We could not believe our ears. I wanted to shut-down all my senses and run to a place that was untouched by the viciousness wiles of evil that is set—on destroying the innocent.  Sharon and I literally sat stunned as this story was unveiled before our eyes. A story, that I am sure is replayed over and over again in the dark poor places of South Africa that the enemy continually lurks to devour and destroy.

Sharon and I were sitting in the office talking to the assistant principal of a primary school for the poorest of the poor when she poured out her heart to us. Oh…..  how she loves all 1000 or more of her ‘children’ and takes personal responsibility for their hearts! You could just see it in the way she poured out this story and by the tears that started to blur her eyes.

Her small primary student had no parents. Both had died. This small girl was living with her grandma who was barely getting by; who also suffered from an addiction to alcohol. One day, this grandma’s uncontrolled addiction to alcohol led her to make a snap decision which ended in a devastating consequence for her granddaughter.

This grandmother was penniless and in desperate need of a bottle of beer.

So, she went over to her neighbor’s home and begged him for a bottle of beer. Taking advantage of this grandma’s addicted situation, this man agreed to give her a bottle of beer only if he could ‘have’ rights to her granddaughter.

She agreed.

She handed her very own precious granddaughter over to this dark situation and along with this rash impulsive purchase for a bottle of beer she bought a fatal consequence.

A death purchase.

Her innocent granddaughter returned home—HIV positive.

This assistant principle could hardly continue the story; as her heart broke over ‘her’ little girl.  She told us that her school needs education especially in the primary grades on good-touch/bad-touch and give them the empowerment to fight for ownership over their own bodies.  She said to us if this girl would have known that what was happening to her was evil and very wrong; she could have run to the police.  Now, this very small innocent child was destined to try to out-run the life sentence of AIDS.

Let’s …just pray…

We have so much set before us.

Let’s pray.