positively Jesus

This post about a four year old girl being UNinvited from a birthday party because she is HIV+ was all over the adoption blog world last week.

I'm still processing it for a few reasons:

First, our kindredspiritfriends the Henderson's left on Thursday for Ethiopia. They are traveling to meet their four year old son who is HIV+. We love them and can't wait to meet this little boy. (Even if they are lapping us with adoption #2 while we're slowly making progress on #1:-)

Second, visiting the Kosair ER last Sunday made me sick to my stomach. (If we aren't FB friends the lowdown is this: Meadow fell, she is ok, vaccinate your kids for tetanus.) Do our kids really need slushies and big screen TV's while they wait to see one of the hundreds of thousands of doctors in this country? Is sitting in a room without a television and some sugar for longer than 15 minutes considered torture?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is one doctor to every 417 people in the US.
In Ethiopia there is one doctor to every 35,000 people.

In 2010, there were ZERO documented deaths due to HIV/AIDS in the US. The most recent data states that approximately 67,000 Ethiopians died from HIV/AIDS in 2007.


These statistics are the same or worse in most the rest of Africa.

Our kids are sucking down red #7 and watching Yo Gaba Gaba while over 25,000 children around the world WILL DIE TODAY from hunger and illnesses that are preventable and treatable.

I digress.

Thirdly, Jesus.

I've been thinking about where Jesus would be if He were here now. Would He be with the healthy and the rich and the insured and the spoiled? (Of which I am admittedly a gold star member.) Or would He be with the sick and the poor and the marginalized and the suffering?

Jesus' "lifestyle" was pretty clear. He was homeless. He had no belongings. He hung out with prostitutes and lepers. He was a humble carpenter. He befriended friendless tax collectors.

And he healed.
The sick, the lame, the blind, the paralyzed, the leper, the spiritually dead.
He healed them ALL.

I don't know the family who issued the UNinvitation and I am trying hard not to judge them. I don't even know the family who received the UNinvitation but their message is clear: EDUCATE.

Educate because these children deserve it. Educate because these children need Jesus. Educate because those UNinviting them from birthday parties need Jesus. Educate because we need Jesus just as much as they do.

Share with anyone who will listen, and even those who won't, the facts about HIV/AIDS. Share this video - it's a great place to start.

And share the reason why we should care about these children.

Because Jesus cares about them.

They need Him.

We need Him.

The UNinviters need Him too.