Day 7

Sorry we haven't been able to post this sooner. Thursday was an exhausting day for all of us. It was bittersweet in many ways since it was our last full day of ministry. We were out of the house early in the morning and headed off to the container. Thursday morning we took part in the HIV testing that Living Hope was having. Testing tents were set up for HIV, diabetes, TB and blood pressure that anyone could come to for free during the day. We had such an amazing turn out and couldn't believe how many people we were able to see that day that we had met earlier in the week. Over 120 people came by to do the various tests which is a total blessing. We spent the morning assisting with the testing tents as well as continuing to build relationships with those who were there.

Here in the townships, HIV has a negative stigma. If it is known that you have HIV, people will look at you differently. As a result, many people are afraid to be tested. They don't want to face the reality. Also, they are scared that if one of their friends or neighbors see them, people will start to say things and look down upon them. This negative stigma makes it difficult for infected people to get proper treatment. HIV is so widespread in South Africa partially because of this. Since we had testing for other diseases at the tent, it helped reach a number of people. We did find out that of the 100+ people who stopped by, approximately 30 were found to be HIV positive.

Thursday evening we had a worship celebration at the Nazarene church in Overcome Heights. During the week we invited people to come as we were doing the door to door ministry. The celebration was supposed to start at 6 and when we pulled up at 5, there were already people outside waiting for us. Before the service started, we took the kids aside and painted their faces. Each one of them had huge smiles and loved it that we took the time to do something special for each one of them. They rarely get this one on one attention so it was quite a special moment for each of us to be a part of this.

We managed to pack the church which was a total blessing from God. We sang a variety of songs, gave a few testimonies and enjoyed each others' company. It was a very moving service and towards the end, a few people even came to know the Lord. We prayed for a number of people both to come to Jesus and also for specific needs of believers already. It was so amazing to be a part of this and see the fruits of our work this week. After the service we handed out soup and sandwiches to everyone. We had 100 sandwiches made for the adults and each one of them was distributed. We had many smaller ones made for the kids. For some, this may have been their only meal for the day.

Our prayers go out to everyone that was there that evening as well as the additional people that are in the community. We never cease to be amazed by the amount of love and gratitude that these people have. Not only have we been able to play a role in their lives, they have changed all of us forever.