I'm Sick - Reflections on Homebased Care

The flu is sweeping the country. It seems that so many people are sick. Everyone I've talked to this past week was either just sick or is coming into sickness. For the past 5 days I've been pretty sick, with a high fever and throwing up. This experience continues on.

Yesterday, I didn't get up from bed all day. As I laid down in bed, I kept thinking about the AIDS patients lying on their mats for 9 months or more at a time. Our friends in Africa caring for these patients are relentless. Mrs. Maposa, for example, sees an average of 5 people each week knowing that many of her patients are going to die. I'm thankful for her efforts and the 850+ others that are serving in southern Africa through our partnerships.

In April, a group of Messiah College students from the Social Work Club, among others, will be throwing a dodgeball tournament/fundraiser to raise money for Forgotten Voices' various homebased care partnerships and the kits our homebased programs provide people in their final days.

So - as I sit on the couch and begin recovering, I give thanks for the people in Africa working hard to ease the pain of people that are dying from AIDS. I give thanks for the patients, who are pressing on and helping the homebased care workers decide what should happen to their kids after they pass away. I'm thankful for people like the Messiah College students who will make the 2008 efforts of homebased care possible.

Sure...I'm sick, but I'm already getting better after just 5 days. You may be miserable, but remember the hope we have and the hope we have the privelege to share with others on the other side of the world.

Thanks for reading & for helping us care for some of the world's most vulnerable people.