Betty's Talent

My friend, Kierra, works for an organization called Empowering Lives International. They work in Kenya, the Congo, and now the Sudan. They don't want to just give handouts and put on "band-aids." Instead, their goal is to empower the nationals by teaching them skills in agriculture, finances, and other relevant stuff like making paper out of garbage. Anyway, they're an amazing organization that is truly empowering lives.

My friend Kierra went to Kenya this last summer and met a special lady named Betty. Kierra just wrote me an email about her, and I want it to change the way I look at life. So, I thought I'd share it...

"Betty has AIDS and worries at night what will happen to her 2 kids after she dies. There is no one to care for them, feed them, or put them through school. And yet Betty has an unshakable joy that radiates out of her wherever she goes. It’s a joy that comes from her incredible faith and hope in her God. She uses all her energy on Sundays to walk to church to lead worship, and during the week, on the days she feels well enough, she visits others in the community who are dying from AIDS. She encourages them, prays for them, and shares the hope that she has in God despite her situation.

"A few weeks ago, one of our staff asked Betty why she goes to visit the sick and speaks openly about her status despite the shameful stigma that accompanies it. Betty answered, "All of us have been given talents. Some 1, 5, or 10. God has allowed me to have AIDS - that is my talent. When I go to heaven, I will be accountable for what I did with the AIDS God allowed me to have." Wow, what an incredible perspective! Lord, may we learn from Betty and be good stewards of the “talents” you have blessed us with – no matter what form those talents come in."