I tested positive for HIV in 1999, which at the time meant the end of life to me. Though I knew the Lord, I felt overwhelmed by the news.
I had met volunteers from the Family International while working as a secretary at an insurance company, and had become a fond reader of the Activated magazine. But after becoming very ill due to my condition, I lost my job, my friends, and all that I had lived for. I slipped into deep depression which led me to attempt suicide by jumping off a ferry into the Indian Ocean. Being a non-swimmer, this seemed like a sure way to end it all.
While I was out in the ocean, trying to sink, the Lord intervened and spoke to me in a very real and tangible way. He showed me that I had a future to fight for, that there were many people who needed my help, and that He was going to heal me. I was reminded of the Bible verses: "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh, is there anything too hard for Me?" "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil," and "I am the Lord that healeth thee" (Jeremiah 32:27; 29:11; Exodus 15:26b).
Through the Lord's intervention, I was rescued from the ocean. And thanks to the Word and the Family members' prayers, encouragement, and friendship I pulled out of the state of depression I was in, and started to fight for my healing. I was quickly healed from TB and other AIDS-related infections, and I began receiving the anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment for AIDS, which gave me a boost physically and started the healing process. True to His Word, God has healed me and today I'm completely cured of HIV/AIDS. All of last year I underwent a string of tests which all proved negative, including repeated "viral load" tests. After much prayer, and in counsel with the doctor who had been treating me, I stopped taking the ARV drugs, since they had been causing me many side effects, and I have since been feeling healthier than ever.
This experience has been a tremendous boost to my faith, and is a testimony to many, even though a lot of people won't believe that I was ever HIV positive. My cure has no medical explanation, and one is forced to admit that it was a miracle performed by God's healing power. "For with God nothing shall be impossible" (Luke 1:37). I can testify that God is the only One Who gives real meaning to my life, and that He is the greatest doctor in the universe! [Editor's note: See article by Sally titled "A Lifesaver in Time of Despair," Activated, Volume 7, Issue 2, June 2006.]
For several years now I've been working as a community worker and AIDS counselor with an international medical NGO in Nairobi, which offers a perfect opportunity to minister to AIDS patients--to pray for, encourage, and witness to them, as the Lord promised He would use me to do. The Activated magazine and other Family International publications provide excellent material to teach people and help them through the hardships and struggles they face in the fight for their lives. Finding faith through God's Word builds these people's determination and strength to keep up the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Every morning as I wake up, I ask God to use, guide, and direct me as I go out to minister to AIDS patients at the Mbagathi District Hospital in Nairobi. I pray with more than 30 patients daily. I invite them to receive Christ in their hearts, and I see the Lord work in many people's lives each day! I share a lot about life after death with the patients, which gives them a glimpse of Heaven and the glorious future ahead, and this eases their suffering and despair.
I am in the hospital for two hours and then I move on to the Kibera slum (the largest slum in East Africa), which is not very far from the hospital. There too I find AIDS patients, most of whom are bedridden. I pray with them and read them encouraging words from the Activated magazines and Get Activated booklets.
I have learned that positive spiritual attitudes can enhance health. Praising God for His goodness, even when things go wrong, is the ultimate form of positive thinking. I have faith that God will work things out and continue to take care of me. "A broken spirit dries the bones, but a merry heart does good, like medicine" (Proverbs 17:22).
"HIV/AIDS is one of the greatest social and economic challenges in Kenya today. It has had and continues to have devastating impact on all sectors of society. Although in recent years the national prevalence has reduced slightly, Kenyans currently living with HIV/AIDS are numbering 1.4 million, 10% of whom are children. There are also estimates of 1.5 million AIDS orphans in Kenya currently, and at least 1.5 million people have died of AIDS in the last 20 years. In 1999 the government of Kenya declared HIV/AIDS a national disaster."--Quotation from the Director of Medical Services, Kenya, National Training Curriculum on HIV/AIDS Care 2005.
