HIV/AIDS: From Alabama to Africa Part 6
CBS 42 News
2007-11-05 08:22:04.0
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This next story is one we crossed the Atlantic Ocean to bring to you. A medical missionary from Gadsden whose faith, courage, and amazing trust in God helped her overcome tragedy most of us could barely imagine.
"You just can't help but see God's majesty and the beauty of creation here."
Carol Spears sees the hand of God in her very existence, a story she shares as she drives through the Rift Valley of Kenya and through Maasialand where we stop and walk among Carol's favorite tree, the acacia, which covers the landscape of the place Carol now calls home.
“But for me, home here is at Tenwek in Bomet Kenya, ten kilometers from Bomet; very rural area."
The road to Tenwek is rough, not unlike Carol's path to this place.
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She grew up the child of a minister in Gadsden, attended a Christian college and chose a career in corporate America. At the peak of her career in the telecommunications field a letter from a childhood friend jarred her.
“She said who are you, I don't know who you are anymore.”
That letter brought Carol to Africa to visit her friend who was a mission worker in Nigeria and before long Carols life began to transform.
She stepped back in her corporate career to complete medical courses at UAB, went to medical school in Kentucky. As doors continued to open for her path to Tenwek, she says she felt God carrying her.
"I lost my dad in a tragic accident my third year of medical school, and my family and I felt God carry us through. Then I as I went off to residency and spent a fabulous year at Tenwek a friend and I were driving back from a vacation. Bandits who came out from the side of the road hijacked our car, kidnapped us briefly one of them raped me during that tragedy."
As Carol shares this story with me, it's hard to imagine that it could get worse, but it did.
“Days after it happened in an early HIV test I had some blood work done sent it to Nairobi, the next day I called to get the results. It was positive. I was devastated. I was angry at God for the first time in my life."
Carol's peace came several days later, a sheer act of will to trust God.
"I said Lord I'm going to trust you, I trust you because I can't imagine going into this life. If I'm HIV positive I was worried about pregnancy at that time. All of these things were racing around in my mind and I said I trust you. And thank God, He fixed everything. All of those things got resolved, but not immediately, but immediately there was a peace."
That was before she found out she was actually not HIV positive.
"Either that was wrong test, or He healed me, I don't know, but every subsequent test is negative and I'm frequently tested."
Carol calls that experience the true testing of her faith. When her residency ended she would eventually return to Tenwek, this time a permanent missionary where her job requires her to treat people who more often than not have illness that are further complicated by HIV/AIDS.
"I don't say this lightly. I don't want to take anything away from people who have suffered their own tragedy, but for me this ended up being a blessing, because I saw God, I saw His characteristics. I saw who He is through this experience."
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