Who knew people are actually doing good things in this world and care about others? I think this is a new concept...Recently, I've been made quite aware of the situation going on in Africa in regards to the AIDS epidemic. I know this is nothing new, and I knew it was going on, but it never hit home as much as it has recently. We just did a two week series in our small group (check out the White Castle link in my blog roll for more information) called 'Hope and Action' that detailed what was going on over there and what we could do to help. It was amazing to see what could be done for so little and help so many. Some of the information is listed below for reference for anyone interested in learning more, or in helping out.
U2, led by Bono, has been a major leader for this campaign and some amazing sites to jump on the bandwagon are One and Red. Both of these sites allow you to have a voice and even let you get the 'cool gear' to go with it. On the One site, there are things that can be ordered (t-shirts, wristbands, etc), but you can also have a voice and - most importantly - get the facts about what is going on and become educated. On the Red site, it lists items that we can purchase and companies will contribute to the cause. These items range from clothing, to cell phones, to i-pods. Not all of them are things I would buy everyday - and not all are available in the U.S. yet - but I think I'm going to check here first when needing to get gifts, etc. Anything I can do to help is worth the money.Either way, whether contributing financially or not, the important thing to me is learning more about it. The more I know, the more of an asset I become - and the more focused my prayer can be. One of the main things they talked about in the 2 week series we did was that above everything else, prayer is helpful, important - and FREE. So...the worst thing we can do is pretend it isn't happening, and go about our daily lives. I'm the first one to run in the opposite direction as fast as I can when I hear these commercials, or pitches for money...but I couldn't get away from this one. It gives too many facts, and also too many practical ways we can help...
I know too often I'm comfortable worrying only about me (see previous post about worry), but it seems every time I do, I am reminded that I really don't have it so bad. No matter who you are, or where you are in life's journey, things could always be better - and they could always be worse. I guess it's up to us to appreciate where we are and let God tell us who needs our help. I'm starting to believe that the more I help others, the more it comes back to me. So for those of us that are selfish (I may only be speaking to myself), we could be selfish and help others knowing that our reward will be coming...and having God owe you one is huge...wink...
"I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was
homeless and you gave me a room. I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was
sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me...Whenever you
did one of these things to some one overlooked or ignored, that was me - you did
it to me." Matthew 25:35-36 Message Translation
A Few Facts (Believe me, this is only the tip of the iceberg):
- Nearly 40 million people are living with HIV worldwide.
- HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death worldwide for people ages fifteen to fifty-nine.
- AIDS has orphaned more than 14 million children; that's the equivalent of every child under age five in North America.
- Over 2.3 million children under age fifteen are living with HIV. Ninety percent of them live in sub-Saharan Africa. Without treatment, most will die before their fifth birthday.
- Worldwide, nearly 60 percent of people infected by HIV are women.
Information:
www.unaids.org
www.one.org
www.pbs.org/frontline/aids
www.avert.org/aidsinafrica.htm
www.usaids.org
Organizations:
Compassion, www.compassion.com/aids
International Justice Mission, www.ijm.org
Opportunity International, www.opportunity.org/lendinghope
World Relief, www.worldrelief.org
World Vision, www.worldvision.org/hope
