By Barry and Judy Byrne
After short-term service in Liberia, the Byrnes were appointed as full-time missionaries to Zambia in 1989. They have five children; the youngest two were adopted from Africa.
Angela had AIDS. All of my female missionary colleagues in our town in Zambia had at one time or another tried to witness to this young lady. But her response to them was to cut them off, saying, “Just go away and leave me alone. I don’t want to hear it. When I want to hear about such things I will send for you.”
The ladies had a weekly Bible study at a house next door to where Angela lived with her parents. As my wife Judy was getting ready to go to the Bible study, I was in my office working. Suddenly the Lord gave me a great burden for Angela. I told Judy I would take her to the Bible study and visit with Angela while she was with the ladies.
I entered Angela’s house. She was lying on the sofa, much too weak to sit up. I sat across the room from her. After the normal greeting, I began talking with her. I said, “Angela, God loves you. He doesn’t care what you may have done or not done. He loves you anyway. He loves you so much that he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the Cross for your sins.” She did not tune me out or ask me to leave as she had with all the others who had tried to share that wonderful news.
As we continued to talk, she began to cry tears of repentance, and she asked the Lord Jesus to save her. I joined with tears of joy as the angels in Heaven began rejoicing.
Angela lived on this earth only a few months after that. I tried to visit her at least once a week. Sometimes when I would not show up, she asked, “Where’s the Pastor?”
She would have good days and bad days physically. One day she was feeling a bit of strength, and we went outside and walked around the block. She was able to attend church a couple of times.
One day I received a call that Angela was in the hospital. I rushed there to visit her. Her mother was by her bedside. I stood at the foot of the bed silently praying. She asked her mother to help her roll over. As she turned, she saw me at the foot of the bed. She flashed me a weak smile. But in that smile I saw a thank you. Thank you for taking time to come and visit me. Thank you for coming to my home when I usually turned Christians away. And most of all thank you for telling me about the saving blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I never saw Angela alive again. I preached her funeral, and a number of others professed Christ as their Savior. One day Angela and I will meet again. To God be the Glory!
This story, originally titled "He Loves You Anyway," was taken from the book Amazed by His Glory (p. 79), published by Baptist Mid-Missions. For ordering information, contact Tim Fry at tfry@bmm.org or click on the book title.