greek iv stories » University of Virginia

Lives transformed in Kenya

Allison Leslie — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:40:35 +0000

A story from Katie, a Junior in Zeta Tau Alpha

I am studying abroad this summer in Kenya and working with a ministry here called HEART’S WEEP. They minister to 19-40 year old women who have AIDS/HIV who have been completely ostracized from their society by the enormous stigma associated with this disease. Abused and abandoned by their husbands, disowned by their communities, these women have worked together to completely turn their lives around, as well as the lives of their children (some of whom are HIV-positive as well.) Banding together to overcome the immense shame and degradation they lived through, they are now all on ARVs (anti-retroviral drugs) and have learned to sew school uniforms and other goods, which they sell for a profit. Some of the women could barely move and were expected to die any minute when they arrived at our doorstep, but now they are strong and healthy enough to dance and sing songs of praise with us…truly an inspiration. A lot of them told us that they were never expecting to live to see the year 2009, but now they all have so much faith and hope for the future. Maureen, who is 19 with two kids (one 4 years old) used to be so frail and so embarrassed/ashamed that she would hardly uncover her face or mutter a word. Today she stood up, and while still timid, smiled and introduced herself to us, sharing her awesome story. The women find out about the program because they see their friends lives transformed. When they ask these women what happened and how they look so great the women involved with our program bring them to the HEART’s WEEP center in Kibera, Kenya to see for themselves. One woman’s family had sent her away and literally bought her a coffin as they were just waiting for her to die…unimaginable. Today she is strong and is able to raise her children, make money, and empower other women as well. The women have become so strong that HEART’s WEEP just started a program called PROPS (Parent Rescue Orphan Prevention Strategy) where certain women are trained at the HEART’s WEEP center to become counselors to other women, because if we can help the parents fight AIDS and keep them alive, we will be preventing children from becoming orphans in the first place. From the moment I met the these women, they were constantly hugging me, shaking my hand, and thanking me for everything, even though they have done it all. They have come to God through HEART’s WEEP, they pray together, and their prayers have truly been answered…their prayers have saved their lives. And I get to see all of this happen right in front of me and be part of it. I know this summer will change my life forever. I am amazed at what God is doing over here. It makes me realize once more that God wants to use me in whatever situation he puts me in. This coming Fall I am excited to begin serving as a leader for Greek IV and to help transform the Greek system at UVA for Christ. God is moving in me this summer and I can’t wait to see how I will get to use this new found passion for my faith and the skills I am learning over here in Africa this summer this coming Fall.

Click here to read more about HEART

Summer Conversations

Allison Leslie — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:40:24 +0000

A story from Marie, a Junior in Pi Beta Phi
This summer I’ve found a lot of doors opening within my relationships. A lot of my close friends at home are nominal Christians or non-Christians. I don’t usually have a lot of conversations with them about God and religion. But what I’ve found this summer is that God has provided a couple of opportunities for me to share about my faith with my friends, without overwhelming them. I know that Greek IV has a lot to do with that. Before getting involved in this ministry I don’t think I would have taken the risk and jumped into some of the spiritual conversations I have this summer. This past weekend I was at the beach with my cousin. I’m extremely close with her, however, we rarely talk about faith. However, this weekend for some reason we were both extremely comfortable and the topic came up. I explained to her about how my faith has grown through Greek IV and how it’s been an amazing journey. My cousin opened up to me completely about her faith and why she has always struggled. It was so cool getting to connect with her on that level. God has been working through me this summer in my relationships. He’s letting me open up more and take more risks. It’s been really neat to see how he’s been working in the lives of people that mean a lot to me. And because of Greek IV and the things I have learned there I have really been able to be the witness I have always wanted to be!

Bringing Conference Back to Campus

Shane Gallagher — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:48:42 +0000

I went into Greek conference not really knowing what to expect. When I left, my direction in life made a lot more sense. The whole conference definitely made me re-think what I wanted out of life. What gets me the most excited since conference are the times when I’m having a genuine one on one conversation with God, just me and God. If I can give that same thing to my brothers in my fraternity, that unreal and almost imperceptible connection between creator and created, well I think that would put me over the edge. I want to do that and the conference and my Greek IV chapter here at the University of Virginia are both helping me figure out how to do just that.