March 8, 2007
Lucy:
Tonight at dinner a man at my table said that America has no idea what kind of face it puts on the world. Initially, I was very insulted by this, mostly because I did not understand this because I didn’t understand the context his statement was in. It was in a context that is a little bit complex for a 15 year old… So, tonight our group was at an HIV/AIDS discussion. Father Desmond mentioned that whatever comes from America is instantly in style, jeans whose waist lines fall at the knees, starving women who are seemingly beautiful, and men and women with unrealistic relationships. All of a sudden, the comment “America has no idea what kind of face it puts on the world” made a lot of sense to me. I understood. It was an epiphany for me. I couldn’t ask for anything more today.
Arthur Tiaisiwae:
I liked one of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s phrases. He told us that the church has a mission to take the lessons of God to the world to find “peace and love.” Now I would like to invite al of you to think about this point; an exposition of the bible principles.
From Archbishop Njongonkulu: 4 million people are infected by HIV/AIDS. It’s a difficult situation because a lot of people are dying. I think that we must council the people to change the kind of life they’re living, the paths they’re taking.
Matthew Shumate & Melanie Monteiro:
The youth discussion was led by a South African native named Keba, he gave the group such an excellent description of HIV/AIDS and how it has affected South Africa. He started off by sharing a true story with us about a married woman who found out that she and her newborn child were HIV positive. The twist in the story was that the woman had accused her husband of infecting both her and her newborn. However, when he was tested the results were negative for HIV. In the end, the accusation towards her husband was merely a cover up for her own affair with another man. This was truly amazing how this one story sparked an hour and half discussion exploring topics such as relationships, marital affairs, and actual personal opinions if put in either the man or woman’s position.
