Beat the Drum

I tried to come up with the worst disease ever. I did my best to do so objectively, with no other diseases in thought, mind you I feel the need to mention I am no science major (and all that that implies). First of all, this disease would have to be initiated by some sort of a virus because that way, one can "catch" the virus and thus point blame on the issue or area that caused the "catching" of what would not have otherwise been "caught". Secondly, this virus would have to develop into a disease in which its soul aim is to attack the immune system; that way, there's no limit to the illnesses one can acquire. Lastly, this disease would be only too perfect if it were highly contagious. In fact, if it were something you could catch through the air, the disease would spread like wildfire and devour so many more than one can even imagine. If you haven't already guessed, my best idea of the worst disease ever almost accurately depicts the HIV virus and its manifestation, AIDS. Although one can not become HIV+ by breathing in the virus, it's almost worse that a person acquires it through sexual contact, for this also spreads the disease like wildfire and devours more than one can imagine. But attached to it is the shame of having had sex and "bringing it upon yourself", or so others may judge.

Last week, my team and so many others had the opportunity to run an AIDS awareness/ abstinence program called ‘Beat the Drum.' The Lord had gone before us and decided upon a small town, three hours from Jeffreys Bay, called Somerset East. One cannot even begin to describe all the logistics and planning and hours of meetings that went into running this program, which only lasted for the whole of last week. Fortunately, I was left out of that end of it and only arrived upon the practical part of the program, which was to bring it into the schools. We learned the curriculum over the weekend and jumped into our schools on Monday. My team was based in the next town, called Cookhouse. According to recent statistics, Cookhouse has the highest percentage of those infected with AIDS in a country that has the highest percentage of those infected with AIDS in the world. Our school was Cookhouse High, our mission: to minister to those kids about abstinence, AIDS and the one message we bring with us wherever we go: Jesus Christ.

After getting off to a rough start in which our Beat the Drum movie didn't play all the way through, to an audience of only a third of the school, we were eventually able to get up to date in the curriculum. We lost a day in showing the movie a second time (all the way through to the whole school) and lost another day in confusion between classes and who was teaching who. For the last two days, I was on my own with a class of grade eights who for the most part, did not understand English very well. I was in my glory. Our first day, we did a few "ice breakers" and then all the kids got in a circle and were told that the discussion belonged to them. They could talk about anything they wanted to talk about as long as they were holding the "magic sunglasses." If they weren't holding them, they couldn't say a word. My students were very shy with the occasional jolt of rowdiness. We spoke mostly on sex and AIDS. The consensus was that the boys believed sex to be good and the girls believed it to be bad, (in so many words). My most shocking moment was that no one had told these kids that condoms don't actually work all the time. ( One would assume that this information would be crucial in the AIDS capital of the WORLD!) Other than that, the kids had fun for the most part and my hope was that it got them thinking. The last day was very similar; after a few embarrassing sex questions and, of course, bribing them with some chocolates so that they'd talk, it was the end of our time together. The students were sad to see us go, but fortunately right after class that day, we had the opportunity to transport many of the students to Somerset East to be tested for HIV. I don't believe I have ever prayed so hard for so many kids at once as I did in that hall that day. It had been packed full of people for hours, all voluntarily lining up to be tested. I had a new understanding of this disease when I sat with kids much younger than myself, holding their hands and feeling them shake as they stared at the contraption that in a few moments could change their life forever. They were preparing to face what either would be their biggest relief or their most dreaded nightmare. I prayed for their little bodies to be healed, if at all they were infected; I never had the horror of seeing any of those kids be told they were positive, although it did happen. Why it's normal for a kid in Africa to be tested for HIV several times before they even graduate high school and for a kid in America or Canada to not even know what HIV means, I see no justice. This has to end. There is too much and it is too much. This has to end.

In times like these, I think of Nelson Mandella and apartheid, Martin Luther and the dominion of the Catholic church, Abraham Lincoln and a country divided, Martin Luther King and racial segregation; these men didn't choose their issues, they only chose to make a difference. In our time, our issue is AIDS. If you think you're exempt from this 23 year-old disease (which has already become a pandemic), then you would be wrong. It may be more prominent in Sub-Saharan Africa than it is in small town Canada/ America but it's there. It's lurking and it's only a matter of time before our world is consumed. It needs to end.