Another great story

One of the most rewarding and exciting parts of my time here in Africa so far has been getting to know and love the 10 Kenyans who are currently working full time for CARE for AIDS. Each of them have amazing stories and passionate hearts for working with HIV-infected people, but one of their stories took an exciting turn right before my eyes last week.

The Spiritual Counselor at our Banana Hill center is named Pastor Joseph. Joseph has been married two years and lives in a small, but incredibly clean and beautiful, house close to his church in the town of Banana. About a month ago, Joseph's wife gave birth to their first child, a boy named Isaac. Isaac had several health issues at birth, and while his sickness healed, he had a problem with his right food that left a large part of the foot and all of his toes black and essentially dead. The doctors told the family that they would need to operate on the foot last Thursday and amputate all five toes.

On Wednesday of last week Joseph's closest friends held a "harambee" at his house for the family. Word spread during the day, and that evening about 60 friends, coworkers, and members of the church showed up at Joseph's tiny house. We crammed into the living room, and those that couldn't fit sat outside the door in plastic chairs. For two hours, family members and friends led songs of thanksgiving, passionate prayers for healing, and short sermons on scriptures that told of God's faithfulness. Most people who came donated a small amount of money to help pay for the surgery, which cost about $200 after insurance payments. At one point in the night, Joseph got up to thank all of us, telling us that while they had hoped for a baby with 10 toes, they were so thankful for Isaac and would love and praise God for him just the same if he ended up with only 5.

The next morning, I was in the CARE for AIDS office with Cornel and Steve when we got a call from Pastor Joseph. He was almost screaming into the phone, telling us that when he arrived at the hospital, the doctor took one look at Isaac's foot and told them all to turn around and go home. He told them that the foot had healed remarkably in the past few days, and that there was no need for surgery -- it would heal fully in a short time and he would grow up with all of his toes! Joseph told me this story again in person today, recounting how the doctor had looked at him and said, "This could only be a work of God." Joseph hasn't seemed to be able to stop smiling since then, and a whole community of people here are praising God for his gift of healing to this new baby and this wonderful family!

People told me before coming to Africa that miracles happen all over the world, but we don't see them in America. Duncan has said time and time again, "In America, people don't have a need for God." I don't think I ever really believed that I would experience these truths first hand -- it really blows my mind and challenges my understanding when I hear this kind of story over and over, even seeing it before my eyes. I see in this place how people turn to God in times of need first, how they praise Him in times of joy first. In some cases there is nothing else to turn to, and it makes me realize how much I have put my hope and trust in things that I have in America simply because they are there, because they make sense, and because they are more tangible than an invisible God. I don't know why we don't see as many miracles in America -- if it's because we don't ask, or if it's because we don't believe when we ask. I do know that these people believe and they see, and I want to understand how. Africa is teaching me so many things, and I am so thankful for it!