James,

I cannot tell you how saddened both Laura and I were to hear about No Matter’s death.  Life just isn’t fair at all.  Please give Rebecca our sincere condolences.  I think of her with admiration on a daily basis and pray for her.  I will be praying for her to have strength in the coming days and for her own continued good health.  I am attaching a couple of pictures of Rebecca with No Matter from our trip.  Please tell her that her friends here in America are surrounding her with our love.

At roughly 5:30 A.M. this morning, I received a call that informed me that Rebecca’s 8 year old grandson had died after being in intensive care for two weeks.  Rebecca held a vigil at the hospital, leaving her grandson’s side only to go to the bathroom and wash her clothes.  The child’s name was “No Matter”, because her mother and father abandoned the child stating they never wanted the child to begin with.  Both his mother and father have HIV/AIDS and have been nothing more than pathetic parents.

Rebecca took the child into her home.  I have spent time with the child over the last seven months and have danced with him at church.  He would frequently come sit with me at church.  He fell ill several weeks ago, and Doctors were trying to change his medication.  Rebecca is 63 and has AIDS.  She is one of the most active people at Vida Humana. Her commitment to the child is enough to touch the hardest of hearts.  The cause of death:  HIV/AIDS!

– 4 hours later –

Death is in the air this week…

It has been a busy morning.  I just came back from purchasing a casket for “Doesn’t Matter”.  That was a nickname given to the child by Rebecca.  The child’s mother (Rebecca’s daughter) and the husband did not want the child.  Rebecca told them “it ‘doesn’t matter’; I will take care of the child.”  And she did.  For seven loving years, she took care of this child along with several other grandchildren and orphans.  The biological mother finally came to see the child last week.  She too, has HIV/AIDS, and has the reputation for being a whore/prostitute.  She really doesn’t even know the child.  People (including me) reluctantly gave her condolences knowing full well she was totally absent in this child’s life.

Caskets here are hand-made of cheap wood.  It is then covered with black cloth and a white lace cross on top (assuming you can afford the cloth and lace).  I have paid for the casket, the trucks to take people to the gravesite, for people to dig the grave, and for the fellowship that follows. This is my gift to Rebecca.  It is a weight off her shoulders knowing that she does not have to worry about where the money is coming from.  Grace, Mrs. Ruwa and Margareta have been with Rebecca all morning.  They sing songs and accept visitors offering condolences.

Misheck, Felizardo, and I then went to the hospital to get the death certificate and a release for the body.  While we were there the doctor was frantically trying to save a three-year old girl.  It did not work, and she died right in front of us.  The mother was distraught and fell into my arms with tears.  She stated she had no husband and no family and that her daughter was the only reason she wanted to live.  Her grief brought us to our knees.  She is from Zimbabwe and spoke excellent English.  Death is everywhere and commonplace here.  This woman is now without her child and is alone.  The child died of Malaria.

Earlier in the week a 29 father of two died of HIV/AIDS but did not tell anyone he was infected until the day before he died.  He heard about Misheck and I from within the community and asked a friend of his if we could visit him.  We asked how serious he was and were told that he is fine, but wanted some advice.  Misheck spoke with him that day, but by then it was too late.  The next day, Felizardo, Rebecca and I were going to visit with him to talk about how to survive the disease.  When we started to go visit him we learned he died during the night.

HIV/AIDS used to be the “C” word (i.e., Cancer) that we felt thirty years ago.  Today, people say with pride that they are a cancer survivor.  I pray that we do not have to wait thirty years before people say, “I have HIV/AIDS.  I am alive, and know that if I take my medicine and take care of myself, I will live a long life.”

The average life expectancy in Mozambique is 40 years old.  Felizardo is 59 and Rebecca is 63.  Both have HIV/AIDS.  Both are in better shape than most of us.  Both attribute their living to following Christ and taking there medicine when they are supposed to.

The funeral is tomorrow morning.  The heat essentially makes it necessary to have the funeral in the morning before the heat really sets in.  I respectfully asked Rebecca if I could take a few pictures tomorrow to let you know what a funeral looks like in Mozambique.

Pray for strength for Rebecca.  Her vigil at the hospital has taken a toll on her physically and mentally.  Also, remember this:  Love is something that you give as a gift.  Give it freely knowing that people gain strength knowing you care about them!  Period!

I ask that people say a prayer for strength for Rebecca over the next several months.  She is still taking care of five other grandchildren.  I have to go to Vida Humana now, so I will leave it at this:  In all things we will glorify God!  Like with Job, we must praise God in times of suffering as well as times of prosperity!

I am proud to announce the arrival of a baby from one our more committed activists/advocates.  Her name is Graca.  Graca showed up daily at Vida Humana in spite of being in the advanced stages of her pregnancy.

An example of Graca’s commitment and impact occurred two weeks ago when Vida Humana received a generous gift (a $5,000 gift) of porridge that arrived in sixty pound packages that will help to feed our patients for the next three to five months.  The men began to unload them when Graca then stood in line to carry a number of the sixty packages.  The other women (probably more out of guilt than desire) followed her lead, and it became a team effort that was filled with joy and laughter knowing we could provide food to our patients and enforcing the “team” concept.  Keep in mind, she delivered the baby one week later but carried probably five to ten of the heavy packages!  Her commitment is steadfast and has served to make her husband – Lolo – more committed to Vida Humana as a result.

She had the baby two weeks ago, but I did not have access to the internet to share the news with you until now (with the exception of one hour when the internet worked earlier in the week – then shut down)!  Even now, I am not sure how long it will be working.  The inconsistency with the internet is by far the most frustrating part of living here, but that is a different story.

Getting back to the main purpose of this message, here is what I can tell you about the baby:  It is a GIRL! I do not know the weight or height, other than it was a smooth delivery that happened around 11:00 A.M. two weeks ago on a Friday.  At my church in the states (i.e., Our Saviours Lutheran Church in Naperville, IL) several of the people who visited Mozambique last month offered a baby’s crib to Lolo (the husband) and Graca (the wife).  We do not have ready-made cribs as in the states, so I had one made.  We also included a Mosquito net for the crib.

Presenting the gift was enough to bring you to tears.  A cab driver (Edgard) that I frequently use has become a friend of mine.  He attends church with me occasionally and has helped us at Vida Humana on several occasions by taking a few of our patients to the hospital without charge.  He is a committed Christian and has seen how much progress we have made in the community over the last few months.  I consider Edgard an activist based on what he is willing to do during the day “in kind”.  It is hard to describe it in words, but it is a tough life here.  Gas and food is expensive, and in a country riddled with poverty, Edgar’s willingness to help us with a few of our patients is testament to his character.  I am fortunate and honored to call him my friend.  Here is a picture of Edgar, his girlfriend, Grace (someone who helps me manage my house and helps interprets for me) and Lolo (far right).

After church on Sunday (a few weeks ago) Edgar agreed to borrow a trailer from a friend to take the crib to Lolo and Graca’s house.  Their house is not a shack, but certainly not the type of home we are accustomed to.  Also, the location of the home was not easily accessible by road so that added to the complexity of delivering the crib.

Fortunately, Edgar was at church that day (while Graca was still getting her strength back and tending to the newborn baby).  Lolo and Graca had no idea what was going on when I asked if several of us could come see the baby and Graca.  When we gave them the gift, let me just say this – they were touched beyond words.  The tear in Lolo’s eyes told the whole story and the impact of the generous gift was augmented by Graca’s loving smile!  Her smile lit up their darkened room.  Powerful stuff – truly!

The next day, Lolo came to Vida Humana to thank everyone.  He stated that in his and Graca’s life, no one in their family ever had a crib or mosquito net; and that this was the only baby gift they had received!  He said neighbors from all around his house were coming over to – certainly look at the baby – but also to see the crib and mosquito net.  He mentioned that he and Graca had never felt such love before and asked me to thank each of the “Team Africa” members for the heartfelt gift.  This was truly a “made for TV tear-jerker” show.  It reinforces why we need to help our friends in this part of the world.

I told both of them that the crib was a gift from Team Africa, and the mosquito net was from the women activists at Vida Humana.

Keeping in mind that this is a culture that generally does not hug openly, Lolo hugged each man at Vida Humana that day, and gave a subservient handshake to each of the women.  Again, another powerful moment!

So here is the message:  Never (never, never, never!!!) underestimate what a simple gift can mean!  Whether it is a material gift – like the crib – or an act of kindness, letting someone knows you care about them; it can change a life, and make people stand taller in a country ravaged with hunger and poverty!  Everyone at Vida Humana that day left with nourishment in their soul, a smile on their face, and warmth in their heart for Lolo, Grace, and the baby!

Now here is where it becomes even more special – The baby’s name! Many of the activists were in tears when Lolo shared the name with us.  Before I share the name, let me give you a bit of background:  Last month, eight people from Our Saviours Lutheran Church came to visit and discover more about Mozambique and Vida Humana.  One of the attendees was a teenager who came over with her father (he also came here last year and is a major factor of why I chose to come here).  His daughter is a bright, talented teenager who had never really seen this type of environment before.  She was deeply moved by the many facets of life and worship in Mozambique.  In the same tone, many of the people of Vida Humana were deeply touched by her presence and attitude (e.g., the genuine warmth she showed to others, along with her dancing, tenderness, smile, and her overall gentle demeanor).

So here is how much you can make a difference in someone’s life:  Lolo and Grace were so touched with this young teenager, they named the baby after her! So ladies and gentleman, allow me to introduce to you Graca and Lolo’s daughter – Valarie (Valéria) Edgar Loló Semente - Daughter of Graca Francisco Maconha Semente and Edgar “Lolo” Semente.  How cool is that!!!!!!!!!!

The message here:  Never underestimate how much your smile and attitude can impact the lives of others!

Peace and blessings, James.