Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

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           Team Judah and Team Dunamis at the Mildmay Center with some of our Ugandan friends
 
One of the most notable things about Uganda is the significant drop in the HIV/AIDS rate over the past few decades.  While most countries in Africa continue to see a significant rise in this terrifying epidemic, Uganda has turned the tables and actually seems to be defeating the disease.  I don’t begin to claim that I understand the reason for this, although I am understandably curious about it.  Pinpointing the reason for the decline would give great direction for other countries being consumed and overtaken by AIDS.  People who have researched the subject give credit to political commitment to HIV prevention and care, sex-education programs, the marketing of condoms, and same-day results for HIV tests, among other things.


Given all of this, my favorite thing we did while we were in Kampala was visiting the Mildmay Center.  I would have gone there every day if I could have.  The Mildmay Center is a place where people with HIV and AIDS can receive the medicine and care they need.  At first glance Mildmay is heartbreaking; it is crowded with those who have a life-threatening disease and many who also live in shame and fear because of it.  But at second glance, what I saw was hope.  I have never been in a place in Africa that offered such comprehensive medical service to those with HIV.

Adults from the community can come and get tested for HIV regularly with same-day results (many places require people to wait two weeks, meaning many do not return).  There is also motivation to be tested, because if a person does become infected they are provided with the medicine they need to keep them healthy as long as possible.  Mildmay offers a special place where children with HIV can come and be taken care of, and they even provide a separate place where babies born with HIV are cared for 24/7.  In addition, there are onsite counselors available to help people deal with the emotional trauma of the disease, and they offer programs to teach people about HIV/AIDS care and prevention.  

In the short time I have been in Africa, I have witnessed too many people and families torn apart by AIDS.  I know it is ultimately only by God’s grace that the HIV/AIDS rate has dropped so greatly in Uganda.  He has healed people of AIDS before and will again.   

 
I invite you to pray with me for those who have HIV and AIDS in Africa.
 Pray against the spread of the disease, pray that the doctors would have wisdom and knowledge about how to treat it, pray for access to medicine and treatment.  Pray against babies being born with HIV, pray against them contracting it from their mother after birth, pray for children as they lose one or both parents from AIDS.  Pray for marital fidelity, pray for the protection of young girls and against the lie that having sex with a virgin provides a cure.  Pray for comfort, peace, joy, and a release of shame over those infected.  Pray for complete healing and God’s glory to be known.