This post is for the fighters. It's for the survivors. For the ones who feel forgotten. This post is for you.
Meet my friend Travis. He is a wonderful man of God I met a few years ago when I was counseling at a Christian Summer Camp called Living Waters. I am blessed to call him my friend. Travis is a very unique person. His laughter is contagious. His smile is bright. His personality is amazing. He is a very talented singer and guitarist. His passion for worship is beautiful and his love for others is so sincere. Out of all these wonderful qualities, the one that sticks out the most to me is that Travis loves Jesus. He will tell you all about him. He loves to witness to people, from kids at camp to a hitch hiker on the side of the road. But even more important that him verbally sharing his love for the Lord is that he shows it. He shows it in his smile. There's a bright light behind his eyes that allows others to see a glimpse of Jesus, if only for a moment. He encourages others when they are going through struggles. Travis was there for me when I lost my grandmother while at camp. He gives and gives and gives. And people are drawn to him because of his selflessness, his ability to relate and make everything seem alright when everything else will tell you it's not.
You wouldn't know it unless he told you, but Travis has his own struggles in life, as every person does. You see, Travis has AIDS. In honor of today being World AIDS Day, I have asked his permission to share a little bit of who he is with you, so that you can better understand. As I prepare for this world race, some of the countries my squad will be going to have high numbers of people with AIDS. We will be working with these people. God has increased my passion to help reach them. He has given me a longing to see HIV positive and AIDS sufferers healed in Jesus Name. He has given me a desire to serve them, to love on them, to show them that they are not forgotten. So many people think that AIDS was something that occurred in the past, that it doesn't effect that many people anymore and that's it's only in overseas or in Africa now. This is false. It does effect people. In Africa, in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. In the United States alone there are 1.2 million people who are HIV positive, and a fifth of those people don't even know it!! During 2010 alone 33,015 people were diagnosed with AIDS. It is happening now. It is happening here. It is SO important to get tested.
Travis has inspi(RED) me. He has impacted SO many lives, probably without even intending to. He has shown me that it does not matter what one is currently going through, you can still love on people. You can still show people who Jesus is, by showing them the example. Because honestly, it's not that Travis is so awesome (even though he is :)). It's that Travis doesn't allow anything to stop him, he allows Jesus to shine through him, day in and day out.
And so can you. You can make a difference. We are all living on borrowed time. Who knows when the good Lord will call you home. When I first signed up for the race, I was like Oh I can't wait to see how God changes me and how he uses me to make a difference on this trip! But oh was I wrong. You see, God is changing me NOW. He is using me to make a difference NOW. And if I am open and willing to listen to His voice, I will be able to make the impact that I so desire. And it's not to impact those for Kayla. It's to impact those for Christ. Today, I am inspi(RED). Tomorrow, I will be inspi(RED). I pray that everyday I will continue to be inspi(RED). I will make a difference, just as Travis is making a difference.
In honor of World AIDS Day, would you please join me in wearing red in support of those who are HIV positive or diagnosed with AIDS. Pray for them. Pray that God would heal them. That he would provide an oportunity for you today to love on someone, anyone, who needs to see the love of Jesus in you. Shine brightly my friends. And to the fighters of AIDS, KEEP FIGHTING! You are not alone, you are not forgotten. YOU MATTER! Be encouraged, there are many people all over the world praying for you. Our God is bigger. He is strength. When you feel like giving up, He is there to carry you farther. He will hold you up. Don't give up, Don't ever give up!
#keepfightingTravisLindsey
