“Turn right
on that road just after the bus stop.” I followed Wisdom’s directions as they
led us to the homestead way down the muddy dirt road. Off roading isn’t a new
thing to me. I grew up most of my life driving down a dirt road. Off roading in
Africa though is different. The red-brown dirt sticks to everything when it
becomes muddy and makes it difficult to breathe when it’s dry and dusty. A car’s
wheels can get lost in the ruts, and this continues for two or more kilometers.
We were
driving Wisdom to a particular homestead so that he could give a shot to a woman
who has AIDS and TB. We would continue to do this for the next 45 days.
“There is
the homestead”, Wisdom pointed to a few small African style houses made from
mud and sticks. “Do you want to park the Kombi here or can you make it to the
house?” The house wasn’t far, and the danger wasn’t in navigating the large rut
in the road in order to make the turn, it was in the thorn bushes narrowly
lining the drive. “Yeah, we can make it,” I assured Wisdom as I pulled in.
When we got
there, we all stood around as Wisdom greeted the woman and gave her the shots
she needed. Fear gripped me and I didn’t even shake the woman’s hands. Thoughts
of “she has TB…what if I get it? And we’ll have the chance to see her for the
next 44 days,” ran through my head.
It was only
as I was navigating the ruts on the way home that I thought; did I really bring
Christ’s love to that woman whose name I don’t even know? Christ touched and
healed lepers. Aren’t AIDS and TB the same thing today? Christ’s love doesn’t
discriminate. If I am bringing Christ’s love shouldn’t I at least be ok with
shaking someone’s hands that has TB? Let’s be honest it’s not AIDS that I’m
afraid of with shaking a woman’s hand, its TB. And it was at this moment that I
remembered one of my favorite quotes, “Only when we are no longer afraid do we
begin to live.” – Dorothy Thompson
