A woman stopped by Urukundo as we were in a staff meeting. John who has such a “pastor’s heart” greeted her and began to ask her what brought her to Urukundo. She came and sat on the floor. It was uncomfortable for her to sit on the floor while we were in chairs so i offered my seat to her but she refused. She desperately began to share a story that I could only imagine the details. She showed two pieces of paper to John. She pointed to the base of the neck.
John then turned to us and shared her story. She was HIV positive and was asking us to help her start a business. Her rent was two months late (as she showed us on the paper) and she was struggling to support her son in school. She was also suffering from a tumor on her back. She wanted to start a business so that she could afford the drugs for her HIV and so she could pay her bills.
We sat and talked about her situation. I felt compassion for her as she sat humbly on the floor. As Arlene talked about how the need is so great in Rwanda, but we at Urukundo need to be careful on who we help. We can’t solve all the problems here in Gitarama. We are called to be a Home for Children first. We can help some, but not all. We had John share this with the hurting woman. We shared with her various clinics that she should visit as well as government agencies that may be able to give her aid. I asked if I could pray for her before she left.
As I prayed I pictured God’s love engulfing the tumor and disease. I prayed for peace and opportunity for her. I touched her shoulder lightly as I prayed. She winced as I made contact. I prayed as best I could feeling very inadequate and sorry we could not help her more.
We said goodbye and she walked away.
No comments:
Post a Comment