December 1ST IS WORLD AIDS DAY 2010

[Yvonne Washington-Turay]

It is with a somber spirit that I greet the world and my comrades in the ministry this day. In a few days, the world will take time to commemorate this DISease "HIV" which has for more than thirty years wreaked havoc in the lives of millions upon millions of individuals worldwide. The family, the very essence of OUR society has been torn apart by the ravages of this PANdemic. Our communities are infested and the infestation continues to worsen. It (HIV) has not been discriminatory with who or whom it impacts; nor has it left any household untouched. Many of some know someone in our personal lives who have died of or is living with HIV. It's claw's are accessible to anyone, anywhere who makes the deadly MIStake of allowing them to inflict their mark upon them. Our citizen's, churches, governments seem to be sleeping. Many are living their lives as if they have immunity or just plain don't care. Community Based and Non Profits alike say; "Give us the "Resources and we will help put an end to this problem yet, "the numbers" speak for them self, those living with and dying from HIV/AIDS continue to rise while billions of dollars are being distributed worldwide. The "HIV" pandemic persists and is in fact worsening in the Communities of Color. Many in the church watch as the "VIRUS" continues to rise. The self-professed and righteously indignant would say; it is the "Wrath of God;" "They" earned it so let "them" deal with it; Yet, there are Many Faith Based Ministries who have well thought out HIV/AIDS outreaches that are positively impacting those in their locale. Think about it; where do you fit in this picture? Well, you might say what is the point Reverend Turay? Here is my point. WE are called to serve and not to judge. We must serve wholeheartedly and without respect to the who, what or where our services goes. Jesus said in the book of Matthew 25: 40,,."I will tell you the truth, whatever you did for ONE of the least of these BROTHERS you ALSO DID IT UNTO ME." This is a familiar text. We in the Ministry are called to FEED the HUNGARY, Give the LIVING WATER of God to the THIRSTY, CLOTHE the NAKED and VISIT the SICK and IMPRISONED, As we know, these issues can present themselves mentally, physically spiritually, emotionally, figuratively or actually. The PANdemic of HIV/AIDS is raging in OUR communities and some of us are waiting for the GOVERNMENT to "GIVE" us "RESOURCES" to do outreach or to just plain CARE. I tell you, today, my Fellow Pastors, Teachers, Preacher, and Evangelists Jesus Christ did not wait for payment to do The work of The Father, He JUST DID IT!! HE said; When you do it for ONE it is as if you have done it for HIM. The Motto of God's House International is "IMPACTING the WORLD ONE PERSON at a TIME. This WORLD AIDS DAY I am asking each and everyone of you to preach a sermon, teach a bible study, talk to the elders is the church, or just re-educate yourself about HIV/AIDS the DISease, incidence and STIGMA. Our communities are being destroyed by a DISease that is 100% preventable while WE keep silent, ignore or wait for the resources. STOP waiting. Reach out to the people in anyway the LORD shows you. I am sure their are health experts within you congregations who can assist you in educating yourself about HIV/AIDS. If you are already educated, try to ascertain a way that you can impact YOUR community positively. Here are some ways start a testing program or if you are already testing; increased testing efforts, HIV/AIDS education, a food ministry for those sick and shut in or even assisting those who need treatment with ways of finding the resources they need. There Is so much to do. We all have to start somewhere. The Government and its money has not helped us. The "Numbers" show the truth. Lastly, I will leave you a word paraphrased from John F. Kennedy. Ask not what your COMMUNITY can do for you, but what you can do for your COMMUNITY!!! WE are called to lead. Let's honor Our God by showing the WORLD that WE in the Faith Community CAN do unto SomeONE in the Name of JESUS CHRIST as well as decrease the stigma and incidence of HIV/AIDS in Our Communities. God Bless each and everyone of you for your self-less efforts in the NAME of JESUS. If you are interested in the "Nurmbers" you can go to this link:http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/aa/resources/reports/pdf/heightenedre....