World AIDS Day

“All about us there are many who are in need of help and who are deserving of rescue. Our mission in life, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, must be a mission of saving. There are the homeless, the hungry, the destitute.”President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Our Mission of Saving,” Ensign, Nov. 1991, 59

Today is World AIDS Day so I thought I would take the opportunity to write about my experience in Kenya. I had the opportunity of going to Africa about 4 years ago. I saw the devastating results of AIDS as many of the children were orphans due to the effects of AIDS. I saw children being raised by grandparents or by once strangers or neighbors. I saw the sadness in children's eyes but I also saw hope. The children were taught to sing a repeated phrase, "Stay alive. Stay alive. Stay alive.", over and over again. It was a song filled with hope - hope of living long lives and lives without AIDS. Here are a few pictures from my trip. (Sorry they are not the best quality. They are pictures of pictures - I didn't have a digital camera then.)

If you would like to donate to help in the cause you can donate to the LDS Humanitarian Services, the group that I went to Africa with called Reach the Children, or you can donate at many other sites online.

Many of us may not be able to donate in this way and that is okay. Fast Offerings is one of the greatest ways to help those that are in need. We can also give great service by finding opportunities to serve those in our communities who are less fortunate. We may find that we can help at a soup kitchen, bring a meal into a neighbor in need, or simply lend a helping hand by giving of a our time and talents.

Let us all find opportunities to help the homeless, the hungry, the destitute. Let us all find opportunities to serve.