Today I submitted my application and deposit for a missions trip to Swaziland, Africa with my church here in Salt Lake in February 2012. I am so excited about this opportunity, and really glad to know that I have the support of my family and friends to go.
Africa is a continent that has always been on my heart, specifically the Sub-Saharan part that's been deeply affected by HIV/AIDS. I first learned about AIDS when I was in 7th grade in health class, and that's really what sparked my desire to help the children affected by this disease. Many of these kids don't have a family or any relatives because they've been lost to HIV. Prevention techniques are lacking, and misconceptions about how the disease is spread have caused people to do things entirely the wrong way if they're looking to stop the spread of this highly contagious infection. The effects on a person's health can be minimal or drastic, and without proper medical care and treatment, those whose HIV transitions into full-blown AIDS will die more rapidly than those who have been cared for by doctors or other medical professionals.
But most deeply affected are the children. The ones who didn't ask to have their parents taken away by a disease, the ones who didn't deserve to have an infection passed on from their mother. Not to say that anyone who contracts HIV deserves it, because I don't believe that for one second...but the kids were born into this, they had no say in the matter because the disease took everything they had.
Some of the kids who will be at the Care Point in Swaziland are AIDS orphans who need someone to show them love. Swaziland is a country with the highest infection rate of HIV/AIDS in the world. Approximately 26% of the adult population is infected. In a country where there is little else to set them apart (they're small, surrounded by South Africa, and politically stable with no major safety issues), AIDS is the thing that makes them stand out to a health community. A country should not have to stand out because it is infected with something so deadly.
I am so encouraged knowing that the church I attend supports the care of children in this country, and I'm so excited to have the opportunity to go down with a team and bless the kids at the CarePoint, as well as the "Mages" who staff the Care Point and the discipleship team members who are already working with the children. How amazing it will be to finally get to see how God is working in a place where He's had my heart for a long time.
I love watching God open doors, and then being able to walk through them with the confidence that He has a plan and has been preparing me for these opportunities and adventures as I continue on my journey with Him. I never cease to be amazed by the wonderful love of our amazing God, and how he will work out the plan he's laid out for me in the ways that I least expect him to.
