Thursday 14 June 2012

Friends in Deed

We got a call this evening.  From a friend we will call 'Billy.'

Billy was calling about a little girl with HIV.  A girl and whose sister (who also has HIV) Billy and his wife are caring for.  They visit these orphans every week.  Talk to them.  Play with them.  Help them with their studies.  Work with the grandmum and see that their financial and schooling needs are met.

Billy called because one of the girls was sick.  She had just vomitted after taking her dose of Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART).  Should she take another tablet of ART?  What should be done about the vomitting.

Its 9 PM and Billy and his wife Denisa are with the girls.

Sheba asked Billy whether they saw the ART tablet in the vomit.  Billy said yes.  Sheba suggested taking another ART tablet - and if the vomitting persists to take a small tablet to control it.

When Sheba hung up I thought back on our early days at JSK.

Billy was with us when one of our first ladies died.  She was living in a tiny room in a near-by shanty-town.  Billy was the go-to man (he still is) at a local private hospital.  He helped us get an ambulance for her.  Helped us help her relatives when she died.  We called him up a lot in the nights in those days.

We are almost a decade later - and Billy and his family are still quietly helping out.  We don't know how many people in Billy's church know about what he and his wife are doing.  Billy's family attends a fellowship where many a right hand does not know what the left is doing - so that the glory does not go to the giver.  But we know that our Father in heaven sees it and is very pleased.

Billy and Denisa - friends in deed.  Indeed!

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