CANA Training

We are in the middle of an intensive week of sharing our hearts and experiences of HIV care with 20 folks from North India. Our trainees are field partners of the Christian AIDS/HIV National Alliance (CANA) and have come from all corners of the country - Delhi, Uttarkhand, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Orissa, MP and of course our own Maharashtra. Each one of them are involved - or want to be more involved - in caring for people with HIV in the name of and with the love of Jesus.

We have tried to make this week as hands-on and fun as possible - while at the same time working to equip our friends with tools that they can use to make massive changes in the lives of people with HIV around them. One of the themes that keeps coming through is that it is better to do something - as feeble as it might seem - than nothing. Another is that God has always chosen the seemingly weak to bring glory to Him. And that is certainly what we see in the church - with all our flaws and ugliness. Yet at the same time across our country we see amazing works of God as lives *are* being changed...

Sheba teaching about TB treatment: DOTS! DOTS! DOTS!

Since HIV still is a disease with so much stigma and shame attached to it - we cannot go as a big group to the homes of our HIV Positive Friends (anyway their homes are usually too pitifully small to host more than 3 people). So instead we send out our trainees in groups of 2 along with a staff to visit and understand the lives of our friends. This morning our participants are fanning out to local churches. In the afternoon they will be visiting homes of people with HIV that these churches are blessing. We want people to see what is actually happening on the ground.

In between we are also teaching our 4 day curriculum which we use to train local church members. The idea is for our trainees to be equipped to in turn teach this course in their own place of service.

What our friends are learning is reinforced by role-plays and games as well as case-studies in discussion groups. This batch of trainees is quite lively - and with 3 different discussion groups taking place simultaneously in a room - one could mistake the place for a fish-market given the volume of our discussions!

At the same time - we see that each person who has come is being deeply moved. Its just not enough to have facts and figures - unless our hard hearts are moved with compassion - we will never see real change.

Change starts with me. Today.

May God help our trainees as they fan out back to their amazing places of service on Tuesday night.

May God help us to ourselves implement what we have shared with others - with greater heart and more sustained and cheerful commitment!