How can this picture make me cry? Well it is very simple. 3 years ago when I was in Kenya, we visited the smallest home I have ever seen. A king bed would not have even fit in it, that was how small it was. The four of us visiting could not even all fit inside it. The woman who lived there had 2 young children and a new infant. She had no food, no way to provide milk for her baby, because she was HIV positive. She could not get any of the help she so desperately needed. We brought her a backpack full of food, some meat, mostly rice and beans with some local greenery. She was sick at the time. Honestly it felt like she had given up hope. But that is why we were there, to give her hope, to come along side of her and encourage her. To give her and her children a chance.
Today, on Christ's Hope International (the ministry we went with, who supports these people all year long) had this picture on their blog. I recognized her instantly, her face was not one I would easily forget. Except now, she has hope in her eyes, a sense of self worth that was not there 3 years ago. The child she is holding, I am assuming was the baby we saw, is healthy and alive. I want to go back. I want to see these lives so drastically changed for the better. Isn't it amazing what a little food, and love can do to a person. I wish I had a picture of her from 3 years ago to show you the difference, but we were not allowed to take pictures on our home visits out of respect for those we were visiting. Trust me when I tell you that this is a whole new woman, and this ministry is making a tangible difference.
Edit: Apologies the picture didn't post, it was there when I checked it yesterday, then this morning it wasn't working. I fixed it.
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