World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day, and I have a very personal story I want to share with you on this day.

In 2003, God put Africa on my heart. There are tears in my eyes as I tell this story today, as it is still that vivid for me. I had just had a baby, our surprise blessing also known as Samuel. Sam was a beautiful, colicky baby that needed to be held and nursed constantly. I was in a constant state of sleeplessness and my hormones were out of whack.

I remember holding a nursing Sam and watching a program on the AIDS crisis in Africa. So many orphaned children...it broke my heart. The Holy Spirit convicted me that day. Here I was, exhausted and probably doing a lot of mental whining, and there were children who would never be held by their mothers.

I started talking with my poor husband, Ed, about adopting an AIDS orphan from Africa. My husband, who is himself a child of adoption, listened patiently. But the truth was that Ed was still feeling unprepared for Samuel, our child number three, and he couldn't even imagine a child number four or five or whatever number my head was conjuring. I confess, I became a little obsessed, researching on the internet for hours at a time.

After some time, I realized that God was probably not opening this door for us, but that perhaps He would open a window instead. I purchased products that benefitted the cause in Africa, and I found charities like Heifer International to support.

It wasn't until the summer of 2007 that I finally found our child of Africa. This is a photo of Omali, my World Vision child that we sponsor. Isn't he handsome? Omali is from a small village in Zambia, and his family is directly dealing with AIDS. Through our contributions, we're able to give Omali a better life while still living with his family and in his village. We're able to write him and send him small gifts, and he writes us and sends us the sweetest drawings. Sam loves to ask me questions about Omali...does he have a television? Can he type on the computer? What do you think his house is like? It's a wonderful chance to discuss charitable giving with a child.

This year, we are sending a special gift to Omali and his family, something that will directly benefit his family and help them prosper. Blessed to be a blessing.

Last week, I heard the author Keri Wyatt Kent speaking on Moody radio about her book, Simple Compassion. She made the statement that when we come to a place in our lives where we realize that we don't need any more stuff, it opens us up to be more charitable with our resources. This is so true over the holidays as well. We, as a nation, are so blessed, even as we struggle with a bad economy and 10 + percent unemployment...we're still blessed compared to other countries where the need is so great.

Now, mind you, I'm still guilty of accumulating stuff...just look at my craft room! But my stuff consumption has really been tempered in the last year or two, and I really think over my purchasing decisions these days. This holiday, we're trying hard to let go of the need to purchase unnecessary stuff, and shifting our focus to helping those with a need.

Africa is still on my heart, and it is right at the top of my list for places I would love to visit one day. I still feel the urge to bring home every orphan, be it child or animal. Ed calls it my "St. Francis of Assisi" complex. And maybe I cannot adopt all the needy children of the world, but if I sponsor one today, I may affect some small change in a corner of the world that needs to see the hope of Christ.

Today, you can purchase a coffee at Starbucks and they will donate 5 cents to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. I think I'll go buy a holiday latte, and maybe a few RED products as well. Then I'll come home and write a long letter to Omali.

For more information on World Vision, you can visit:

www.worldvision.org

Please, say a prayer with me today for those suffering the devastating effects of AIDS around the world.