Thursday, September 15, 2005

The Cold, Hard Truth

The National Geographic for this month is all about Africa. I have been completely distracted all day by it, looking at the pictures and reading the stories again and again. Did you know that 6500 people die EVERY DAY in Sub-Saharan Africa from AIDS? What is more, 8500 people in Sub-Saharan Africa contract HIV/AIDS every day. There are 40 million people living with HIV worldwide, 26 million of whom are in Sub-Saharan Africa. Fifteen million children were orphaned by AIDS as of 2003, 12.3 million of who live in, you guessed it, Sub-Saharan Africa. The list goes on and on. People, this is the same world that we live in! If you have any money left over after giving to the victims of Katrina, there are so many wonderful organizations out there that are trying to make a difference in Africa. World Vision, Blood Water Mission, Compassion to name a few. Please pray for Africa, then give if you can, but at the very least be informed about what's going on. And thanks, all 2 of you that might read this, for listening. Maybe now I can do actual, constructive things that I have been supposed to be doing all day.

"Look at all those fancy clothes, But these could keep us warm just like those. And what about your soul, is it cold? Is it straight from the mold and ready to be sold? Cars and phones and diamond rings, bling-bling, those are only removable things. What about your mind, does it shine? Are there things that concern you more than your time?"
-Jack Johnson

1 comment:

CityStreams said...

I'd never heard of Blood Water mission. But I'm really impressed with how Christian bands today are getting involved in missions. I love the way the last Caedmon's Call CD really highlights the needs of other countries. And their concerts are about mobilizing people instead of having the spotlight on themselves. Still I find myself being like Bilbo Baggins with his beloved ring~ I say I'm going to put my money somewhere, but when I look in my pockets I find that it's still there.