Romanos Okello from the Nyalenda Slums

This particular story is very moving to me. Last year while in Kisumu, I had the privilege of visiting a client named Romanos Okello who was in the CFA program at Central Baptist Church, Kisumu. Romanos shared his story with me.

Romanos Okello was born into a poor family in the slums of Nyalenda. His parents could hardly afford to raise him and his siblings, so he was forced to live on the streets at a very young age. While on the streets, he sold used bottles to make a living. He grew up this way in the slums for many years. After he was married and started having kids, he decided to start dealing marijuana or “bang” as it is called on the streets. For twenty years he was heavily involved in the drug business. He became a very well known and successful dealer in the community.

During this time, Romanos lost both his parents, brother and wife from sickness and disease. It was then that he was tested for HIV. And amidst struggling with the death his loved ones, he had to deal with the status and stigma of being HIV positive. Although his business continued, his life was spiraling downward.

By the grace of God, Romanos decided to join the CFA Center at Central Baptist Church last February. For the first time he heard about Jesus in a way he understood. Lazarus and Elizabeth poured time and love into Romanos, despite his prominence as the community drug dealer. One morning in April, Lazarus and Elizabeth visited his home on a routine home visit. But this time was different. After hearing the gospel and experiencing the love of God, he gave his life to Jesus Christ. His desire for change was immediate. That very moment he left the room and came back with all the marijuana he owned, totaling 150 kilos. Right then and there he burned it all. It was a declaration for Lazarus, Elizabeth, to himself and most of all to God that he was done with his former life.

Romanos decided to be baptized in the river by the pastor of Central Baptist Church. Soon after, he was given two bags of charcoal by CFA staff to start a new business. It was a brand new start for him. Romanos used those two bags of charcoal to buy several more and that business is still supporting his family today.

Romanos is now an active and dedicated member of Central Baptist Church. He comes early and leaves late. He attends the Bible studies and mens gatherings. He is so excited about his new faith that he brings his family every Sunday and frequently shares his faith boldly with neighbors and friends. His neighbors, knowing his past very well, can testify firsthand to the dramatic change that has occurred in his life.

After accepting Christ, Romanos had decided to take his eight children to be tested for HIV, for fear of loosing more of his family to sickness. He prayed fervently for the Lords favor on his family. Miraculously all eight children were tested negative. Romanos gladly shared his new faith and testified to Jesus working in his life.  Prior to knowing Jesus, Romanos had also suffered for many years with a serious hemorrhage as well. Recently he was reading in the Bible about the woman who suffered from bleeding and reached out to Jesus’ cloak to be healed. So Romanos, led in faith, reached out and grabbed a nearby curtain in his home as if to be the cloak of Jesus. And when he did, he was healed from his hemorrhage.

As Romanos told these stories in his home, there was a peace and joy about him. He had finally found what he had been searching for his whole life: Jesus Christ. He held up a painting a friend made for him while he was a drug dealer. With a smile on his face he said, “they used to call me ‘Rasta man’, but now they call me ‘Man of God’”.

Life Changing Stories

I recently read a book by John Eldridge called “Epic”. What I got from the book is this: God is telling a story in the world and in our lives. It’s an epic story that involves redeeming His people who were lost, healing them and bringing them back to Himself. It’s a beautiful story. Each one of us has a part in that story and we all have our own role to play.

It got me thinking. First, about how blessed I am to be a part of that story along with CFA, seeing God change lives. Second, about how everyone loves powerful stories. Or better yet, how we need moving stories. Maybe it’s the way we are made. We watch movies, read books, and share life with others because great stories inspire us, empower us, and energize us.

Unfortunately, when it comes to work, I sometimes get caught up in the numbers and figures. Don’t get me wrong, statistics and metrics are great tools (and they show that CFA is doing amazing work!). But they are not everything. There must be a personal connection. I think that organizations like CARE for AIDS can’t be evaluated by mere facts alone, you have to know the testimonies of those that have been touched.

I have the fortunate privilege of being on the ground in Kenya, close to the lives being affected every day. And I realize that it is harder to feel the impact for those further away, those who support the ministry and make this all possible. Believe me when I tell you, CARE for AIDS is changing lives. I have seen it myself. CFA is bringing spiritual, social, and emotional rebirth for individuals who thought their lives were over.

I spoke with the Thika and Limuru staff last weekend at the monthly staff meeting and encouraged each counselor to keep record of the success stories they are seeing every day. Together we want to share with you the stories that touch and affect us, the stories that really move us and keep us doing what we do. I want to bring you those stories. I want you to know that the work being done here is not just about the numbers to us. It’s about God’s bigger plan of redemption and salvation. It’s about life change, and every single person counts.

Meet Sharon Anyango Ouma. When she found out her HIV status, she was outcast and alone. While at the CFA program at Nanga Baptist Church, she accepted Jesus as her personal Savior. After being saved, she was baptized in Lake Victoria by Pastor George and joined the church. This is just one of many more stories to come!

Lucy’s Story

The following is a guest post from Amanda Carpenter. Amanda volunteers with the CFA administrative team in Kenya, helping with empowerment and reporting.

As I was looking through my notes from a day of home visits in the slums of Kia-ndutu, I asked myself how to write a client’s story so that you as a reader are able to experience what has happened in their life. I’d like to share one particular story of redemption, grace, and repentance in a woman from Kia-ndutu whose life has been forever changed as a client in the CARE for AIDS program.

Lucy Wairimu is 47 years old, married, childless, HIV+ and is currently in the third month of the CFA program. At the age of 17, she ran away from home and moved to Mombasa, where desperation led her to eventually turn to prostitution. She said she didn’t want to feel anything, so over time she became a drug addict.  Lucy lived in this vicious cycle for 17 years.   She had no idea she was HIV+ until 2008 but wondered why she kept getting sick. Unable to afford to go to the doctor or get medicine, and with no understanding of HIV/AIDS or how it is transmitted, she kept living as before. In between her prostitution jobs she would wash clothes to earn extra income, and, searching for something to make herself feel better, she even tried being a Buddhist. Anytime she saw something that might make her feel accepted, she jumped in headfirst.

Eventually Lucy decided she could make a better living trafficking drugs from Mombasa to Tanzania. She would eat the drugs or hide them in her body to get them across the border. She did this for about a year before she got caught at the border one day and was sentenced to 3 years in prison.  She had been in and out of prison 17 times by this point for various crimes, so she says it felt like her second home. Talking about her past, Lucy started crying and buried her head in her hands.

This shame led her to believe that she could never be accepted by a program in a church, but she was surprised to be welcomed at the CARE for AIDS center in Kia-ndutu with open arms. Lucy was raised to believe the truth and knows a lot of Scripture, but she had never accepted Christ as her personal Savior. Finding a place of comfort in the center, she asked lots of questions and told the counselors about her fear of going back to her former life.  More than anything, she wants to be transformed.

Just a few weeks ago, the Regional Coordinator Francis and I met with Lucy. She told me something I will never forget: knowing what Jesus sacrificed on the cross for her, she was afraid that if she accepts Him, but then rebels, she will hurt or disappoint Jesus.  We explained that this is what grace is all about. Even when we mess up, Jesus extends His grace to us over and over again. We talked for 2 hours with Lucy, and we asked her if she would like to become a child of God.  She shook her head with tears rolling down her cheeks and said yes, today is the day. Francis led her through a prayer of salvation, and we all joined around her in prayer, even her mom. That day in that one-room home, we experienced true repentance, restoration, and forgiveness.

We are thankful that Lucy has 6 more months with CARE for AIDS. Pray that the Lord will use the program to encourage her and spur her on to her new life in Christ. She needs to be able to stand strong even when her husband discourages her by making her think she chose the wrong religion. In the midst of all the other components of the program, Lucy is learning her how to trust the Lord in everything.

Please join us in praising God for the eternal change that has taken place in Lucy’s life!  Over the next six month, Lucy will continue to receive counseling, home-based care, empowerment seminars, and the tools that she needs to live an empowered life full of hope.  We look forward to sharing with you more about her growth in the future!