with daily activities. The House of Hope has a room with two beds, and if the AIDS patients have no place to stay or are too sick to be alone they can stay at House of Hope. These people are not medically trained. They are just people who are stepping out to care for these AIDS patients that have no one else. The House of Hope currently has 35 patients that they care for weekly, but as we learned from the government AIDS program office, there are currently over 600 people living with HIV and AIDS on the island of St. Vincent. House of Hope could use more people to help care for the sick. During my experience on St. Vincent I was reminded of the impact that one person can have. Anita was very interested in everything we had to share about HIV and AIDS, and her life is making a huge difference. Initially, we shared the HIV/AIDS Cube with her. Her first thoughts were of all the places that she could share this information in the community. It was really a wonderful experience for me to teach and to learn how Gods hand works through His people. After I came home, I looked back at not only what we were able to share but also the impact it could potentially have. By investing my life in church leaders on these three islands, I know the work of the CHURCH caring for people living with HIV and AIDS will carry on long after I’ve returned home to the US. I now see that when ordinary people like myself realize they have been empowered by God, they can do truly extraordinary things for Christ. ____________________________________________________________________
| 
