AIDS Walk

Last month in a post entitled Britney is my Hero! I told you about a young woman from The Well who God is using to help people who are living with HIV & AIDS.

Last Saturday Britney took a small group of people from The Well to Orlando to participate in an AIDS walk. For the past ten months Britney has been talking about setting up an AIDS walk in Jacksonville. As a part of her planning strategy she--and six of her friends--signed up for an AIDS walk in Orlando.

Here's a group shot:

I'm so proud of them.

Here's an excerpt from Britney's blog, LIFE WITH A VISION about this experience:

This weekend a team of seven of us went down to Orlando and walked in their annual AIDS Walk. I was so impressed with everyone's commitment to the cause. We left Jacksonville at an ugly 5:30 am . . . We walked around Lake Eola two times, only to realize that we were supposed to walk three times, but don't worry we are honest. We walked our third lap after everyone else was finished. There were all kinds of people there from all walks of life. There was the gay men's chorus, a huge group from Disney, a group from Gap and a quite large group called "Alex's Angels" who were walking for Alex who had died of AIDS. There were even black women wearing shirts that said "I HAVE HIV....Don't you wish it were that easy to tell." And an older man proudly wearing his "I'm an 18 year survivor" T-shirt.

Now that I have had time to reflect, I realize I will be doing that many times again in my life. It was an experience like no other. I see that group of people in my mind, and I think that is where we, as Christians, SHOULD be. We are on this earth to bring people to Christ. But not just people that we are comfortable being around... ALL PEOPLE!! Even the man at the walk that was dressed as a woman; yes Jesus loves him, too. Yes, it is incredibly difficult to find a way in their world, but who cares?!! God never said it would be easy; in fact He tells us it WILL be difficult, but He is with us. He wants us to give our everything so that anyone and everyone will see His love reflected off of us. In my mind, God gives us a huge opportunity with the gay community, people with AIDS, and just plain hurting people. It is an opportunity to give of ourselves; a call to bring hope to the hopeless. To show love to the unloved; to bring God's compassion and grace to those who feel rejected.

We have to stop sitting in our churches looking out the window waiting for them to come to us. God tells to "go out unto all the world." I am done waiting for them to find me; LET"S GO GET THEM!!!! God has given me a burning desire to love these people. God never let that passion die. Make it burn until the day I die.

Well said Britney . . . and further proof that there are still Christians in this world who walk their talk.

LET'S GO GET THEM WITH BRITNEY!