This past week I had the opportunity to work at CAPRISA which stands for Center for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa! www.caprisa.org I had the most wonderful nurse ever. She loved her job. It was extremely refreshing to be in a clinical setting here where the nurse truly cares about her patients. We saw a lot of sick people; the Human Immunodeficiency Virus attacks the cells within people’s bodies that maintain their immune system. When you have HIV, you are extremely susceptible to illness like Tuberculosis. The stat is that 70% of the people with HIV are co-infected with TB. It was super encouraging as well to be working with a nurse who was a Christian. When people are working and serving for the honor and glory of the LORD there is a huge difference. Pray that the Lord continues to bless and honor her ministry at CAPRISA.

On Thursday of last week, after seeing a few patients, my nurse turn to me and says, “Let’s make our goal today to have every patient laughing by the time they leave this room.” I was overjoyed because I think that laughter is such a healer. EVERY PERSON at CAPRISA is HIV+. They are so much pain, sickness, shame, and burden. So why not help that with a smile or a laugh. The jokes included anything from how me and Obama are friends, how I am American, and my favorite was when a little girl who was seriously sick with HIV and TB came in and I put on my TB mask (which seriously looks like duck face) and I waddled and quacked around the room and we were all laughing. My nursing professor says often towards many different situations that we have encountered “We laugh because if we don’t then we cry” and this statement rang true this week because it would be so easy to look at all the suffering, pain and sickness and be completely overwhelmed BUT what a testimony to be able to encourage and bring a joy to people who have been stripped of it. My nurse was such an encouragement to me and to each one of her patients! I am thankful that I was able to learn under this sister in Christ!

Coming off of India and the few short term missions that I have been on, I am solidifying my ideas about short term missions and trips like the one I am on right now. I think that the purpose of short term missions to most countries should be TO ENCOURAGE THE CHURCH. There are amazing things happening in these countries that we go into with our great ideas and good intentions and many times we get lost in our agendas and don’t ask the Lord what his true desire is for us to be there.

While being here, I had in my mind that I was going to go into clinics and use my nursing skills. But there are many times when observation is the key aspect of the day because I don’t speak Zulu, I don’t know their systems, and I don’t have the same scope of practice as the nurses here therefore I have been forced to take a different approach at my time here. There have been many days in which the nurses I have interacted with are bitter, frustrated and in need of renewal. I have had to make my focus pouring into the nurses that I work with because they need it. Please pray that I can love on and encourage these lovely sisters who are serving their communities and are burnt out. =)

God is good.

He is moving!

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This past weekend we went on a safari! IT WAS SO GREAT! =)

More pictures are on facebook! =)

Francie and Emily and I made this video blog about it! =)

TALK TO YOU SOON!

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