Every 16 seconds, someone in Sub-Saharan Africa will die from HIV and AIDS. Two friends from a Cru Bible study at Vanderbilt, Justin and Nick, heard God’s call to bring hope to the victims of this epidemic.
While Justin was in college, he began to understand the grave problem of HIV and AIDS in Africa. On a trip to Kenya, he met two local pastors who had a vision for how they could mobilize the churches in their country to care for people in need. However, they lacked the resources and organizational skills necessary to launch an effective movement.
On the same trip, Justin met Pamela, and AIDS victim. Suffering, she had been cast out of her village and forced to live in a tiny shack. Her husband had left her and taken her children away, blaming her for contracting HIV even though it was not her fault. Justin’s heart broke for Pamela as he heard her story, but he was hopeful because of her faith in Christ. At this moment he thought, “This is why the church exists. To extend the love of Jesus to people like Pamela.”
When Justin returned to Vanderbilt he started a non-profit called CARE for AIDS to mobilize Kenyan churches to care for families suffering from HIV and AIDS. His Cru Bible study encouraged and affirmed him. His roommate and friend, Nick, went a step further and agreed to be Justin’s first employee.
As the friends graduated, Nick moved to Kenya to lay the foundation for the ministry’s work in partnership with local churches while Justin remained stateside to build the organization’s support base. God has allowed them to use the strategic leadership skills they learned in Cru to train Kenyan leaders to have a ministry. These leaders have have ministered to thousands.
Churches take people through a 9 month program that consists of spiritual and physical counseling, a food supplement, and training on how they can make a living and provide for themselves. Their goal is that as their lives are transformed, the participants attribute that change to the Lord.
Pamela’s life is one that has seen an amazing transformation. Once shunned, now that she has gone through the program she has seen God do some amazing things. She has become much healthier, has reunited with her family, and is even providing financially for them.
To date, more than 4,500 families have come through the program with CARE for AIDS. That means that more than 10,000 children now have a family to grow up with. And now, close to 1,000 people have made a decision to follow Jesus Christ for the first time! Watch the video Blair produced about them here. Please pray for our initiative to send many more grads into the world like these!
Praises
- For Justin and Nick’s faithfulness to follow Christ
- The holistic fruitfulness of CARE for AIDS
- The privilege to play a small part in graduates’ ongoing ministries
Prayer Requests
- For the ministry of CARE for AIDS
- For seniors who are getting ready to graduate to hear from the Lord on the direction for their futures.
- Healing for 3 victims of human trafficking identified this month. One has yet to be rescued, so please pray!
