All Hail, Liberia Hail

[The Lone Star, from behind]

Today is National Flag Day in Liberia.

The Liberian National Anthem:

All Hail, Liberia Hail

All Hail, Liberia Hail

This glorious land of liberty shall long be ours

Though new her name green be her fameAnd mighty be her power

In joy and gladness with our hearts united

We'll shout the freedom of a race benighted

A home of glorious liberty by God's command

All Hail, Liberia Hail

All Hail, Liberia Hail

In union strong, success is sure

We cannot fail

With God above our rights to prove

We will over all prevail

With hearts and hands, our country's cause defending

We'll meet the foe with valor unpretending

New Departure Date

I just changed my ticket, and now I will be leaving for Liberia on Tuesday, September 16th....putting me in Liberia on Wednesday September 17th! The best part is that I got the non-stop from Brussels, and I'm landing at 4:50pm...I've never been able to fly over Liberia in the daytime! So, in celebration, I'm making collard greens for dinner...at the request of my mom! And, I'm sewing new skirts to take back with me (they only hold up so long with a washboard).

25 days to go!!

P.S. I still need the funds for a plane ticket home. If you'd like to support me, and help me make it home for both of my sister's weddings, click the donate button on the right side!

P.S.S. I'm flying standyby from Atlanta to Brussles on the 16th. Pray that there will be an open seat on that flight (as of yesterday, there were still 40-something seats available).

Thanks!

It's Times Like This...

...that make me want to pack up this second and head back to Liberia. (And ask God "why?")

I got word on Monday that a child in one of our orphanages passed away. I don't have any details, but she has been battling all kinds of illnesses since May. For those of you that recieve ORR's newsletters, she was featured in the May '08 newsletter. Massaly was 17 years old.

First, let me share her story with you...

During Liberia's civil war, her village was burned to the ground by invading rebels. Those who didn't die in the fire fled for their lives. Only two people remained in the village--an old blind man, and Massaly, who was six years old and crippled by Polio. The rebels took her captive and eventually sold her to a woman passing through for $5. The woman saved her life, but could not take care of her, so she took her to the local church. The church handed her over to the Ministry of Health & Social Welfare, which then placed her in the orphanage that she's called home since 1997. Massaly's story of survial is amazing, but her ability to adapt to life with Polio is a true example of determination. Massaly was the primary caretaker at her ophanage, where she always made sure the small children were taken care of. She was learning to sew. She was meek and always had a smile on her face. Towards the end of my time in Liberia, I knew she was weak. The last time I saw her, she was sitting outside on the front porch, trying to enjoy some fresh air--she was able to make it out of bed that day. As I talked with her, I watched her head bobble--she was almost too weak to hold it up. She still tried her best to put a smile on her face, but I knew she was suffering. Mariel spent hours and days carrying her all over Monrovia to seek out the best medical care. She was tested for everything under the sun, had multiple blood transfusions and spent weeks in the hospital. When I left Liberia, I never thought I'd come back to one less child.

When I got word about Massaly, and after the shock wore off (it still hasn't fully worn off), I found myself deeply saddened and almost angry. It's one of those "why God?" moments. Why did she go through so much and fight so hard, only to loose the battle in the end?

As I was reading the news, I was (appropriately) listning to "Whole World in His Hands" by Matt Redman.

When all around is fading and nothing seems to last

When each day is filled with sorrow

Still I know with all my heart

He’s got the whole world in His hands

Yes, I know He’s got the whole world in His hands

I’ll fear no evil for You are with me

Strong to deliver, mighty to save

He’s got the whole world in His hands

I continually have to remind myself that He does have the world in His hands. Everything that happens is a part of His plan. God is in control.

Take a second and pray for Liberia's children. Pray for provision and protection. Pray for their health. Pray for comfort. Pray that they would feel and know the love of the Father.

Red Letters: Chapter 10 (How to Bleed)

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. –Matthew 16:25-28

Ok, so the book’s subtitle is “Living a Faith that Bleeds.” You’re probably wondering what the heck that means….does it mean I have to die, or get wounded? No, not necessarily. Faith does require some sacrifice. But faith also brings life. “Living the Red Letters life is living a transformed life—a life where the needs of the poor and the diseased rank high on your “what’s important” list.” (see post on Chapter 8)

This chapter provides specific ways that you can get involved and make a difference in the world around you. It’s up to you how you want to respond, but the point is, do something.

Pray Daily. Commit to pray daily for those who live in poverty and live without hope. Pray for the orphans, widows and homeless. Pray for those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

Five for 50. This is a comprehensive plan to bring Chrsitians from all across the world together in solidarity with the soon-to-be 50,000,000 people living with HIV. There are 5 steps, each requiring alittle more sacrifice than the previous.
- Give 5 minutes a day to pray for those suffering from HIV/AIDS.
- Give 5 hours a week to fast for those suffering from HIV/AIDS.
- Give 5 dollars a month to the Five for 50 Fund to support worthy causes.
- Give 5 days a year to travel overseas to help alleviate poverty and suffering.
- Give 5 people an opportunity to join you on your journey.

I could do an entire post on each of these topics. But, I’m going to include things that are practical and, dare I say, easy. That might sound bad, but you have to start somewhere, right?

You probably know by now how I feel about prayer…its crucial! I am a firm believer in ‘going and seeing’. I encourage everyone to take a trip—go and walk and live among the poor. Find an organization that bleeds like you, and join them. If you need somewhere to start (and you bleed for orphans, but even if you don’t), I invite you to join forces with Orphan Relief and Rescue! I invite you all to travel to Liberia—to experience life in a 3rd world country, to meet the children who have suffered through so much, yet still are filled with joy, to smell the smells, shake the hands of the beautiful people, to eat the food, to sweat (a lot!), to put your hands, feet, heart and wallet to good use!

Do like me, and start a blog. Share your stories, opinions and insight with others. Invite them to join you in living a faith that bleeds. Share with people what you’ve experienced. Raise money and donate it to one of the many fantastic organizations out there. Go on a mission trip, or support the missionaries who are living in the trenches. Change your living habits. Adopt a child. Learn as much as possible, and share what you learn with others.

Ok kids, it’s time to get up and get moving!!

Red Letters: Chapter 9 (Snapshot of Hope)

Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: “I’m after mercy, not religion.” I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders.
–Matthew 9:12

[This chapter tells the stories of 4 ordinary people who stepped outside of their comfort zone and followed Christ to reach the neglected and hopeless.]

It’s all too common that we think we’re just ordinary people. We have nothing to offer. We can’t be used by God. Surely we can’t do something extraordinary. We don’t have the time or the resources. We aren’t spiritual enough. We aren’t capable. God would never choose to use me.

Those are all lies! Lies from the enemy. Lies to discourage. Lies to dissuade. (John 10:10-14)

Every step you take towards following God is another step into a whirlwind of life filled with absolute joy and blessing. Your faith will increase. Yes, you will be stretched and pulled, but you will grow and blossom! I will be honest, in the moment, it can be painful or uncomfortable, but when you can look back and see all that God has done in and through you—you simply can’t beat it!

It’s time to get movin!

Red Letters: Chapter 8 (The Most Important Things)

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy of ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. –Matthew 11:28-30

Just reading those verses enables me to rest and take a deep breath! It all sounds so reassuring. I know I need some reassurance sometimes…especially if I’m tired, worn out or burned out. But hear it again: come to me, get away with me, recover your life, real rest, walk with me, work with me, watch me. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. (how amazing does that in itself sound?) Keep company with me. Live freely and lightly. Deep sigh.

[Now that I just took that deep sigh. I just found out that one of my precious children in Liberia passed away a few weeks ago. Ok God, I need some reassuring.]

This brings me to the opening line of this chapter:
Make a mental list of the top five things that matter most to you.
I’m sure the popular answers are things like family, friends and your relationship God. The thing is, do our lists match God’s? What do you think would make God’s Top 5 list? Tom wonders if the 5,500 Africans that die everyday from preventable and treatable diseases makes the list. Or what about those suffering from HIV/AIDS? How about 143 million orphans around the world? What about the orphan girl in Liberia who battled sickness for months and still passed away?

What breaks God’s heart should break our heart.

I understand that we all have commitments to our families, friends and jobs; but what about our commitment to Christ? We might not be able to solve all of the problems of the world on our own, but we can use the resources God’s blessed us with to make a difference. We can pray—that’s the most important thing, and there’s no excuse as to why we can’t do that! But there are other things we can do too, like influence, serve, advocate, protect, provide, act, love, inspire, encourage...

Why do we always think that our little effort won’t matter? What if we lived like every little action mattered? Every little thing does matter; it matters so much that it can mean the difference between life and death, free or enslaved, sick or healthy, hungry or satisfied, unsaved or saved. Are we, as Christian, going to move, or are we going to sit comfortably in our silence?

Check this out: Elie Wiesel, author and Holocaust survivor wrote, “I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

WOW! What a statement!

Then the King will say to those on his right, “Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:
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.”
Then those “sheep” are going to say, “Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?” Then the King will say, “I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.”
--Matthew 25:34-40

What's your Top 5?

Red Letters: Chapter 7 (A Call to Justice)

God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the burdened and battered free, to announce, “This is God’s year to act!” –Luke 4:18-19

Can you believe it? It sounds pretty crazy. God has chosen you—and me—to do all of the things in Luke 4?! I don’t know about you, but I don’t see myself freeing prisoners and giving sight to the blind. Maybe I’m not capable of literally doing those things (or maybe I am?), but I’m pretty sure I’m capable of figuratively doing those things. Either way, we are biblically obligated to do such things.

Justice.

What is justice? [pulls out good ‘ole Webster]

Righteousness. Equitableness. Moral rightness. Lawfulness. Justness. Fairness.

Tom Davis defines justice in three ways:
1. Justice is giving to those who have nothing.
Biblical justice is about making sure the weak are protected and showing the love of God in a practical way. Translation—it’s about people who have giving to those who have not.

2. Justice is action.
Translation—standing up for those without a voice, making things right, sacrificing our comfortable lives to serve those that are in need, praying for justice to come to those who need to be set free, getting up and doing something when you see injustice….

3. Justice is love.
This is what God is all about! This is what being a Christian is all about. Love God. Love each other. Love ourselves. And we do all of that because He loves us. How much we love others reflects our love for Christ. We all know that we are being watched closely…what will our actions be, how will we react, will we love? Our visible acts of love are what the world needs.

My God is a God of love and justice. As a believer, we are called to love. We are called to seek justice. We are called to move. Are you (and I) moving, seeking, acting, following, freeing, preaching, sharing…? We are all called and equipped to do all of these things. The question is, are we ready, willing and available for God to use us to do these things? You don’t have to be smart or rich or beautiful or popular or successful to be used by Christ. Actually, God likes to use people who are not any of these things…He’s a fan of using the ordinary to do extraordinary things! Phew—I’m relieved that I don’t have to fit into a mold in order to be used by Him!

If you feel like you are not capable of being used by Him, or maybe you feel intimidated…the task seems too daunting or overwhelming; first you need to leave the excuses and doubts in the dust! Then, start praying and asking God to equip you, to give you confidence, to open your eyes, to give you divine appointments, to be filled with His love, to have more compassion, to be His instrument…

When I’m in Liberia, and things are hard…or heartbreaking…one thought keeps me going. I always think what life would be like if I was born in Liberia, and I was one of those children living in a horribly dirty orphanage, with very little food and very dirty water, with one outfit on my back and a leaky roof over my head. If I were one of those children, I would hope and pray that someone would feel compelled to stand up against the injustice and fight for me. That is why I fight for the kids…because I have a voice, I have capable hands and feet, I have an army of people supporting me and praying for me, and I have a God who loves me and who pursues me and has compelled me to follow after His heart.

Giving up or going without things that the world says you need to be happy and successful is sometimes difficult, I admit. But, giving up those things and running hard after God and His perfect plan is the most rewarding, amazing, exciting way to live your life!

Also check out James 2:14-17 and Matthew 22:37-40.

My Apologizes

Sorry for my absence. I've been at the beach! I took a few days to head to Destin to relax on the beach and read. I got one good day where I could lay on the beach all day, and the other days were off and on showers (and sandblasting winds). But, I enjoyed my trip. I've been missing living by the ocean, so it was great to hear the waves again!

I'm working on finishing up with my Red Letters posts, as well as some other cool things! Stay tuned.

YUM!

I have been in desperate need of some Liberian food, so I took matters into my own hands. My sister and I decided to prepare a international dinner. My contribution was collard green soup! It wasn't quite spicy enough (I was being considerate of all dinner guests) and it wasn't as good as Mary's....but it was pretty stinkin close! It tasted so good! And, it made me miss Liberia. Everyone loved the collard greens, and my mom told me I have to make them again before I head back to Liberia! There's no recipe, but if I get a request, I can give general instructions.

I was in love!

We also made some Indian food (which goes well with Liberian); we made curry chicken, dahl and samosas.

[Notice my big bowl of rice and collard green soup. I couldn't eat enough! The above picture is my sister's plate. She opted for rice and dahl with collard greens on the side.]

AIDS Experience

Red Letters talks alot about the HIV/AIDS crisis. I've shared plenty of statistics with you, as well as our responsibility to not just sit by and watch. Here's an opportunity to see and experience AIDS...without buying a plane ticket! (It's the budget friendly experience!) And, I will say...I have walked through the World Vision AIDS Experience twice (waiting in line for more than an hour the second time around), and it is absolutely moving and fantastic! For me, it was the highlight of Urbana Conference '06.

If you're in the Atlanta area, the AIDS Experience will be at Heritage Christian Church off Redwine Road in Fayetteville August 15-24. Did I mention that it's free?!!

The exhibit is traveling all over the country, so if you're not in Atlanta, click here to find out if it's coming to your neck of the woods. And in case you're lazy...stops include CA, NC, PN, NY, IL, ND, MA, MN, IA and WA!!

I would recommend going through the experience, and then signing up on a later day to volunteer. The only way this thing happens is through people volunteering to man the experience. I also recommend that if the Experience is coming near you, that you make an effort to go...you will not regret it!

Red Letters: Chapter 6 (The Sanctity of Life)

First things first. Your business if life, not death. Follow me. Pursue life.
--Matthew 8:22

How does God feel about the children who are suffering? Read Psalm 139.

As Christians, what matters to Christ should matter to us. God identifies himself with the poor. In Matthew 25, He is the poor. I agree with Tom, that when we meet Jesus, we will be asked how well we took care of the orphan and the widow. It’s also a test as to whether everything we’ve heard and learned throughout our Christian life made it to our hearts…thus, making us act.

In his book, From Wild Man to Wise Man, Richard Rohr says: I would say that if you only think about Jesus, “believe” Jesus and believe things about Jesus, not much new is going to happen. It is the risk of “acting” like Jesus acted that reconfigures your soul. We are converted by new circumstances much more than by new ideas. Or as I like to say, we do not think ourselves into new ways of living, we live ourselves into new ways of thinking.

I don’t believe we, as Christians, will ever think differently about the world around us until we live a life the reflects the severity of the situation in the world around us. If we live like no one is starving, dying from AIDS, or living without the hope of Jesus, then we will never be compelled to do something about those things. If you walk and live with the poor, you will be moved into action. There is no way you can see, experience and touch poverty without being changed.

So back to God caring for those who are suffering. After you read Psalm 139, go and read Jeremiah 29:11-14. If I could only share one verse with the people I meet in Liberia, it would be Jeremiah 29:11. I feel like this verse embodies the Christ I know and love…He has plans to care for us, to protect us, plans to never leave us, plans to give us all a hope and a future. Most people who are living in poverty need hope…they need to know that there is a God who loves them and who has not forgotten about them. I think for most of us, we put our hopes in people or things. People who are suffering also put their hopes in people…people who will care for them, love them or will provide for them. People who live like Christ and who will share the hope that they have in Jesus. Even if it feels like it, God does not abandon us…think, I will never leave you nor forsake you. But sometimes, we need to be reminded of that by a 'physical, live and in the flesh Christ'. So, ahhumm…I’m pretty sure that’s where you and I come in!

Red Letters: Chapter 5 (An Inadequate Response)

And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it reach to you?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”
--Luke 10:25-28

My last few discussions on Red Letters, by Tom Davis, have been filled with statistics. I hate to just keep throwing numbers at people because I’m afraid that it’s overwhelming, and you will just feel helpless. I know that the feeling of being overwhelmed is a popular excuse….“there’s so much to do, I just don’t even know where to start.” I think that’s when apathy begins to set in. Another excuse is that we’re just too busy. We juggle family, work, school, church, friends and hobbies so we don’t have time for anything else. When is the last time you spent some time doing something for someone else? Sure, maybe you took your child to the park, or you spent the evening over coffee with a friend who’s having a tough time…those things are enjoyable and easy…right? When is the last time you did something for someone else when it was hard or uncomfortable?

For some reason, I’m thinking about the whole luke-warm Christian thing. What if we’re just luke-warm people? If we see injustice, and do nothing. If we see someone in need and look the other way. Edmund Burke, an 18th-century philosopher once said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men (and women) to do nothing.” I think Edmund is spot on! We must act!

According to Tom, most of us live in a world of shadows, and we live life hoping to stay in the shadows of comfort and safety. He also says that the two things that keep us lurking in the shadows are discomfort with interruption and fear. (Hmm...sounds like my earlier posts) People are afraid of loss….loss of anything…money, jobs, status, family, friends, reputation, ourselves. And if you’re like me, you constantly play the “what-if” game…what if I look stupid, what if the person is ungrateful, what if I get too involved, what if it changes my life, what if it’s unpleasant, what if my money is involved, what if it is painful, what if it costs me my life? Wouldn’t it be great to never play that game again because you’re living your life fully trusting in the God of the universe?!

“Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity” (Luke 6:38)

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)

And in the words of Sir Winston Churchill: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

That’s God’s plea bargain…if we honor the things that are on God’s heart, then He will take care of the things on our hearts. If you take care of the orphaned, abandoned, widow or stranger then God will bless you. “When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the works of your hands” (Deut. 24:19).

At the end of the chapter, Tom writes about the inadequate response of the church. I’m not going to dig into that, but he does make a good point. He says, “I wonder how much digging it would take to find the church in its purest form—people whose love and compassion for God overflows into the lives of the most needy.” Maybe some of you are saying, “that’s my church”…and maybe for others, this will serve as a challenge. We need to stop being complacent as Christians and as the Body of Christ. We need to run—quickly—from being luke-warm!

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:14-18)

For Isaac

I know I have posted this video recently, but this post is for a super special little man named Isaac. I've been keeping up with his recent spinal surgery through his mom's blog. Isaac is your typical, fun-loving Liberian kid...so naturally, he loves to dance! Since his surgery, he has been unable to dance, so in order to (hopefully) put a smile on his face, a bunch of his blog readers are sending him videos of them dancing. I might live in Liberia, but I'm pretty white! Although I'm sure my dance skills would be extremely entertaining, I decided that he might like alittle taste of Liberia. So, Isaac...here's some dancing for you.....

I hope you feel better soon Isaac. I'm praying for you and your Ma! And remember, God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good!

A Night to Remember

On Saturday night, I had the opportunity to share about Orphan Relief & Rescue at Acoustic Jeremiah. My sister Julianne went with me. I should have known...when the two of us are together, it always makes for an adventure!

We decided to leave the house early to head to the north side of Atlanta; we planned to make a pit-stop at REI and then we would head to Canton. We allowed an hour to get from REI to the Chapel, and I knew that would be plenty of time. As we approached exit 14, the sky looked ugly! We drove through Micky-D's for a $ menu dinner, and as we sat in line at the drive-thru the rain began to pour...and I mean, POUR! It seriously looked like a hurricane! (I later heard there were 70mph winds around Atlanta)

We got our double cheeseburgers and proceeded to the Chapel with caution. Well, there was a completely uprooted tree laying across 3 lanes of the 4 lane highway, so we waited about 15-20 minutes to pass. Then we turned onto the road that the church is on, and I knew we were only about 2 minutes away. There were a few cars stopped on the road, and come to find out, a powerline had fallen across the road...and this was the only way to get to the church. By this time, I was really beginning to feel like God was playing some mean trick on me!

After waiting here for almost 30 minutes, we got tipped off by a local resident that there was a gravel driveway that we could take to bypass the downed powerline. We decided it wouldn't hurt to give it a try...so off we went, looking for the magical gravel driveway. We bypassed the roadblock, and arrived to a chapel with an empty parking lot and without electricity...making it alittle difficult to have a concert! We decided that we would walk back down the road and tell everyone about the magical driveway...and people began to make their way through. We walked back to the chapel, and almost every car that had gone down the driveway was now in the parking lot! And, the lack of electricity made for a very good topic of discussion with the 50 or so people...trying to get them to imagine life without electricity. I honestly really don't remember what I said, and I think I spoke for about 10 minutes. I sent eveyone home with a postcard that I had put together the night before, so I hope it will be a reminder to check out ORR's website and my blog. I also asked them to pray for Liberia, for the children and for ORR's ministry. Then we had a really good concert...without power...without mics...without guitars plugged in...without lights....it was the real 'live and unplugged'!

Anyway, thanks to Matt at Acoustic Jeremiah for giving me the opportunity to share! It was an adventure! I figure this was pretty good practice...nothing more could go wrong, right? And, since I'm not much for speaking in front of crowds, it made it much easier to do it in the dark and without a mic! If you were at AJ, and that's why you're reading this now...thank you for listening and thank you for digging deeper into God's call to care for the fatherless.

[I was pretty proud of my flyer creation, haha.]

On a Much Lighter Note...

As a belated birthday present, my sister treated me to a manicure & pedicure yesterday. It was a much enjoyed present! I was about to fall asleep in the chair as soon as the lotions and scrubs went flying and the massage chair came on. Let's just say...3 months of Chacos in Liberia does a number on the tootsies! I was having flashbacks to the scene in Dumb & Dumber when Harry and Lloyd get their pedicures. I was just trying to find a picture of that to post, but about barfed looking through photo results for "pedicure" (after the search for "Dumb & Dumber failed), so I'll opt for this picture instead.

Little known Ashley factoid: My biggest fear in life is toenails! I'm about to gag just thinking about it. If you want to know why...uh...maybe I'll save that story for another post.

Red Letters: Chapter 4 (Pandemic)

I am the world’s Light.
--John 8:12

[This chapter is heavy on statistics again. The numbers make you think, though.]

pan·dem·ic (adj.): of a disease) prevalent throughout an entire country, continent, or the whole world; epidemic over a large area.

[I decided to consult Webster’s this time]

Pandemic. When you try to associate that word with a number, it’s difficult to do. I admit, my brain just automatically says, “wow, I guess that must be a lot of people.” No, but really…it’s A LOT of people! What pandemic am I talking about, you ask? I’m talking about the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Did you know that although Africa is home to only around 10% of the world’s population, it is home to more than 60% of all people living with HIV? That means there’s approximately 24.7 million people living with HIV, in Africa alone. 12 million African children have lost one or both parents to AIDS. In Asia, an estimated 8.6 million people are living with HIV, while India has 5.7 million infected people. There are almost 1 million people in the U.S. who are infected with HIV, and what’s even more crazy is that a quarter of them don’t even know it.

So, I’ve given you all of these numbers (thanks to Tom’s research), and I know most of you are thinking…ok…so…what do you want me to do? Today, I’m not suggesting you take a particular action, I’m simply asking you to ask yourself one question.

How would Jesus respond to this pandemic?

[P.S. I’ve always been interested in not only working with orphans in Africa, but I’ve been interested in working with orphans affected by or infected with HIV/AIDS. So even though there’s a lot of statistics, these numbers are giving me even more of a reason to do something. I hope the numbers have the same effect on some of you.]