Learning & Being Led

By Phyllis DeSmit

What did we learn for the church during our focus on AIDS?

• Dr. Redfield: The need is for sustainable, care-delivery systems that do not depend on medical people. The Church, fully engaged on its own terms, is the solution.
• Dr. Jansen: The life-saving therapy dispensed at the Malawi Hospital is the listening by patients to the spiritual "why" of how they are being helped.
• John Hamilton: The Church must be willing to embrace anyone who is broken. Life choices, contrary to God's path, are true of every human being. We must follow, not lead God.
• Pastor Crawford: I can't be effective if my issue is "I'm going to change you." My issue must be to approach in love. Love draws and transforms people.
• Matt Vaselkiv: I am learning that as I grow closer to God, it takes less and less stuff to make me happy. What "stuff" is holding you back? Think about the two billion people in our world who live on less than two dollars a day.

Two stories of how Central people are being led by God!!

From Mark Moyer: "I was working from home the other day and was eating some 'limited edition (seasonal) pumpkin pie yogurt.' It really struck me, ~ what don't we have here in America? We're so blessed and yet so jaded. I've been thinking a lot lately about Africa and tangible ways to love people who aren't as fortunate as we are.

A couple weeks back, I was at a Matt Wertz concert and learned about an organization called Mocha Club. It is so named because the cost of joining up is contributing $7 a month, the price of two Grande Mochas, to help with the care of an orphan or someone with HIV/AIDS.

As little as $7 is all it takes to save lives and show God's abounding love to a desperate people. I think it's unfathomable that 6,500 people die of HIV/AIDS every day in Africa, and what really gets me is the number of orphans left behind. I have felt convicted to do something about it. I set up a team and am now looking for teammates, a few people to join me and offer support of $7 a month. There are 10 of us so far. You can join team "One Love," at http://mochaclub.org/join/2383."

From Wilma Edelenbos: "Just before the 11:30 service, I met a woman, Barbara, during her first visit to Central. She had a cane and seemed a little sickly. People were getting her coffee and something to eat. When she dropped her cane and I picked it up, she commented on how welcome she felt, how very safe and comfortable, adding that she will definitely be coming back. When I took her to the Welcome Center for a welcome bag, she asked if the church and I would pray for her. I told her we would. Then she confided in me that not only does she have osteoporosis, but also she has AIDS. She said she doesn't normally tell people about having AIDS because of the way people treat her, but she felt comfortable telling me. I felt so blessed! I will seek someone to make sure she is getting the care she needs. It is so cool to connect the HIV/AIDS Conference insights with the First Impressions ministry. We serve an awesome God, don't we???"

Read about more Central AIDS related happenings on the Mission News page. And, remember, Worldwide AIDS Day is this Friday, December 1st.