Here’s the latest Newsletter we’ve received from the Cooledges in Zimbabwe…We can hear all the statistics we want. We can be horrified by the number of AIDS cases that grow every day. And we can be horrified by the number of orphans the world wide, as a result of the early death of parents inflicted with AIDS. We can see pictures and turn the page or the channel, and carry on with our lives. You may even know someone carrying the HIV virus, or displaying symptoms of AIDS in your own western community. And if we’re all brutally honest, we think “I wonder what kind of sordid lifestyle led them to this”, “Maybe they deserved it”, or “It’s the cost of sin in a life”.

But let us share with you the journey of some people so very near and dear to our hearts, the innocent bystanders, the ones caught in the middle - inflicted, ill, seeking treatment, praying for healing and for a bright future for their children, and living the life God gave them in faith.

The story of the father of a 3 year old, left by his mother. A confident middle-aged man who has always been around the Village volunteering, helping with job after job, laughing, joking, playing with children, attending and involved in Hope Community Church. A single father who always believed it was good to get tested and know for sure what your HIV status was. In his firm confidence at being HIV negative, he did go and get tested, and we will never forget the day he came into our office to share the devastating news of his infliction. For days he was silent, quiet, withdrawn. And our hearts broke as we watched his son head home from preschool each day, his tiny hand clasped around his dad’s largest finger. I’m sure the future weighed heavily on him those days, and still does. The waiting list to see a doctor at one treatment centre was 3 months long, another treatment centre had a waiting list of 190 patients, another was so busy we couldn’t get through for days. After the doctor’s visit (3 months from now), will come the endless months of bloodwork, pills and appointments. ARV’s (anti-retro-viral agents used in treatment) can make one feel very ill - I’m told the feelings are similar to those that go through chemotherapy. At this point in time, once you are on ARV’s, you’re on them for life. The expense and availability in Zimbabwe’s economy make them precious, a rare and valued commodity. In one life, in one test, a confident father realized who gave him breath and how very volatile that life had just become. We may struggle with who are children will marry and where they will go to school, but this father now struggles with whether he will be here to even see these moments in his son’s life.

The story of a middle aged woman with two children, and one husband. For over a year, she suffered with one illness after another thinking that maybe she had AIDS. She works at casual labor wherever she can find it, and her children are on Child Care Plus sponsorship because of their lack of employment and desperate situation. When at last tested for HIV, the news overwhelmed her. To realize the unfaithfulness of her husband, to struggle so long with whether to be tested, to think about the future with her husband and how their marriage would continue… How long would she be strong enough to bring an income home? How would she pay for therapy? Could she get into therapy? There are days she drags, days you can see the sores forming and the infections returning. Her brightness is gone, her smile has faded - yet she pursues her life with the Lord, and remains faithful to her children, praying a better life for them. She remains faithful to her husband despite the circumstances.

The story of a church elder, married to one wife, with one indiscretion years ago. And years later he is gaunt and ill, living apart from his wife, still praising God but refusing to admit the infliction. A confused life, an outward smile, and an encouraging word for anyone that will listen, as all around him, watch him waste away.

How could you ever say that someone deserves an illness like this? There are so many that are inflicted by unfaithful loved ones, by a past indiscretion. Because their infliction is more visible, does it make it worse than the inflictions that we hide from others every day?

A mom with a two month old baby that has just tested HIV positive, decides to not risk the life of her child any further, and forgoes breastfeeding. Instead she uses formula. But one can of formula, will cost her one quarter to one third of her month’s salary. Who will she turn to for help? Who will take care of the little one she is now so desperately trying to save, when the illness overtakes her own health?

The circumstances are as many as the number of people living with AIDS. But these are people we know and love, people we greet on the street, and offer rides to the local supermarket on our way down the road. We know their families. We sit with them in church and worship together. Our lives are now intertwined with theirs, and AIDS is no longer a problem overseas, but a burden a friend bears. A friend we know and love.

REGISTRATION for the school is almost complete - all inspections are done and the final report is being prepared. We now have occupancy permits from the City of Harare. Three more buildings for the school are completed to slab level, and furniture for one classroom is ready to go.

REGISTRATION for the orphanage is now at National level, as we go through the final stages in the process to operate.

But they are empty without the children and families, the individuals whose lives will be changed, encouraged, healed through Jesus Christ and contact with the Village of Hope. AIDS has created a crisis but we know Jesus Christ is the solution. Please pray for all those whose lives are affected by AIDS. That they might live and die with honor, dignity, and the assistance they need, despite Zimbabwe’s economy.

God bless you for being part of the healing!

See the Cooledges latest prayer requests on this page.