Today in India, a woman will hear the news that she’s HIV positive. She joins the 2.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the world’s second most populous nation.
UNICEF reports that around 33.4 million people around the world live with HIV. Many of these men, women and children are social outcasts, especially in South Asia. In Mumbai, one of India’s largest cities, HIV patients have a chance for hope and a new life because believers have made it their mission to remember these forgotten men and women.
A church network and convention in Mumbai has started a ministry called OneHope to provide testing and to care for HIV patients. Indian believers meet the medical needs of HIV patients by making home visits to attend to physical and spiritual needs of AIDS sufferers in Mumbai. These believers have the goal of sharing their hope in Christ.
This ministry is sponsored by a center that hosts trainings for new Christians. The goal is for these new Christians to share the hope they have in Christ not only with their friends and family but also with men and women who have AIDS.
Regina Seabolt*, a Christian worker in South Asia, says this house church network was founded about 25 years ago by former International Mission Board President Jerry Rankin, during his first visit to India. The network is thriving, Seabolt says, and not only supports this HIV ministry but also two other ministries. Seabolt and her husband Kaleb* partner with this network.
“It’s awesome that the church in Mumbai saw this need for HIV testing and healthcare while they were out sharing the gospel,” Seabolt says. “[They] followed the example of Christ not only to offer the gift of salvation and freedom in Mumbai’s slums, but [also] to meet the needs of their very own neighbors.”
Short-term teams play a crucial role in the church’s ministry to HIV victims. For instance, Micah Watson, of the Micah Watson Band, visited Mumbai in 2011. He spent time and shared the gospel with HIV patients.
“When you go on a trip [such as] this, you’re just becoming a part of what God is already doing,” Watson says. “You’re not creating a new thing. We just need to tap into what God is doing.”
Watson journeyed to India through OneLife, a program that partners students and short-term teams with Christian workers globally. The focus of OneLife, which hosts three ministry projects in Mumbai, is to provide opportunities for students to make a difference overseas.
Watson and a team of students from Virginia helped the Indian church fulfill its vision to see the gospel shared in a specific neighborhood in Mumbai. The students were able to participate in the HIV ministry, and many had the chance to share the gospel.
There are many opportunities for students and youth groups to be involved in what God is already doing in Mumbai, the Seabolts say. The couple and their Indian national partners host multiple short-term teams through OneLife. In the past year, the Seabolts said teams of American students helped meet basic physical, educational and spiritual needs through facilitating trainings, medical teams and home visits. However, sharing about Christ and His hope is always the primary focus.
“The needs of Mumbai’s poor are insurmountable when you stare out at this incredible and overwhelming city,” Seabolt says, “but when you walk into one slum, down one small alleyway, into one house and meet one person who is thankful for HIV testing and thankful for the gospel of hope, God stirs a hopefulness in our hearts that we can change millions.”
Churches and students also can be involved by giving financially through OneLife. According to the OneLife website, prayer is one of the most important ways a person or church can aid this ministry. Prayer is needed to strengthen the following areas:
• Publicity for the ministry to attract those needing medical care
• Churches to be planted near potential patients
• Health care workers to support the OneHope project
• Organization and leadership among local churches
• Passion and dedication among ministry leaders
• Community support
Students or churches that want to be involved can learn about this ministry through OneLife’s OneHope advocacy project. OneLife connects students to volunteer opportunities with this Indian house church network. Visit OneLifeMatters.org to learn how you can pray, donate or volunteer.
*Indicates names changed.
