Searching for Simi

Her name is Simi and she is fifteen years old. She is an orphan; her father died many years ago and her mother, who abandoned her when she was three months old, died just three months ago. Simi had been living with her grandmother since she was a baby. She was one of our clients for the last few years and taking ARV's from our hospital here. We saw Simi on a regular basis, but all of a sudden she stopped coming, and we heard she was hanging with the wrong crowd and stopped taking her ARV's. We called her to come to our place so we could talk and counsel with her. Her grandmother brought her, and sure enough she admitted to stopping her drugs. On several other occasions, many of us tried to talk with her about changing her behaviors, but all of our attempts failed. Soon after that visit, Simi's grandmother came to us in tears to say that Simi had run away. A friend of her's had been a bad influence on her and was convincing her to make unwise decisions. Last we heard she was still in Jos somewhere but we haven't seen her since last year.

I have been thinking about her lately with a heavy heart, and decided to visit her grandmother today. To my surprise her grandmother hasn't seen her since last September when she came to stay with her for a month, but then disappeared again. She said she hears Simi is around, but that she hasn't come to see her. With worry and fear written all over her face, she fears the worst for her precious grandaughter. I asked of the friend that initially got Simi involved in this crowd, and to my horror, they said her friend recently died of AIDS. Their are so many young girls here like Simi who are involved in high risk behaviors which increase their chances of getting HIV. Simi is already positive, but because she is not adherant to her therapy, the virus is growing much faster and stronger than before. If she tried to start back on the drugs, they would not work for her anymore, and she would become sick very quickly.

I pray that Simi realizes that this life she is living will only lead to dissapointments and misery. Their is no joy or peace apart from Jesus Christ. Worldly pleasures are fleeting and temporary to say the least. Please pray along with me for Simi. Pray for her safe return, and like the prodigal son who was lost, that she will be found again.

"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he find it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ' Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep."

Luke 15:3-6