Comfort with love and compassion:

On Sunday November 1st I went again with Grace & Light to a church not just to observe and help in little ways but to actually do some pre-test and post-test counseling.

From Thursday – Saturday the previous week I was a part of the Grace & Light Volunteer Training. There were about 12 others who also went through the training program. Some of these people will add to the number of volunteers already serving in the teams in Jos while some of them came from outlying areas for the training and will go back to their communities to expand the work of Grace & Light.

Pre-Test counseling is given to every person who is going to be tested for HIV. Some of the things we talk with a person about is their relationship with Christ, about the idea of being open or confidential with their HIV status, and about how to cope with the knowledge of the HIV test result. We also discuss with the person what their own risk of exposure could be and we provide accurate information about HIV/AIDS and hopefully answer any questions they may have and correct any misinformation the person might have.

Post-Test counseling is also given to everyone. This happens when we give the group of people who are being open with their status their test result and talk to them about supporting each other and discuss again some of the things talked about at Pre-Test counseling.

People with Positive test results would require information of referral services, where to obtain further support and assistance, how to avoid being re-infected with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections or transmitting the HIV virus to others. Those with Negative test result will need counseling on how to maintain their HIV Negative status.

The night before going to help with counseling I was incredibly nervous. I was worried I didn’t know enough or that I might say the wrong thing. As I lay in my bed I went over and over in my head the practice script we had during training just so I would remember all the points I would need to talk about. I also prayed and prayed that God would bring the knowledge I learned during training back to me when I needed it, and that he would help me say the right words to encourage and show each person Gods grace and love.

So Sunday morning came and we drove to the church were we would do the testing. We first attended the service and then conducted the testing.

We get everyone who is to be tested together to explain how the testing will go and talk to them as a whole group. Then the individual counseling begins! Usually all the volunteers need to wear a florescent smock so they stand out but because I am a Baturiya (White person) I stand out all on my own so people could tell I was there to volunteer!! There were about 5 of us doing the individual counseling and 2 people doing the testing. I ended up talking with about 15 people during pre-test counseling and about 6 people for individual post-test counseling and it went very well. I was still nervous each time a new person would sit down to talk because each discussion is so different but God really answered my prayers and helped me through each discussion.

Oh and there were no positive results at this church that day!!

This day really enforced the need for the prayer that I read in the Today devotional magazine that morning.

The prayer said:
Lord, of all time, you hold our lives in your hands and comfort us with your love and compassion. Help us to build each other up amid all the contrasts of life. In Jesus, Amen