Troy and Tracey Lewis

Empty pill boxes, nausea, depression. Troy and Tracey believed people on the cusp of entering eternity had the most urgent need for the gospel.

Troy and Tracey Lewis held the hands of Zambian men, women and children dying from AIDS and talked to them about life after death. Tears would inevitably blur Troy’s vision when he walked out of the room. He knew death was already on the doorstep, and this was likely the last time he’d see that person on this side of heaven.

An AIDS diagnosis was a death sentence for many people in Zambia, but the development of antiretroviral therapy gave thousands of patients new hope. The Lewises tirelessly worked with clinics, non-governmental organizations, Baptist churches and ministries to stock the medicine in clinics across Zambia.

Troy and Tracey equipped churches to respond to the HIV/AIDS crisis in a Christ-like manner through Expanded Church Response (ECR), an organization Troy helped found, and which he served as the executive director and a trustee.

By the end of 2012, ECR staff and the Lewises had trained more than 3,000 caregivers who were tasked with caring for bedridden patients. The Lewises trained ECR staff to serve communities by providing AIDS testing, disaster relief, hunger relief and training in financial planning. They prepared churches to care, encourage and be present with people who are suffering — to give them hope in Jesus.

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