Our man from AP

This week has been a mini-maelstrom - of which we are still spinning from.

In the middle of all of this we had a visit from Mr. Ravi Kumar of NICE Mission - Dommeru AP.

He came out to see what we are doing with HIV care here through Jeevan Sahara Kendra - and to attend the first day session of our Church partner training in HIV/AIDS care.

Looking back I wish his visit had been a bit better - he ended up sick for 1.5 days out of the 4 he spent with us. But all in all it was very much worthwhile for this young man to get a glimpse of what is going on this side of our land.

Ravi tells us that Dommeru is a village of 10,000 people. The government health authorities say that there are 170 known HIV positive cases in the village. How this figure came about he does not know. But it is shocking stuff.

Ravi's father helped start a group of 13 churches in the area - and one of Ravi's main responsibilities as a 25 year old is to run a school. They have 5 children who are HIV positive attending - and another several who are orphaned by HIV.

The village has 5 men who are sick - and whose wives have abandonned them. Ravi and his team have tried to help these men out. They took them to different local people and sought jobs for them. One was taken to a merchant, another to a tailor. The men were rejected because they looked so thin. Ravi tells me that a number of people have been disowned by family members when they were found out to be HIV positive.

Stigma and hatred towards people with HIV continues at so many levels.

This is why Ravi was amazed to visit the people we are working with here. "When I visit the house of the victims here" said Ravi "I see that they are being loved. It is not like in my village."

Yes, it is not like in Dommeru. But many of the people here have been through similar situations - but have stuck on - and have been helped by others. HIV is never easy - even in the most supportive family situations. The disease and the stigma that clings to HIV/AIDS are so insiduous that for most people with HIV the illness seems to ever expand (even when physically under control) and seems to invade every part of their lives.

But with love things can change. Simple acts done by simple people. Simple love put into practice by people who are often quite flawed themselves - but more often than not in our experience - have experienced grace in their own lives.

Ravi is back in Dommeru. I got an SMS earlier this evening saying that he had arrived safely after his 1.5 day journey home. We are so glad to have been able to share a bit of our lives and work here - and trust that it will bear fruit in the far-away East and West Godavari Districts of Andhra Pradesh.