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Caring for Body and Soul
Caring for Body and Soul
Caring for Body and Soul
by John Mullen
I have been privileged to serve as a Maryknoll Brother in Kenya since
1990. A Registered Nurse by training, my work now is to help Kenyans respond
to the crisis of the AIDS epidemic which is ravaging their country. Small
Christian Communities (SCCs) are the backbone of parishes in Kenya. Utilizing
this existing Church structure our Project (the Archdiocese of Mombasa AIDS
Relief and Community Based Health Care Project trains volunteers from each
SCC to visit the sick in their respective areas. The HIV prevalence rate
being greater than 20%, invariably we find many people sick and dying from
AIDS.
The local health care system has been overwhelmed by the numbers of
people with AIDS. We use simple medicines to treat opportunistic infections
which ease sometimes terrible suffering. More importantly, the care and
concern of our volunteers is an important Christian witness that helps ease
the pain of despair that afflicts many people with AIDS. The work can be
difficult at times. I must struggle to stay close to Jesus in prayer. I am
blessed to be living with two other Maryknoll Brothers and a Maryknoll
priest. This community living is a great source of support for me. Finally,
I am grateful for my vocation to be a Brother and feel very privileged to
serve God's people in Kenya.
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