Out visiting

We are constantly in awe of the doors God continues to open! Today, we went out with Hospice. It was such a time of learning. The nurse, Doreen, has an incredible desire for people to hear about Christ Our first visit was short. The lady was HIV+ and suffering from shingles. She didn't feel like talking much- completely understandable. The second home was disappointing, but a learning experience none the less. Doreen was trying to check up on three sisters; 9, 12, and 19 years old, but they weren't home. She explained a little about the situation there. The sisters were all in full blown AIDS and probably would not live much longer. Doreen pointed to an over grown area of grass and said that they had recently buried 5 family members . . . and soon the girls would be gone too! It is such a harsh reality. Death surrounds everything and touches everything. The last stop was a wonderful experience. We parked the car at the end of the road (literally where the road ends) and walked past tiny shacks all lined up. Because it was raining, Doreen had us meet with two different families (10 of us total) in one of the little homes (10x10 ft). At first the people were very guarded. They didn't really look at us and spoke softly towards the ground. But, Doreen spent some time explaining who we were and that we really wanted to learn Zulu. Then came our chance to talk. All it took was for them to hear our honest attempts at their language and begin to laugh at our mistakes and the barriers seemed to melt away! The people began explaining when they were first diagnosed with HIV, how their health has been and how Hospice has helped. As conversation slowed down, Doreen explained to them that Kyle was a Pastor who taught the REAL Word of God and that he would like to pray for them. One of the men who had been chatting with us quite a bit gave a little speech. Doreen translated saying that he was glad we had come and happy to hear the REAL Word of God. The emphasis was on the "real". Our hearts yearned to open scripture right then and start teaching, explaining God's good news! We left that little broken shack with a deep excitement for the way God would one day move. We see how He is preparing hearts to hear His Word, even granting them an eagerness for it! Maybe one day we can return to that home speaking their language and begin teaching the Bible! It is hard to be patient while learning Zulu! It is hard to wait for God's perfect time for His Word to be revealed.