Edmore, 9 yrs old from Zimbabwe

Today I went to the World Vision "Experience AIDs" exibit. It was amazing. They have you put on head phones and walk into different little sections of the exibit, while they tell you who's life you are going to take on for the short time that you're in there. I was a little boy named Kambo (a real kid's story). I was from Kenya, my father had already died from AIDs. My mother would help at my grandmother's truck stop/restaurant. That looked more like an old shack. One of my friends got killed by one of the fast big trucks that went through. It was a dangerous place to live. I fell asleep at my mothers side and she died while I was sleeping. My grandmother woke me up and told me to get off of her, because she was dead. My grandmother took care of me from then on. Kids stopped wanting to play with me and told me not to touch them because I had "the big disease". I ran crying to my grandmother and asked her "grandma, do I have the big disease?" "No Kambo," she replied. But four years later I was informed that I had been tested as a baby and the nurse said that I did have "the big disease". My grandmother took me to the clinic to see if I had it or not, just to be sure. I got tested and found out that, I had the disease. That is what both my parents had, and I got it too.

It was hard to take, I got a stamp on my hand, big red stamp, a circle with a plus sign in it. Representing HIV positive. I looked around the clinic. Two of my friends representing two other children had gotten negative stamps. Little Kampo felt lonely, his friends didn't want to be near him any longer and his parents had both died. World Vision has helped him by getting a sponsor for him I guess, so now he gets nutritious food and good medical care. After the clinic I was told to go to another room, a chapel I think. There were pictures of children covering the walls and two baskets with packets about children who had not yet been sponsored. The recording of the African sounding woman told me that this was my chance to say a prayer for this child. That I may be the only person praying for that specific child right now. So I said a prayer, I prayed for Edmore, the first card I picked up. I couldn't put him back in the basket. I walked around the room holding the packet looking at all the pictures. Many of the photos had the same positive red stamp as I got in the clinic over the faces.

I went to the next room and that was the prayer room...it had small note cards with handwritten prayers or acknowledgements on them. I took one of the cards and wrote a long prayer for Edmore. He is does not have AIDs, but lives in an area where it is very prevelent. He is only nine years old, I assume that his parents passed away, because he lives with his brother and grandmother (who struggles to provide for them). He is a beautiful child. I didn't want to put it down. The lowest monthly sponsorship amount seemed rather large for a college student's mind to handle, but that's such a selfish thought. Even if I barely get by, I have a much easier life than Edmore and millions of other kids.

I'm so excited to get letters from him. I want to know all about this little boy. It says he likes to play ball games, I wonder if he's ever heard of a frisbee? He is in "satisfactory health". I had second thoughts, because of that. Shouldn't I be helping someone who is really sick? Or that actually has AIDs? This boy is in a place much worse off then anythin I have ever experienced, many people will help those that are worse off than him, but if I don't help Edmore, is someone else going to? I could say that about all of them, but this is the one I picked up. This boy, I can help. After I left the prayer wall I went and signed up to sponsor little Edmore. He was born thirteen days after my youngest sister Mahalah. Maybe I could even have Mahalah write him. I am so excited to get letters from him, I hope he draws pictures for me! I hope I can bless this boy and his family!

This is like nothing I've ever done. I've always wanted to, but never felt able. I just want to give give give!!!!! My friend and I are going to start praying for a different kid on the World Vision website every week and we're also going to try to send a gift to a family, like a herd of animals or something. This is going to be such a beautiful thing!

In all things I gave you an example, that so laboring you ought to help the
weak, and to remember the words of the [Master Yahushua], that he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

Acts 20:35 (HNV)