Wandering Thoughts

I am not as eloquent as my wife in posting about things that still seem very abstract to us right now. but, i do try my best to convey my heart for our trip to anyone who asks.

I have been browsing information about South Africa and, specifically, information about the AIDS pandemic there and Africa as a whole on my lunch breaks at work (it's some of the few sites that aren't blocked! haha). it has been good and bad though. it is very equipping to learn what kind of situation a people or county, or in this case, a continent is in before you get involved, but at the same time, it can be a bit overwhelming. for example, i am not sure how i missed this before, but this is some of the information Ten Thousand Homes had posted on their site...

"HIV has swept across Africa in 3 waves. The 1st is what is called the invisible wave, where hundreds of thousands of people were infected with HIV. The 2nd wave is the one hitting Africa at the moment, where the hundreds of thousands who were infected begin to die. Finally the 3rd wave is after the hundreds of thousands die there are millions of children left orphaned and vulnerable. The widespread loss of parents, teachers and other adult community figures often result in children being forced to care for themselves. In most cases, these orphans lack access to food, housing, clean water and health care. Orphans often forced to quit school and can easily be exploited for cheap labor."

So, i sit back and ask myself, "what can I do about this?" our two months seem so short to really impact a village, or a community, much less a country, or even a continent. i guess this brings me back to calling...

Laura and i love people, and i believe that is what we are called to do. we are not going to fix a problem, but show compassion, and give care where none may have existed. i think this is also tough because i know that simply trying to love the people will allow God to change my heart in ways i may not be prepared for.

Anyways, Laura and I are starting to make phone calls and sending emails, contacting those of you who have sent us questions inquiring about donations. we are still trying to raise a good chunk of our support by the end of the month so we can buy plane tickets ASAP! (the sooner we buy them, the cheaper they'll be!)

so, if you have any questions for us, or are wanting to support us, but haven't yet, then please send me or laura and email (mikey@fissel.com and laura@fissel.com) so we can work out those details. as soon as we have the funds we are going to get our tickets, and that's when it gets REALLY real...

Thank you all for your love and support!