In memory of a friend.

Timon Kutto
1/28/63-1/25/07
Last Thursday morning, I received a phone call saying that Timon, a beloved patient and friend, had passed away in the night. Over the past two and a half years, I have had the amazing privilege of knowing and loving this man and his family. HIV/AIDS had stolen his physical body but was never able to infect the beauty of his spirit. It is impossible to explain, but God used Timon’s life to reveal Himself to me in a profound and personal way. As Jesus had promised in Matthew
25, I encountered Him as I visited my sick friend.
For the past few years, Timon spent most of his days under the shade of a tree; and by the time I met him, his speech was very limited. It was his gentle yet piercing eyes that told his unspoken stories and led me to write these lyrics: “The words you long to say, the stories you’ve hidden away– they’re in your eyes, your tear-stained eyes. Dreams lost, brokenness found. Loneliness is all that’s around. It’s in your eyes, your tear-stained eyes. Lost dreamer, dream again– you are going home.” I can only imagine the way Jesus welcomed His child with outstretched arms. He wiped away Timon’s tears. And Timon was freed from the struggles of this world to dance and praise the One who never left his side. Up until the end, without fail, Timon would lift his hand towards heaven and say “Mungu tu”. “It’s only God”.
Timon’s joy was found in his nine year old son named Kipchumba. Just one week prior to Timon’s death, I felt so strongly that if we wanted to love Timon we needed to care for his son. In Timon’s last days, Kipchumba began attending ELI’s Brook of Faith Academy in Kipkaren and is receiving quality education and loving care allowing his father to rest. I thank God that He is the Father of the fatherless. Please pray for Kipchumba.
I will miss the moments with Timon but will forever be grateful for the gift God gave to me through his life. He proved to me that, although it be costly, love never fails.
“LET THE HAND OF THE LORD TAKE CARE OF ME UNTIL I GO HOME.” -
TRANSLATED FROM KALENJIIN, THE LYRICS TO TIMON’S FAVORITE SONG