Before leaving for Uganda, I invited friends in Colorado Springs to write Car Window Poetry poems for the single moms and widows I’d be meeting. While giving the moms poems, I also got to hear their stories and I’ve been sharing a few of them on my Instagram.

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Meet Anna Grace.

Anna Grace is a 56-year-old single mama in Cheele, and her story is both heartbreaking and beautiful.

Over the course of three years, Anna Grace was gang-raped three times. Rebels also killed her father and three brothers. Later on, Anna Grace discovered that she was HIV-positive.

While Anna Grace was rejected by her family and community because of her hardships, she saw her HIV diagnosis as a relief because she finally knew her medical status and was determined to fight on.

Anna Grace went on to start her own business making soap and peanut butter, and she has also been able to share her story in various countries around the world.

A few days ago, Anna Grace received the following Car Window Poetry poem:

“The sun radiates and reflects

within the corners of your soul.

You breathe in and out,

content with the light that

radiates from your fingertips.”

With love,