Despite any effort I made, I could not remove the look of sadness from her face. She had HIV/AIDS and she would not live long.

From her teacher, we learned her parents had died from AIDS and she was now orphaned and alone

I will never forget her eyes. Sorrowful eyes… pleading eyes. They are burned into my memory. She is one of many children suffering from a disease that will not be cured. She is in a country where access to life prolonging medication is not possible.

Each of us who traveled to South Africa had moments when we were broken. Meeting this little girl was one of mine.

In those times of brokenness, we realized that we did not have the skills or the tools or the power to cure the sick. In those times, we also realized that our greatest medicine was sharing the love of Jesus with the people we were serving. Our Earthly pharmacy included pills and eye drops and creams but our Heavenly pharmacy included the love of Our Father and assurance of life everlasting in a place without pain or suffering or loneliness. It was clear that to me that we were sent to comfort, just as Our Father comforts us in times of sorrow.

I pray that each of you will seek God’s comfort during your time of brokenness and that in return, you can comfort others.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.