Two Days that Changed My Life-(Belated) Reflections on World AIDS Day

Like many of you, I've heard the statistics. Each day, 6,000 children are orphaned to AIDS. Every 12 seconds another person is infected with HIV. Two-thirds of all people living with HIV are found in sub-Saharan Africa, although this region contains little more than 10% of the world’s population. During 2007 alone, an estimated 1.5 million adults and children died as a result of AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. Since the beginning of the epidemic more than 15 million Africans have died from AIDS.

These statistics can be overwhelming and to many, they are just numbers. My view of these statistics changed in 2000. In July 2000, my cousin Amanda and I traveled to Botswana, Africa, to visit our aunt and uncle. This was my first time to Africa and Amanda and I thought it would be fun to do something special in the year 2000. Our aunt and uncle had lived in Africa for several years, so we wanted to visit them and learn more about their life there.

It was a great trip. We camped at Chobe National Park and saw amazing wildlife. We drove to Zimbabwe and saw Victoria Falls. We had fun together and shared a lot of special memories. Of all the memories I have of that trip, what stands out the most is two days we spent in Francistown, Botswana with a group of 200 AIDS orphans who have named themselves "The Shining Stars." These children had all lost their parents to AIDS and many of them were disowned by their extended family after the death of their parents, because of the stigma of AIDS. These children had come together and formed a new family, where they offered each other support and shared their resources. We played soccer and red-rover, we provided food, and I gave lots of hugs and kisses. While playing red-rover, one little girl was accidentally knocked down. As I tried to comfort hear, I saw tears rolling down her cheeks but she didn't make a sound. I asked why she was so quiet, and another child responded by saying that no one comes when you cry, so why make a sound? These children had experienced losses in their short life that you and I can not imagine. Every day, these children had to worry about what they were going to eat and if they were going to be safe. These are things that children should not have to worry about. It was during these two days with The Shining Stars that I realized that there is a face, a name, and a story behind every one of the statistics that I had heard about AIDS. These two days inspired me, and I returned to Africa the following year to work with orphans in Kenya.

In the past 8 years, I have been to Africa 9 times and I hope to return many more times. I have a deep love and respect for the people I have met and worked with there. I have been given so much more by my African friends than I could ever give them. My experiences in Africa have created a passion in my heart to advocate for the people there and confirmed my calling to adopt.

Although we have come a long way in our understanding of AIDS, I still think that HIV/AIDS is surrounded by stigma. According to World Vision only about 11% of born again Christians give to HIV/AIDS related causes. Why don't more people give? It is not our place to judge those infected or affected by AIDS. It is our job to love them and to care for them. And believe me, if you are willing to get involved in these people's lives, your life will be changed as well. I know the statistics and numbers are overwhelming. It's hard to know where to start and how to make a difference, and it may even seem pointless. But there are many ways that you can make a difference. Write your Senators, Representatives, and the President. Tell them that providing support for AIDS orphans is important to you. I write my senators a lot and have even gotten some responses, once I received a letter from the White House. There are easy ways to write your Representatives and many websites offer form letters you can easily email with just a few clicks. Go to http://www.one.org/ or http://www.seekjustice.org/. Educate yourself and others. Buy Product (RED) products. Financially and prayerfully support programs that work with AIDS orphans and provide care and treatment for those living with HIV/AIDS.

"The one thing we can all agree [on]... is that God is with the vulnerable and poor. God is in the slums... God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives... God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them."- Bono

The Shining Stars of Francistown, July 2000