Missions and the Terror of Disease:
AIDS Ministries in Africa
By Casey Platt
 The AIDS crisis is another of the "terrors" of this age, a silent
killer that has taken millions more lives than any terrorist strike.
For Christians practicing sexual purity, this threat is diminished.
However, our hearts should be filled with an urgency to reach those
on the African continent who are ravaged by this disease. Over 80%
of the people infected with the AIDS virus live in Africa.
As Casey Platt describes, ABWE is developing programs to reach
out to the victims of AIDS through career missionaries in Durban
and other locations in South Africa. WIN's HAVEN projects also reach
out to AIDS orphans in restricted access countries in East Africa.
Surveying the AIDS Epidemic
Recently, I spent an incredible two weeks in the Kwazulu Natal
(KZN) region of South Africa on a pre-field survey trip. My purpose
was to meet the team of ABWE missionaries serving there and to gain
an accurate insight into the devastating effects of the AIDS epidemic.
During this time, the Lord confirmed in my heart His desire for
me to go to South Africa . I was overwhelmed by what I learned,
yet excited by the possibility to reach South Africans through an
AIDS/HIV ministry.
The immune systems of HIV-positive patients are gradually weakened
by the loss of white blood cells. On average, it takes 5-10 years
for the immune system to be compromised and the symptoms of AIDS
(Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) to appear. However, in the
KZN region, HIV progresses more rapidly, usually taking less than
five years.
Once an immune system is compromised by HIV, the body's natural
defenses are worn down by concurrent infections. Without treatment,
death usually follows within a year to 18 months after the initial
diagnosis of AIDS. In the KZN, patients generally die less than
a year after they progress to full-blown AIDS.
In South Africa, an estimated five million are infected. In some
rural areas, 75% of the adult population has already died of AIDS.
In the KZN region alone, there are at least 600 new infections each
day. However, the real tragedy is how many people die without having
heard of the existence of a loving Savior.
Entire Families Destroyed
Speaking in statistics can make this tragedy seem distant and impersonal.
Yet, while in South Africa, I saw and met those who were being personally
affected. How many of the people I passed walking down the streets,
working in the stores, and carrying out their daily routines will
not be alive when I return?
I was chilled by the story of one woman: five years ago, she was
a vibrant, happily married twenty-five-year-old. At a checkup, she
received the exciting news that she was pregnant with the baby she
and her husband had been longing for. After routine blood tests,
to her horror, the HIV test came back positive. Disbelieving the
diagnosis, she was retested, along with her husband. Both tests
came back positive. She traced her sexual history back to the man
she had dated before her marriage, only to discover that he had
died some time ago of AIDS. Now, as a result of her previous relationship,
her own husband would also die, even though he had been a virgin
when he married her. The woman gave birth to a beautiful set of
twins. They both died at six weeks due to severe infections. Her
husband died two years later, and she passed away six months after
him. Entire families like this are destroyed by AIDS every day in
South Africa.
Developing a Strategy
ABWE seeks to develop a comprehensive strategy to reach both those
who are dying and those who are left behind. We will teach abstinence
and prevention to the children and adults who are not yet HIV positive
and work with other believers in the local churches to implement
ministries of compassion and education. I have a particular burden
for orphaned children whose lives have been devastated by their
parents' bad choices.
Upon arriving in Durban, I will join national Christians with a
heart for this ministry, missionary appointee Amy Wood, and the
current ABWE team of missionaries. Research will be our first step.
Abstinence rallies, seminars in schools, student counseling ministries,
youth ministry, basic life skills seminars, and discipleship and
counseling through the local churches will all be conducted as a
strategy for effectively reaching these people. The needs in South
Africa are great, but we serve an even greater Savior.
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