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January 30, 2010 - Tribute to Gugulethu Khumalo
Gugu's life is a story of Rudo Rwa Mwari, the love of God. It is a love story, a story of building people, building dreams , transforming people, reforming nations. Gugu was a reformer. She was orphaned at age 10 when both her parents died of HIV. Her Uncle and Aunty, Mr and Mrs Kumalo brought her into their home and loved her as their own daughter. In 2001 she was found to be HIV positive from parent to child transmission and she started on HIV drugs. In 2005 Gugu began to be involved in Champions for Life, which is Pastor Tom and Pastor Bonnie Deuschle's (Celebration Ministires International) ministry to young people living with HIV. At Champions for Life Gugu began to know Jesus in a very personal way. Pastor Tom and Pastor Bonnie and their sons Pastor Tommy, Jonathan, Benjamin, Daniel, and daughter Sarah empowered Gugu with teaching and love. Gugu learnt that the HIV virus did not define her as a person and that all things were possible through Christ and His Kingdom. Gugu began to dream again and hope sprung alive in her heart.Gugu became a leader and a role model to young people living with HIV. She inspired them by her strength, confidence and wisdom. She did a Diploma in Beauty Therapy. Through Pastor Tom and Pastor Bonnie, God gave her beauty for ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning and rich garments of praise instead of despair and she in turn dispensed this beauty, joy and hope to many young people living with HIV.
In 2007 Gugu was delighted to travel to Israel with Pastor Tom and Benjamin, and 20 others and walked where Jesus walked. In 2008 Gugu was selected to speak at theWorld AIDS Meeting at Mexicio City on the topic of "Transitioning from adolecscence to adulthood as a young person living with HIV" Gugu told her story and doctors and scientists wept as Gugu told her story of overcoming the enormous obstacles in her life, and she was perhaps the only person who acknowledged the Lord Jesus at the conference. Gugu was a quiet person one on one but her eyes would really light up when she spoke before thousands. She has always been unafraid to disclose her status knowing her story of overcoming would help many. Gugu became a peer mentor at the PX2 course( The Pacific Institute- CEO Louis Tice), a course for youth empowerment and transformation brought to Africa by Pastor Tom and her aim was to teach this course to young people living with HIV all over the world.
Gugu was a Champion of Champions , a leader of leaders. She had enormous strength, a strong will, but like Esther she spoke with words of grace. She was small in body but giant in spirit She was a very brave and courageous person and she kept her faith even in the midst of suffering with sicknesses that caused her to be hospitalized. She died in hospital on January 19th with her family present. Pastor Tom and Pastor Bonnie hosted a Celebration of Gugu's life and it was evident Gugu had touched so many lives. Pastor Tom declared Gugu a hero. She will be greatly missed, but her fellow Champions are
determined to take up her baton and keep running the race that Gugu so excellently ran. |
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