urbana 06: day 3
Hmmm…yesterday’s post was rather long. I’ll try to keep this one short.
Same schedule as yesterday, just different passages and different speakers. Getting to know the other floor proctors more and some of the exhibitors too. Continuing to connect with them. Tonight, we had an extended session where the second half of the session focused on HIV/AIDS. I’ve been looking forward to this for the past few days and it didn’t disappoint. There were 3 scheduled speakers plus a surprise video from Bono, that’s right, U2′s Bono. First there were testimonies from Lisa Robinson (a nurse from Toronto who went to Africa to help educate people in Malawi about HIV/AIDS) and Kay Warren (Rick Warren’s wife who also went to Africa and experienced HIV/AIDS first hand). We then got surprised with a video of Bono exhorting us to join the ONE campaign and to use our voices to change the AIDS situation and drown him out. Lastly, we had Princess Kasune Zulu share about how HIV/AIDS has affected her and urged us to fight this, to be the visible image of the invisible God. Very moving message that got a standing ovation from everyone.
So what does this mean for me? Well, this AIDS thing has been on my mind for the last few months and this basically reaffirmed things for me, how I must not be silent, how we as a church cannot be silent. Talked with Mike Lau after the session here at the hotel and it was awesome to hear some of the ideas he’s got for what we can do as a fellowship to raise awareness about AIDS at UT like World Vision’s Acting on AIDS (AOA). Let’s be the generation that ends this AIDS pandemic.
That’s awesome, Jon. In every generation, there is a cause. And just when I thought our generation would be the aimless, MTV-obsessed, lululemon-wearing-wii-playing generation, I see a glimmer of hope in people like you who decide to stand up and do *something.* History in the making rarely feels like it; most of the time God uses you when you don’t even realize it because your energy is focused all on putting 110% into that one (dare i say minute) task that God has given you. That’s a good thing. Focus away and God will make history, and may even use you in the process.
3:09, December 31, 2006 at 3:09
aaah! princess! that was the girl. ..from. ..that episode. ..of 722. ..with the ppl from africa with funny names!
22:07, January 2, 2007 at 22:07