On Thursday Jenny, Laurel, and I went down the mountain to a children's home called Beat the Drum. This is a home that was started by John and Mary, a husband and wife team that opened this home as a response to the movie with the same title.

We sat down with John and Mary when we first arrived. You can tell that they are dedicated to and love these children. Currently they have 20 children at Beat the Drum with hopes of one day housing up to 50. Like most organizations, funding is always limited and they expand in stages based on the money that they have at the time. Right now, their funds are quite low and they are praying that God will provide for them to have a Christmas celebration, food and hopefully a few little things for the children. This would be a place that I would love to raise awareness about and try to send some money their way. For as long as Jenny is here, another 18 months, it makes it easy to do that since I can send them through her.

All of the children at Beat the Drum are HIV+. For most of the children the HIV virus has already attacked the immune system to such a degree that it has developed into AIDS. Beat the Drum is located in Mai Mahu. This town is a truck stop on a major highway. Unfortunately most African truck stops and prostitution go hand in hand. With this combination, the spread of HIV and AIDS is rampant. Beat the Drum currently has four houses, five children and an "aunty" in each. The aunties are also HIV positive and help to give the children a sense of family. You can see that the children are loved and that they play well with each other. This is significant especially because there are 6 tribes represented among the children. Tribalism is a common struggle in many African countries. I saw this also in Namibia. Just like race, the tribal differences can cause a lot of tension and conflict. To see John and Mary willingly taking in these children from so many different tribes, and to see them living in harmony, is a beautiful thing.

Beat the Drum opened in 2007 with five children to start with. They have gradually grown in numbers, but five of the kids we met there had only been there for two weeks. Most of those kids still looked a bit shell-shocked. And I can imagine they would be. They've been taken from their homes, maybe a bad situation, or more likely--their parents have died--and have been brought to this new place. They don't know anything about this place. They just know that they no longer have a home anywhere else. I can't imagine being a child and having all of those thoughts running through my head. But I am hopeful that their smiles will soon return to their faces. I'm hopeful that John and Mary will be great new "parents" for them, and that they will regain a sense of family after experiencing such a traumatic loss.

It was also great to see how healthy the children looked. John said that many of them arrived in a terrible state, with death appearing imminent. With the free ARV treatments in this country, they have all recovered so well and have been brought back to a place of good health that the drugs should hopefully be able to maintain for a while. As long as Beat the Drum can pay for transportation to the hospital, the drugs will be available to them.

After John told us about Beat the Drum, we prayed with him. It is wonderful to see how God has already provided for them in so many ways, and we prayed that His provision would continue. We also prayed that John and Mary would be renewed daily as the task ahead of them is not an easy one. I am so thankful for their servant's heart and joy as they care for these kids who would otherwise have little hope.

We headed outside to greet the children. We got a brief tour of one of the homes. And then Jenny refreshed their memory with some games she and others had taught them before. I played for a bit and then sat down so I could snag some photos. After the games, Jenny told them a Bible story. She had a few of the kids help her act them out. We passed out some sweets, took some group photos, and then it was time to head home. Some of the children came up to me with their hands out for a handshake. I pulled them close and hugged them tight. These children need to know that we are not afraid to touch them. To love them with a sweet embrace. I hugged one after one of them and made sure no one was left out. "Who needs a hug?! Did you get a hug?!" After the individual hugs, I had them gather around for a big group hug.

The time with these beautiful children was way too short for me. But I know that Jenny and others from RVA will continue to love on and bless these kids. And like I said, I hope to raise more awareness about children impacted by this disease and to send gifts to be able to help people like John and Mary who have dedicated their lives to live among and care for them. I know those at Beat the Drum will appreciate your prayers for them as they fight against the terrible consequences of HIV and AIDS.

The video below is nothing special in terms of videography. It shows them singing and then playing "Stop, Go", a simpler English version I taught them of "Red Light, Green Light". It's just the raw footage to show you the kids in action. :)