WEBVTT

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So HIV, also known as human

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immunodeficiency disorder, is a disorder that

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attacks the body's own immune system.

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There's three stages to HIV.

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There's acute HIV infection, and that's

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the beginning of HIV.

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That's where the virus is multiplying

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itself inside the body.

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A person is experiencing flu-like symptoms,

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and it's very contagious.

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The second stage of HIV is

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chronic HIV.

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That's where people still have HIV

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in their bloodstream, but it slows

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down the reproduction rate of that,

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and it is still transmissible.

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People can experience little to no

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symptoms, and so many people stop

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taking their medication because they experience

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no symptoms.

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So most of the time, caregivers

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have to visit and remind them

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to take their medications because they're

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asymptomatic and don't think they need

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to.

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The third and final stage is

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probably the most well-known, and that's

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AIDS.

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AIDS is the most severe form

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of HIV.

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HIV can be transmitted through sexual

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contact, through contaminated needles, whether

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that

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be through drugs or through blood

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transfusions, and it can also be

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transmitted from a mother to their

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child through childbirth, during pregnancy, or

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because of breastfeeding.

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Even though HIV is a struggle

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for a person who's diagnosed, they

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can live long and happy lives

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if they have a healthy diet

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and if they take their medication

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and get a lot of rest.

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So once a person receives an

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HIV positive diagnosis, especially people that

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are poor or marginalized, they almost

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immediately start to experience various things.

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Firstly, they'll feel the social stigma,

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sometimes even from their spouses, immediate

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family, extended family, community, and

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sometimes

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even from their church.

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If they're already working, they are

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at higher risk of losing their

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jobs should there be any restructuring

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because employers are concerned about people

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that are HIV positive and that

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they may have higher health costs.

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And likewise, it's difficult to find

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work if they don't already have

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work.

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And this is particularly problematic because

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people, once they receive an HIV

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positive diagnosis, have increased costs and

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expenses.

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There is the travel to and

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from medical clinics and appointments.

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And in addition, it's very important

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that people with HIV positive live

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a healthy lifestyle.

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And so the cost for fruits

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and vegetables and other foods then

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rises for them.

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People that are HIV positive are

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at higher risk for having opportunistic

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infections, particularly tuberculosis,

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cholera, and in

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some parts of the world, malaria.

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And so with that, there's a

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big risk of premature death.

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If the HIV positive person is

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of middle age, there's an immediate

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effect on the care and support

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of the elderly grandparents.

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And as children are orphaned, there's

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big issue with loss of income

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in the family and as that

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happens it's less likely that these

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children finish school.

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Boys tend to resort to crime

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to get money and girls often

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sell sex for money and then

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are at high risk of getting

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HIV themselves.

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And so the consequences of HIV

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and AIDS are far-reaching.

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In South Africa, CRWF works with

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the Cothetsong Association.

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So in two thousand, the free

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reformed churches of South Africa got

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together and formed the Cothetsong AIDS

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Committee.

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And they have nurses and coordinators,

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oversee volunteers who will go into

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the community and they will

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check in and deliver HIV medications.

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They'll help them get to the

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clinics and they'll just offer education

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and support to those in need.

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They also have a pastor who

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goes into the community and provides

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spiritual care for those in need

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and he especially helps people who

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are at the end of their

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lives.

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So they also have a community

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garden project where they grow food

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for those who have been diagnosed

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with HIV so that their medications

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are effective because you have to

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take food along with the antiviral

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medications to make the medications effective.

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The foster care program organized by

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the Cawthart Song Association just originated

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from a subcommittee that was formed

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by the FRC churches in South

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Africa.

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They have two foster care homes.

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The first one has five kids

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who are in the pre-teen to

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teenage stage and the other house

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has four kids who range in

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ages from like junior kindergarten to

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grade two.

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So those kids are raised by

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local foster care mothers who just

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provide day-to-day care and then they

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also will attend a Christian school.

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These kids are in the foster

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care home because they either are

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HIV positive themselves or they have

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been abandoned or orphaned by their

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parents due to their parents own

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struggles with HIV or AIDS.

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Once a decision is made to

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support a project such as an

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HIV response project, the board looks

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for local partners who have a

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presence in the community and are

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respected and have the capacity to

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provide the program that's being anticipated.

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Once a partner has been identified,

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the board then looks to arrange

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a legal agreement with the partner

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that includes both

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organizational issues as well as the

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operational parameters of the project that's

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going to be funded.

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There's routine reports both activity and

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financial reports that are received and

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reviewed and when possible every few

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years there is a site visit

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that's undertaken to

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visit the project.

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So the Saziza project has been

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going for twenty-two years.

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The local partner is the Saziza

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Care Centre, which is a project

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of the Uniting Reformed Churches of

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KwaZulu-Natal.

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The project is delivered through two

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volunteer committees.

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They meet monthly.

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They have a time of prayer

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and singing to provide spiritual support

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to each other.

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They spend time discussing their visits

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and challenges in the community.

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There is a goal to support

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self-sufficiency.

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The projects often support things like

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community gardens or gardens at people's

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houses.

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Often projects are encouraged to have

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educational campaigns with the goal of

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preventing the spread of AIDS through

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education.

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Over the course of a year,

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those volunteers do five thousand plus

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visits and deliver three thousand plus

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food parcels.

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and encourage people to make the

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changes that they can make in

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terms of their lifestyle.

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As CRWF works with families who

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struggle with HIV and AIDS and

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works with those associations, we realize

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that it's a heavy and difficult

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topic, but we also acknowledge from

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our Heavenly Father that although these

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people may struggle in this life,

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we can be confident that they

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will

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Receive peace and security knowing that

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they're in the arms of their

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Heavenly Father and that in this

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next life they will be completely

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healed.