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As I read through the article about the pastors' book-sets, my mind went back to last summer when I spoke at a Pastors' Library Project conference in Ethiopia. It was, indeed, an exciting time for everyone involved.
I had the privilege of teaching the principles of expository preaching to more than 200 pastors; most had never received that kind of instruction. I also showed these men how to use many of the tools in their book-sets.
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| You Can Help Change the World:
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Please join SIM in praying for these needs and opportunities around the world.
Remember the Persecuted
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hands of those who oppose the gospel. Christians in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and other countries have been arrested, imprisoned, and even killed for their faith. Believers have also seen their homes and churches burned.
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More than 25 million people have already died of AIDS. India has approximately 5.7 million people living with HIV--more than any other country in the world. An estimated 15 million children worldwide have lost one or both parents to AIDS, and in the next 24 hours, 6,000 children will become AIDS orphans.
AIDS statistics can be staggering, but as one AIDS victim states, "It is easy to read a lot of [AIDS] statistics and feel sad, but please don't stop at statistics. There are faces and real lives behind all the statistics you read."
The Faces of HIV/AIDS
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Caring staff at the SHALOM Center embrace children orphaned by AIDS--providing love, compassionate care, and the hope of Christ. |
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every one of those "statistics" has needed help, loving compassion, and hope as they have lived and died with the disease.
That's why the SHALOM Center, run by our partner, EHA (Emmanuel Hospital Association) in Delhi, India, is having such a powerful impact on people's lives. As tragic as the AIDS pandemic has become, it has also provided incredible opportunities to demonstrate the love and compassion of Christ and to share the hope of the gospel.
Following are a few testimonies to the powerful effect the SHALOM Center's motto of "transformation through compassionate caring" has had on the lives of just a few of those "statistics." |
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Karuna
"I belong to the statistics . . . I am a 35-year-old widow. . . . Two days before [my husband] died, we got the report saying he had AIDS. . . . My older daughter [and I are] also HIV-positive. . . . The staff at the SHALOM Center really takes care of us and provides us with the encouragement we need. . . . They listen to us. . . . Please pray for me . . . I do not want my daughters to go into the AIDS orphans statistics at such a young age." |
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Chandrasekhar
"SHALOM Center takes care of me. [Medicines] help me, but it is definitely the love and care I receive at this place that makes me feel better. SHALOM folk help me a lot. They are a source of encouragement, but also a source of direction to lead a better life." |
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Salma
"We wait for the visits of the home-care team as that is the time of being able to talk. It's good to be able to talk to some people who are willing to care and understand and not ostracize us. The visits are like a balm to our wounded relationships. . . . We long for these visits as we feel renewed and get strength to live on despite the situation." |
Caring for those who are HIV-positive is more than just a medical job. It is an opportunity to bring hope to a situation that is often filled with anger, bitterness, shame, regret, and hopelessness. But the love of Christ, demonstrated through the caring hands of His servants, can overcome all of those emotions and bring transformation not only for the patient, but also for the larger family involved.
When Anjani brought her husband to the SHALOM Center, she was bitter. She even asked the doctors not to give him any care. When she saw how our nurses cared for her husband, however, her life was transformed. Her husband died, but Anjani came to know the Lord personally--as did her son, her brother, and her brother's wife and son.
Anjani's story is just one example of what real love and care can do in a person's life!
Project Number--098551091
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