The paragraphs below were written by Inesa, one of our team members. She wrote it as a memorial for Nkolo, who died a few days ago of AIDS.
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A member of one of our short term outreach teams, Ella, has spent the last 3 weeks ministering at an AIDS hospice. She mostly spent time with 2 ladies. One was released today as she was better and her family was there to get her. The other lady came to faith in Jesus a few days ago. Ella went to read Psalm 27 to her and while she was reading the lady passed away. She was alone - there was no one to inform about her death.I was so touched by the fact that Our Father would not forsake her but would send her someone from afar to be with her in the last 3 weeks of her life. I have written a little ” sketch” about this lady. I don’t know her name so I have called her Nkolo. She died while listening to Ella read Psalm 27 to her…though she was alone she was not forgotten.
” My name is Nkolo, I have lived in the Cape all my life. My family has moved away and all those who were close to me are dead. I am 68 years old, ill and alone… I spend my days looking at faces. They come and go – some kind, some cross & I will never know who I will see next, for you see, I am a patient in hospice care, terminally ill & dying.
“I love watching faces. They fascinate me – the emotions, wisdom, life… sometimes you can see person’s life reflected on their face. Sometimes we get strange faces. The last 2 weeks one face keeps on coming back. She is young and pretty and speaks English. My English is very limited – I spoke Xhosa all my life. She is from America. She takes me for walks in my wheel chair and reads to me out of her Bible. Some of the words are strange, but comforting. Her presence brings me peace. She often prays for me and I pray too… to go to the place where I am not alone.” Last night some more faces prayed for me and I have reached my hands out to God and asked Him to keep me close. Last night was the first night I slept through in a very long time…
“This morning I opened my eyes to the sound of the American girl reading to me. She read:
Only for one thing
To live with Him in His house
My whole life long.
I’ll contemplate His beauty:
I will study at His feet.
“Listening to that, I lifted my eyes to Him, and reached for Him. He smiled at me and called my name. I was lifted off the pillow and followed Him. As if from far away I heard her reading:
In the exuberant earth.
Stay with God!
Take heart. Don’t quit.
I’ll say it again:
Stay with God”
3 Responses to “A Memorial for Nkolo”
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Inesa,
This is so beautiful. It brought me to tears and made me realize how much of Africa is a part of me. Thank you for sharing this. It is a true message of hope.
Angela :)
It made me cry. I want to read to people; to lead them to Christ; to comfort them in their last days… or their first. I want to be like that, and someday… I will. I really will. Maybe even tomorrow.
Thanks for the added inspiration.
Thank you Inesa for writing such a beautiful memorial for this dear women. When I was with her, I was just praying that God would use me to show her to Him. I now see that God truly had a plan during our time in South Africa. It is still very emotional for me and a day has not gone by that I do not think of that day… but God is showing Himself to be faithful! Thank you for this tribute, not to me for what I did, but to show the goodness of God and what He can do through a willing heart.
May God continue to Bless ALL of HIS work in South Africa!
Ella