Beat the Drum for AIDS

An estimated
24.5 million adults and children were living with HIV or AIDS in su
b-Saharan Africa at the end of 2005. Since then, an estimated 2.7 million additional persons have acquired HIV.

During 2005, an estimated
2 million people died from AIDS. The epidemic has left behind some
12 million orphaned African children.

In South Africa alone, an estimated 5,500,000 people are living with HIV or AIDS.

The most devastating part of these statistics is that the majority of people living with HIV don’t even know it. Therefore they continue living out a normal lifestyle and thus infecting even more people.

In Africa, if someone does know they are infected with HIV, they don’t admit it. They will blame their sickness on TB, pneumonia, or even a curse from witchcraft. Worse yet, if they do admit they have HIV or AIDS, they will be totally ostracized by friends, family, neighbors and even churches.

This epidemic is killing our brothers and sisters in Christ but is kept a secret. It’s time for this generation to rise up and reveal the secret that is breaking God’s heart and breaking apart Africa. That’s why Beat the Drum was implemented.

Beat the Drum is a movie created by Dr. Bruce Wilkinson that illustrates the many misconceptions about AIDS. It is a deeply moving film and has won many international awards. After the movie was finished,

Wilkinson began a massive campaign to teach and train African young people ab

out HIV and AIDS. With the help of many US and African college students, the message of AIDS prevention and the gospel was shared in every high school in Swaziland. The volunteers spent a week in the schools, using the movie as a ministry tool, teaching and training young people about the truth of AIDS. The results were dramatic. Young people all over were committing their lives to Christ and committing to abstinence until marriage.

Next week, the Beat the Drum movement is coming to Jeffrey’s Bay. Our whole team is committed to volunteer. Over 100 volunteers will descend upon this town with the message of the gospel and the truth about HIV and AIDS. We too will use the movie to teach young people that this epidemic is real but can also be controlled. We have an opportunity to go into schools, health clinics, hospitals, even peoples’ homes to share two very powerful messages. We are blessed and excited, but we need your help.

We need you to pray for this campaign that it would be received and effective. Pray for us that we would communicate clearly and speak in love. Pray that hearts will be committed to Christ and behavior to abstinence. Pray that God’s glory and love will be known in this town.

Please join with us in this daunting, yet exciting, effort by praying for us the week of Feb 25 – March 3rd. If you want to know more about Beat the Drum, please visit the web site, www.beatthedrum.net or go rent the movie, “Beat the Drum” which should be at a Blockbuster near you.