Today is World AIDS Day 2010.
Since my first trip to Africa in 2003 I have felt a deep connection to the struggle against HIV & AIDS. While visiting a Catholic AIDS center in Windhoek, Namibia my eyes and heart were opened to the devastating disease firsthand. We spent time with some of the center's children (many of whom were in the advanced stages of AIDS). What touched me so much was that they were fully aware of their circumstances and yet wore smiles of joy. They were aware that they were at the end of a long battle, one that would eventually take their life. And with this knowledge came a strange sense of peace. I couldn't believe it, how could children such as these be staring death in the face with such grace? All at the center were both orphans to the disease and infected with it. Many never knew who their parents were, the idea of which broke my heart. These were some of the bravest human beings I have ever met.
I think often back to my encounter with these amazing children. I bought a few postcards the center was selling as a fundraiser in their make-shift gift shop. On each card was printed a picture drawn by a child at the center. One in particular was drawn by a little boy named Jacob, whom I spent the afternoon chatting with. We talked mostly about how much he loved football (soccer) and drawing pictures. He was excited to learn that I too loved to draw pictures and play sports. We only had a momentary encounter, no more than a couple of hours of sharing, and yet he changed me forever. He taught me one of the most important lessons in my life, "no matter what challenges one may face in life, God is always present, never lose sight of that fact". He never said these words to me, he showed them to me in his bravery in facing AIDS, in his joy for life. Only 12 years old, he showed the maturity of someone well beyond his years. He showed a passion for life that few are ever able to embrace and a faith in life after death that to this day I find hard to fully understand. He spoke briefly about his faith in God, yet the few sentences he uttered have vividly stayed with me for the past 7 years. During the end of our conversation he didn't hold back and stated, "Do you know I am very sick?" "Yes", I said,"But you are such a strong boy." He paused and looked up from the picture he was coloring,"I am not that strong, but God helps me be strong. I am happy that I can still play football even though I'm sick. I know I won't be able to always play football." I sat completely silent, looking down at him as he continued to color. I knew that there was nothing I could do to help him, but at that moment I felt God's presence. I saw God in the joy on his face as he finished filling in the lines of the beautiful airplane he had just drawn. He smiled and exclaimed, "There! Finished. Do you like my airplane?" "It's awesome! You are such a great artist", I said. "I know", he replied. I chuckled a bit at his honest confidence and marveled at his engrossing personality. Jacob changed my life that day. His spirit filled me and has burned within me to this very day.
I found out later that evening that many of the children we met with would most likely not see their next birthday. The virus had taken control of their little bodies and through other illnesses, continue on a course of ravishing destruction. About a year after my trip to Namibia I came across the postcards while cleaning out my boxes from college. I immediately sat down and fumbled through them to find Jacob's drawing. As I came to it I realized something truly heartbreaking; it had been over 12 months since my visit, and mostly likely the little boy who changed my life had lost his battle with AIDS. I collapsed to the floor and began to cry. Overwhelmed with the memory of that day I began to pray. I asked God to be with those around the world currently battling HIV & AIDS. I asked that He help those who were able to respond to the crisis to do so responsibly and with passion. I asked that He help fill me with the spirit I felt in Namibia, so that I could find ways to help those infected and affected by the disease. I asked that I may not look back on Jacob's life and death with anger and despair, but have it inspire me. I asked God to let me never forget him and the lessons of life he taught me.
I can't begin to imagine what Jacob and millions of others around the world go through as they face their battles against HIV & AIDS. While anti-retroviral medicines (ARVs) have made it possible to live fairly normal lives while HIV positive, so many simply lack access to these life-saving drugs. Many of those infected in rural areas throughout sub-Saharan Africa a suffering due to this inability to access ARVs. Others infected live in silence because of the stigma still attached to the disease and therefore choose not to seek treatment for fear of persecution. It is a terrible cycle of infection, death, and destruction as whole communities have begun to disappear in it's wake. While infection rates have declined in some areas of the world, rates in some parts of southern Africa have continued to rise. 2009 World Health Organization (WHO) statistics conclude that the rate of infection (15-49 year olds) is nearly 18% in South Africa (the country containing the most HIV infected people in the world), 23.6% in Lesotho, 24.8% in Botswana, and a staggering 25.9% in Swaziland*. It is unimaginable to comprehend that nearly a quarter or more of some populations in this region are infected with HIV. What will this mean for the future of such nations? How will basic societal structures be maintained as the epidemic continues to swarm and fester? The fact that the average infection rate within LUCSA member nations is nearly 15% is a wake-up call to us all. Our brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering in silence and they are dying without dignity. How are we called as fellow members in same body of Christ to reach out to them? How can we truly honor the more than 25 million people who have died from AIDS**?
As I woke up this morning to the sound of rain on the roof of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zimbabwe's guest house I took a moment to pray. I prayed for those who have lost their lives to the disease. I prayed for those who are currently struggling in the grasp of the disease. I prayed for those who have the resources to change the lives of millions affected by HIV & AIDS to act now to reverse the tide of infections. I thought back to the day in 2004 when I came across those postcards. I thought about my prayer that day and what it meant to be laying in a bed in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe 6 years later working for an organization that is fighting this disease through education and advocacy. As a communications specialist for LUCSA I am coming to terms with what it means to be entrenched in the battle against such devastating foes as the HIV virus & AIDS. I have seen the story played out in so many peoples' lives, from my time in Namibia, to my year in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (a province with the highest number of people infected in the world). I have seen the unwavering peace in the face of a little boy ready to face death and the faith of communities who refuse to allow this modern-day plague kill their spirits. The road ahead will be long and exhausting, and at some points may seem impossible to bare for those engaged in the struggle. Have faith in God, just as Jacob had faith. Please join me and millions around the world this day in honoring his and the other lives lost over the past three decades. Educate yourself today, so that tomorrow we can work together to help bring an end to the HIV & AIDS cycle.
*Statistics were taking from the WHO website on HIV & AIDS http://apps.who.int/ghodata/?vid=370
**Statistics were taken from Avert.org's website http://www.avert.org/worldstats.htm
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