Experiencing Africa Through World Vision

This weekend, I went to a World Vision exhibit on the AIDS crisis in Africa. It was such a moving and heart-rending experience to listen to the story of Olivia, one person inflicted with AIDS, and to walk through various displays depicting different points in her life. There were displays set up illustrating the lives of four different people, which all led to a "clinic" set up to find out whether or not the person had AIDS. At the end, there was a prayer chapel area set up with pictures of people in Africa who have AIDS, and a chance to sponsor children affected by the crisis. I walked through the story of Olivia, where it told of how she was raped and gave birth to a son. Her poignant story continued where she was then raped again a second time, in which she contracted AIDS, and when she gave birth to her daughter, she also had AIDS due to feeding from the breast milk. My heart cried for this single mother of two children, who not only has AIDS herself, but, has found that her daughter has it also. My prayer is that God will be at work through this dark crisis; and that organizations like World Vision and missionaries with a heart for Africa like my friend Laura, would be able to continue to make a difference.