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July/August 2009
Letter from Kay
Welcome to this edition of the HIV/AIDS Caring Connection! The lazy days of summer – vacations, holidays, fun-filled days at the beach or the lake – are days we look forward to all year long. Most of us can’t wait to forget about our normal routine and concentrate instead on our July 4th celebration plans or the long-awaited family car trip. Out of town family and friends, seeking their own version of the perfect vacation, may unexpectedly end up parking their motor home in your driveway “for just a few days!” Summer is all about unhurried time.
Unfortunately, HIV and AIDS don’t take a vacation; there’s never a box on the calendar that is an “HIV Free” day, or week or month. Today thirty four million men, women, boys and girls are living with HIV and AIDS, and 2.9 million of them will not live to see summer 2010. That means even as we take a break from the pressures of school and jobs we must remain focused on the work ahead of us: Ending AIDS.
Some shake their heads at the naivety of that goal. It’s completely impossible – an optimist’s fantasy. While it’s tempting to become discouraged or disillusioned by the overwhelming numbers of people who are infected or affected by HIV and AIDS, former U.S. Congressman and presidential candidate, Jack Kemp, understood a truth many others do not.
"The power of one man or one woman doing the right thing for the right reason, and at the right time, is the greatest influence in our society." Jack Kemp
What if each one of us accepts the responsibility to do our part to bring an end to this global tragedy - will it make a difference? I believe it will. Read on to see the impact one pastor, one man, one family, one church and one community is having on the HIV and AIDS pandemic.
Warmly,
Kay
P.S. Check out the article on my book, Dangerous Surrender: What happens when you say yes to God, and visit http://www.kaywarren.com/ for messages, music and downloads that will enhance your reading experience.
Kay Warren, co-founder, Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, Calif., and executive director of Saddleback Church's HIV/AIDS Initiative
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One Man
By Kevin George
If you’ve read the book, “The Scarlet Letter”, you’ll remember that Hester Prynne is led from prison with her infant daughter in her arms with a scarlet “A” on her chest signifying her crime. She was paraded through the streets, thus beginning her life of shame. While I’ve never been paraded through the streets, I’ve lived in personal shame resulting in secrecy. I’m not sure how the Church would judge me or treat me because I simply haven’t taken the chance . . . until today.
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One Family
By ABC News
Watch the story of one family and the impact they have had in their community and around the world.
Watch Here>> |
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One Church
By Jason Perry
Can one little church with 40 people fight sexual impurity and the spread of HIV/AIDS? Can one broken pastor make a difference in a problem that seems to be insurmountable? On the surface, this seems improbable, if not impossible. The AIDS crisis is so big that it is easy for us to feel like the classic case of David facing Goliath. Many of us look at our personal and corporate resources and follow the path of David’s brothers. Their preoccupation with the enemy caused them to be paralyzed by fear. They talked big, but did little. While disturbed by the problem, they failed to take any action to overcome it.
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One Community
By Dr. David Swanson
In the summer of 1990, I met the first person I had ever known who had AIDS. I was a young hospital chaplain intern and he was a 51-year-old man named Tom. Over the course of the next nine months, Tom and I grew to be great friends as he neared death. I would meet with him almost every day. After about six months, it finally dawned on me: no one else was coming to see him. His Mom and sister lived out of town and came occasionally, but that was it. He was essentially alone.
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One Day
Saturday, June 27, 2009 was a warm summer day just like any other day, with one exception: it was National HIV Testing Day. My church, Saddleback, partnered with a local AIDS service provider for the first time to offer free, confidential HIV testing and counseling for our church and our community.
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HIV Testing
Everyone can know their status today.
Find a testing site near you.
Click Here. |
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Donate to Saddleback's Orphan Care Initiative
Saddleback Church has started a new form of child sponsorship that works directly through the local church in Rwanda. For $30 a month, you can sponsor a child and the local church will be the hero.
Donate here>> |
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Donate to Saddleback's Rwanda HIV/AIDS Healthcare Initiative
The Rwanda HIV/AIDS Healthcare Initiative is a new and innovative approach to healthcare which uses local churches to increase access to health services. It is the single most significant P.E.A.C.E. Plan initiative which is saving lives and transforming healthcare delivery using the local Church.
Donate here >> |
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Dangerous Surrender:
What happens when you say yes to God
Surrender. It is not an inviting concept, is it? Yielding. Relinquishing. Our very nature resists these concepts.
Intimacy with God. Now that is far more appealing. Don’t we all long for a deeper personal experience of God’s presence?
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