The whole time I'm thinking, "This is it. I feel at home. My soul feels at rest here." I was just so satisfied in the joy just seeping out these children. then we had to leave, and we went and ate some interesting pizza, then began doing the most spiritually and emotionally challenging thing I've ever done. We walked over to the Genesis Car center which is a hospice for AIDS patients. It was an amazing place..first you must understand that I'd been praying about going here for 4 days, just telling God how incredibly terrified I was to go there. Dying people are just so far off of my spiritual comfort zone radar. I have really awkward reactions when I hear bad news, and I don't know what to say, ask, feel do, how loud to talk..Just all these things that were scaring me to death. I'd been praying for power because I knew without a doubt that I couldn't do it, so it would have to be God doing it through me.
So Sharon, the manager of the care center, gave us a run down on just how the center worked, and what they believed and stuff. She said that they get the patients from hospitals after they send the people away saying "We can't do anything else for you, go home and die". She said 45% of the patients that come into the center actually walk out healthy enough to go live at home again and work and have a life. How amazing is that! I'm telling you this place was just overflowing with love and hope and the holy spirit. I was still scared though. I walked into the womens ward with Ami Cheek and Lauren Wuest, and right off the bat Ami just walks up to the woman in the first bed, grabs her hand, starts stroking her head, and talking to her just like you'd talk to a friend in the hospital. That made me feel a bit better. So we talked to a few more, then walked over to the mens ward and met a man named "Power". HE just kept talking about how much hope he had for his life since he came there and how nice the nurses are and what great care he gets and just how wonderful it was compared to being at home because in that culture people with AIDS are stigmatized and exiled in their villages and die alone and undignified. So he went on and on and Ami asked him how long he'd been at the center and he said, get this, he got there THAT morning....ONE morning totally changed this man's life. Praise God. So we prayed with him, then me and Lauren walked back over to the women's ward feeling better, but still nervous. We met a woman named Ruth. we held her hand as she told us about her kids who are 27 and 15. She looked like she was about 36 or so but she was 44. We asked how she was feeling and just talked like we were friends. In silences I would pray for God to just tell me what to say or what to do and i worked.. We prayed over her, said goodbye, and walked out. I still felt very uncomfortable, but was so joyful because all I did was walk in and God did the rest. That felt good to know God used me when I knew it was impossible by myself. How awesome is that. I'm not sure if I'll go back, but it was a great experience. Can't wait to see what today is like.
We eat out every night and the food is always good, no worries :) Miss ya'll!
Katy
