Came down from heaven

He works as a sweeper in a near-by apartment building. She is his wife. He has HIV. We don't know about her. We will call him 'Anil.' We will call her 'Shruti.'

He has had herpes zoster - and opportunistic infection which is painful but not serious - on his face.

Herpes zoster is an infection where the chicken pox virus - kept under control in most of us because of our functioning immune system - shows up - and usually causes very painful blisters on the skin running along certain nerve lines. It is most often found on the abdomen - and the "lines" of blisters are the root of the common Hindi term "Nagin" (snake). Some believe that if the 'snake' circles the body that the person will die. Some quacks make a good living off this fear.

He came to us with a letter. A polite note from a local pastor who lives in the building Anil helps clean. The note told us that Anil has HIV and needs help.

Sheba talked with him about his situation. He knows he has HIV. He is willing to take steps to live a positive life.

She asked Anil whether he had heard about Jesus. He had. Shruti was under tremendous stress last year - with many deep problems. She started praying to Jesus and has seen a tremendous amount of peace. His daughter has joined his wife in prayers to Jesus.

The man a pastor sent to us - and that too along with a letter rather than being brought personally - already has a family who love the man who came down from heaven.

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Phil 2.6-8