Our last morning in Zimbabwe ...

Thursday, February 5^th

Our final morning in Zimbabwe was a spectacularly sunny one, which found us in a setting where it was easy to believe the horrors we had seen in the weeks previous were just a dream.   It’s amazing that pockets of tranquility exist when there is so much suffering and hardship.  It seemed as if a few US dollar bills could shield us from the  horror of what the majority of Zimbabweans live with every hour of every day.  We had shared as much as we could while in the country, but it didn’t seem to go very far. 

If only there were some way to share so that all could find relief.

But there is!   At a time in history where a great deal of money has been raised and poured into global programs set up by international planners on behalf of the people they claim to represent, there are "better-off" poor people reaching out to help "worse-off" poor people where they live.  Sometimes, poor people are reaching out to help destitute people.  Most of it is happening by means of a “people in the pews” response in the name of Christ.  That response is being motivated by a desire to respond in practical terms to the example of Christ himself who reached out to touch hurting people on His way to the cross.

We left Zimbabwe with a resolve to lead an HIV/AIDS response that would cooperate with the good things happening in Zimbabwe and the Southern African region at large.  We left with a sense or urgency to better facilitate what our own organization was doing, and co-operate with other like minded response initiatives already in place … or potentially available.

We left with a desire to gather around us people who would join us in a commitment to empower and assist Zimbabweans in the already existing meaningful response to The HIV/AIDS-related symptoms of the predicament that is facing the people of that nation today.  We left having been invited to network and partner with local initiatives, and with an invitation to assist with the creation of a fellowship of HIV/AIDS response initiatives nationally.

Now we are preparing to return to establish residence in the country, having been given the mandate to create and lead a team of people that will bring real cohesion and offer true direction to Zimbabwe’s HIV/AIDS response initiative.

We are looking for people to join us in this response.