The first thing that this mother said to the project worker when we came into her home was, “Do they know that I have AIDS?”

She offered us food, coffee, and pop.  Looking around at her humble home, I knew she had given up much to be hospitable, so I took her offering.

Her eight year old daughter is sponsored through Compassion. This little girl dreams of being a secretary one day.  She was so sweet, her mom was so proud of her. Together they live in their home, just the two of them.  The husband had died of AIDS seven years ago.

Compassion has helped this mom.  Compassion helped her start a small business so that she could afford to live.  The government supplies the medication she needs to survive with AIDS, but a healthy diet is required. With the money from her business, this mom can afford to buy the food she needs to manage her disease.  She had prayed that God would not let her daughter become an orphan.

They LIVE with HOPE.

As we left her home, I met this sweet one.  She was playing in the dirt. No toys around, only garbage.  No matter how many trips I do, it’s always hard to see hope in these conditions.

We ended our day visiting a place called Hannah’s Hope.  Hannah’s Hope is a home for orphans preparing to be adopted.  It was beautiful, clean, happy place, with lots and lots of great caregivers. I held babies and toddlers. My heart melted when a little girl came up to me with a photo album.  She had pictures of her soon to be parents.  I looked at those pictures of the parents and she pointed to the people in the pictures and said, “MY Mommy, My Daddy.”

Her pride in those pictures and her smile said it all…

…soon she would be going home.

There was hope.