Grace volunteers Steve and Jenna Wimmer and Alex Bucher traded time, vacation and finances to start their summer off with the HIV/AIDS community in South Africa.
Jenna, who works as a Nurse Practitioner serving HIV/AIDS patients in the States, was excited to take her skills and experience to work with organizations and churches in two locations they served there, Chatsworth and Port Shepstone.
“The goal of the trip for me was to be open to the Spirit teaching me about how much Jesus loves the poor, the dying, the outcasts, and how he wanted to shape my life from here on out,” says Jenna, who serves at Grace in worship production. The patients “inspired me, challenged my trust in Jesus, gave me a new perspective on strength from God, and changed my opinion of the poor and infected.”
Steve wondered about the real impact of missions trips before he went. “I’ve struggled with the concept of the short-term mission before. But in South Africa, I saw that just being there communicates encouragement and hope: we are wealthy Americans who have come halfway around the globe just for them, and that means something profound. I also learned about joy and perseverance in the face of true need by listening to people whose daily circumstances would be considered catastrophic here.”
Jenna found encouragement in her interactions with these patients. “I sat with a woman named Ruth for 3 days in the AIDS hospice of Port Shepstone. Ruth is paralyzed from the waist down due to spinal meningitis due to a complication because of her HIV/AIDS. But she can use her hands skillfully and makes jewelry to potentially provide her with income. I make jewelry too, so she lay in bed, and I sat in her wheelchair beside it, and we talked about life and shared skills. I was able to lotion her atrophied, dry legs and paint her unkempt nails and try to remind her of the beauty that she has because she is a daughter of God’s.”
Alex, who coordinates Grace’s global missions and serves in Connections, talks about how they were able to go beyond the medical outreach to help people spiritually: “I was working at the HIV counseling station, when a quiet 14 year old girl asked that I pray ‘that my uncle won’t kill my father.’ She said that her uncle raped her when she was 12, and her father had put him in jail. She did not wish more harm to come to anyone. I was heartbroken but inspired — despite her hurt she is reaching out and caring for others. She left my station with my prayers, but she left me much more.”
Welcome home, Alex, Steve and Jenna — and thanks for taking the good news and love of Jesus beyond Grace and to the world.
“I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.” Psalm 140:12
