So essentially, we were leading a bible study for about twenty people who were diagnosed with a deadly disease and were in varying stages of sickness.
While leading the study, I noticed a young girl, in her late teens I suppose, who was very sick. The right side of her body would spasm and twitch uncontrollably and she kept her right arm behind her back, clearly self-conscious about the condition. Being different from others is a devastating fate for a young teenage girl.
Despite her embarrassment and suffering, she had an eager and pretty smile, shyly took part in discussion, and giggled at the other group members' light-hearted joking. I was very moved by her.
On Sunday, I realized that this same girl was standing in the front row at the church I was attending. There she was, holding her right arm behind her, not quite able to hide the tremors.
But her left hand was high in the air, unashamed, worshipping Jesus, reaching out to her Father. She sang with joy because she could see that God would meet her where she was, that he would not see a positive HIV test, or a body broken by disease. She sang because she knows that she is a child of God, that she is beautiful and precious in his eyes.
It is easy to be overwhelmed with the enormity of Mathare Valley, but when I saw this girl singing, God reminded me that nothing is too big for him. He is both powerfully changing African poverty on a large scale, and personally, gently changing the heart of one shy Post-Test girl who knows more about the acceptance of the Cross than most ever will.
