August 13, 2009

Gone before their time

Friends,

Khun Jaruwan with photographs of children that CAM took care of 10 years ago. Most have passed away.

I was at the AIDS ministry office of the Christian Church of Thailand (CAM) last week doing my usual thing. Working on the computer, sending emails, and organizing photos for our new youth peer photo project. I went to get a cup of coffee and I saw my office director, Jaruwan, going through old photos of kids that CAM took care of back 10 years ago. I stopped to look at photos with her while she described the kids’ lives. They all looked so happy, and Jaruwan had a big smile on her face as she was telling stories of these kids—such as the story of the kids in the swimming pool. It was the first time any of them had ever been in a swimming pool. After she tells me the story, she has kind of a sad expression when she points to the young boy on the left of the swimming picture because he passed away shortly after due to HIV/AIDS.

She said the boy was around 8 or 9 at the time. All I could think about was that my oldest daughter was almost 8. I couldn't fathom losing her at such a young age. She went on to describe the other kids in the pictures. Each one had her smiling as she reminisced about the laughs they shared and how they touched her life. During all of this she kept pointing at kid after kid and said he has passed away and she has passed away. I could feel the tears start to well up in my eyes. I felt so helpless. These kids didn’t do anything wrong, yet they are the ones paying the price with their lives. In the United States these kids could have been saved with anti-retroviral medications. Over here, it was a different story back then. Fortunately, the situation is better in Thailand now, although we still have a long way to go. There are still many kids who fall through the cracks and don’t receive any treatment. CAM tries desperately to reach all the kids affected and infected by HIV. Please pray for all the forgotten children that are suffering with HIV/AIDS.

Brett and Shelly Faucett

The 2009 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 110