25 Years of Witnessing to the Word in Thailand 183 “There was literally nobody who cared and loved her at the end of her life. She was simply rejected and forgotten,” he says. “I can’t forget her and keep her and so many others in my thoughts and prayers. I entrust them into the hands of God.” Despite the heartbreaks and challenges, Br Bernd says his time in Thailand brought him great joy. “I love the joy of the people,” he says. “The gratefulness of the patients when they feel that they are not alone; when they find a place to rest and a place of trust, where they’re not rejected or looked down upon because of their HIV status. For many of them, our Centre was the first place where they experienced this. “It was enriching of course to work in a team and we could not do what we do without our lay partners. I am so grateful for their support and all they taught me over all these years.” Br Bernd says when he first felt called to return to his home country of Germany to work with refugees, he also felt a strong pull to stay in Thailand. “Thinking about leaving made me feel a bit uncomfortable. But I kept watching the news from Europe and that overwhelming amount of refugees coming to Germany every single day.” After asking the German Provincial if there were SVDs to work with the refugees, he was invited to take up the task himself. “Around New Year, God blessed me with an infection and I had to stay in my room for two full days. No more running
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