Missionary called to work in AIDS orphanage

Missionary called to work in AIDS orphanage

Squeals of delight echo down the hall as the toddlers rush to their friend at full speed.

“Who loves you?” Glenna Francis asks as she bends down to hug the two boys. “Your Father in heaven loves you, that’s who.”

The boys smile and clap with delight. Small hands reach up to grab Francis’ finger to lead her outside.

At first glance, this might seem like a normal reunion between a grandmother and her grandchildren, but it is far from that. The two boys, as well as the 11 other babies in this home, are orphans. They live in House of Hope, a temporary home in South Africa where Southern Baptists are sharing God’s unconditional love with orphaned babies and toddlers.

Sweeping epidemic

Many of the babies have been orphaned by the AIDS epidemic sweeping Africa. Some suffer from the disease themselves.

No one understands their need for a loving touch better than Francis. The International Mission Board missionary grew up as an orphan, too. Her mother died when she was only 13 months old. Her father remarried, but a year later he and her stepmother drowned, leaving Francis and her younger brother orphaned.

They bounced around from home to home for years. Finally, in her high school years, Francis found a permanent home in Houston with an aunt and uncle.

“People cared for me when they didn’t have to,” Francis said.

“My aunt and uncle did it because they wanted to touch my life. Now, I am doing the same. I am touching lives that otherwise wouldn’t have a chance to know Jesus’ love.”

The short-term orphanage is a temporary home for babies and toddlers.

As social services try to find permanent homes for the children, House of Hope offers them a safe haven. In Africa, orphans are traditionally absorbed by the extended family and everyone lends a helping hand. But with AIDS leaving behind 12.1 million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa, the extended family is fast becoming over-extended. Temporary homes such as House of Hope are popping up all over Southern Africa in an effort to meet the increasing needs, explained Francis.

A muffled cry from the baby room draws Francis’ attention. The baby crying is almost 5 months old but you couldn’t tell by looking at her. She still can’t control her own head and is about the size of a 1-month-old. The problem: She has full-blown AIDS.

As Francis changes the diaper, she sighs and motions for a fellow worker to step up and look at the new lesion on the baby’s leg.

“My heart just breaks for these kids,” she said. “We are close to having a missing generation here because of AIDS,” she said. “These children need to know they are loved. Some of them are going to die and they need to know Jesus’ love before that happens.” (BP)