First of all I'd like to wish a happy birthday to my mother who is 78 years old. I hope someone who reads this blog will tell that I didn't forget that March 10th is her birthday. I am in a position not to deliver the message myself. Mama has suffered a major stroke and has been in a rehabilitation center in Kentucky U.S.A, for several years. Due to years of diabetes she has also had her right leg amputated above the knee. So travel for her has become difficult to say the least. Mama I love you and wish you a happy birthday. From Nakuru Kenya with love. I know that today is the 11th but I ran out of credits on my Internet. I'll explain that in another post.
Today they are doing the final touch up paint on "Christopher's House" and it looking, as they say here in Kenya, very smart. The house will be completed by March 18th for the official dedication ceremony. Then it will be ready for occupancy. A big thank you Ali and Virginia for sacrificing themselves and their property to make this vision come into reality. What a privilege to serve with them and see the lives of the boys who come to "Christopher's House" changed.
I am here and safe from the wrath of my dear wife Patti so I will confess I have had my hair done like I like it. But I will have it back the way she likes it by the time I get home. I spent several hours on a hard tiny wooden stool that seemed about four inches off the floor to get my doo done. I confessed that to tell you I got to spend several hours with one of the sweetest, kindest most grateful people I've ever met in all my trips to Kenya. She is the lady who did my hair and the same lady who does all the girls hair here at a "A Future and a Hope".
Let me tell you a about Beatrice. She is the oldest of five children and the only girl. She is a twenty four year old single mother that has a little girl named Patsy who will be two on June seventh. She is what I would call a hair specialist. Works in a local hair salon seven days a week (after attending an early service on Sunday) and makes around seven dollars for that weeks work. Her rent and utilities cost her about fourteen dollars a month. So if you do the math, she makes about twenty eight dollars a month. Fourteen dollars goes for here one room mud apartment. That leaves her with a wind fall of fourteen dollars a month for all the other necessities of life. She keeps a clean house, is an excellent cook and seems to be a good mother and a faithful family person. But she is a PLWA...one of the People Living With Aids.
She has not just sat down and waited to die. She has decided to live. And she now lives her life by serving other who have the virus. Beatrice is one of the people instrumental in helping those who have contracted the virus when they can no longer help themselves. She takes her medicine daily, works daily, and eats as healthy as she possibly can. she bragged to me today that she was feeling good and up to a staggering 42kg. That's about 92lbs. This her and Patsy.
Beatrice has not only seen and followed Jesus she is a reflection of the love, mercy and grace of God. She has a grateful heart and a strong desire to do what's right. There are literally hundreds of people we know who are infected with the virus. But some of them are dying of Aids but Beatrice is one of those PLWA people.
I ask you to see yourself in her position...choose you this day life or death. As for Beatrice and Patsy they have chosen to live in spite of society, in spite of religion, in spite of her friends and neighbors, she is in fact one of "those" people...People Living With Aids.
Pray for Beatrice and Patsy and the hundreds like them. Also pray that God will begin to impress on hearts to help with the things that are needed to see that they live and not die till they see the very presence of the Lord in flesh walking among men. I am honored to be chosen to work and walk with men and women who want to be that flesh that is sacrificed to see people change from those dying with Aids to People Living With Aids.
Making homes for orphans and healing the sick, (Do a word study on heal, healed, healing in the New Testament)
Babu Lonnie
