Healing Hearts and Lives Amidst the AIDS Crisis with Echo VanderWal

There is no lack of complex challenges when delivering health care in the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS crisis. On the show today, we have Echo VanderWal who is the Co-Founder and Executive Director at The Luke Commission in Eswatini. Echo joins Brandon Stiver and Phil Darke for a conversation about calling, the pain and loss created by the AIDS Crisis, the irreplaceable impact of PEPFAR and what it looks like to provide holistic care in rural communities. With over 20 years in the country, Echo points us to what excellence looks like as follow Christ's example of humble service.

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Resources and Links from the show

The Global HIV/AIDS Conversation

The Luke Commission Online

Conversation Notes

• 4:00 - What do Jesus, Conor McGregor and Osama Bin Laden all have in common?
• 5:35 - The importance of having the support of your family when being called to serve God overseas
• 6:55 - Following Christ’s example of service in loving our global neighbors
• 7:50 - The reality of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa during the early 2000s inc consideration of the cost of transport, lack of medicine and poor treatment
• 11:35 - Pursuing professional investment in the national team that is delivering life-saving support in their own country
• 17:00 - The reality of inner pain and the orphaned spirit when family is lost
• 21:30 - Seeking care at scale within rural areas of Eswatini
• 23:35 - Eswatini has the rate of HIV/AIDS in the world - a resounding 26% and why we don’t want that number to go down
• 25:45 - The importance of international partners that provide anti-retrovirals
• 26:45 - How PEPFAR has positively impacted Eswatini, the work of the Luke Commission and what it looks like on the ground. 
• 29:10 - The dire reality of potential extinction when HIV/AIDS first expanded in Eswatini
• 31:35 - The erosion of bipartisan support in US politics and how it is now undermining the delivery of life-saving HIV/AIDS support for millions of people
• 35:00 - The risks that face people if PEPFAR pulls out
• 38:30 - The importance of comprehensive healthcare and tracking trends to help an array of health issues that arise across a population
• 47:00 - Don't wait to take the first step when it comes to engaging or even moving overseas to pursue God's heart for justice in the nations