A Mother's Heart

I had the blessing of being able to take a couple of ladies on a Father's Heart trip (this is where the American's get to go to the home of their sponsored child) this past Saturday. I am so glad that The Lord allowed me to be a part of this special time.
When we arrived at the little girls house, she was so quiet but very excited to see her new sponsor. As we were visiting Natasha, her mother began telling her story.
Natasha lived with her mother, father, and brother. Everything was going well for Zambia, but things were about to change when Natasha was only seven years old. A man began coming around that would bring the family gifts and was very friendly. Natasha would go with him sometimes (which in Zambia, is very common to see children running around with no adult supervision.) One day a man came to the family's house with Natasha asking the mother if this was her child. The mother asked what she had done and the man told the mom how he had found this man raping Natasha. They took her to the hospital where they confirmed that this was in fact what had happened and then they went to the police. The police looked for the man but were unable to locate him. The mother found out that this was not the first time that the man had raped Natasha and she was afraid to tell anyone because he had threatened to kill her. Soon after this all happened, her father left their family to "find work" and after 5 months passed the mother soon realized that he was not coming back. Without a way to provide for her children, the family moved in with Natasha's grandfather and he does peace work (which is finding any job they can each day) to try to provide for his family.
After a couple of years, Natasha began getting very sick and she began having difficulty breathing as well as having developed a very bad cough. They took her to the hospital where they tested her as well as the mother and brother for Aids. After the test results came back, the nurses came in to talk to the mother and said there was no way that Natasha was her daughter. Her mother repeatedly told them that she was her daughter and that is when they told the mom that Natasha was HIV positive but the mom and son were negative. The mom then told them about what had happened to Natasha a few years prior.
We were asking the mom about the free ARV's they have available for people with HIV and she went across the room where she picked up a pink card and a zippered bag full of medicine. Seeing the bag of medicine, card filled with dates of clinic visits, and tears streaming down a mother's face was almost more than my heart could bear.
This was the first time I have been in Zambia and seen a mother's heart completely broken. Always before I have seen broken children's hearts, but as I prayed coming and am still praying that God would give me His heart for his people. I hurt so bad for this mother as she sees her child that is struggling to live with this wretched disease. I sat by this mother as she was continually wiping tears from her face and could hardly contain my pain for her. I know in a heartbeat her mother would take this disease herself if it meant that her daughter could be healthy.
Not having any children, I can only imagine the heartbreak that this mother carries with her daily. I know how broken my heart was and how much I have thought about this precious family, but I cannot fathom the depth of pain this mother feels.
Lord, I thank you for giving me a window into this mother's heart. I pray that you would strengthen her as well as bring comfort and peace to the mother's heart. Lord, what the devil intended for evil, you will turn to good and it will all be for your glory.
PS: I know this post was long, but I will have a part two of a mother's heart coming soon.
Thank you for your continued prayers! Love, Allison