World AIDS Day December 1 “But while he was still a long way off, his Father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; He ran to his son, threw His arms around him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20 www.crwrc.org “I never met Mario Lopez*,” says CRWRC’s Mark Vander Wees. “I heard that he was an extraordinary person, but I was too late.” Mario Lopez succumbed to AIDS. Lopez worked as a bicycle courier in Chinandega, Nicaragua, where his wife and young son still live. Until his death at thirty, Mario openly shared his story with church leaders at CRWRC HIV and AIDS training workshops. “When I finally told my family that Fatima and I were HIV-positive,” Mario said, “they avoided me. Now the neighbors call after us, saying that we should leave our village so we will not contaminate them.” In Nicaragua and around the world, CRWRC is uniquely placed to equip Christian leaders with a biblical view of faithful, healthy relationships. Because of the courage of people like Mario Lopez, church leaders can confront their own prejudices about AIDS, and as a result, better minister in their own communities. “I missed meeting Mario Lopez in this life,” Vander Wees says, “but his testimony lives on in the lives he touched.” Will you pray for those who suffer like Mario and Fatima Lopez on World AIDS Day? • Thank God for CRWRC’s unique role in training Christian leaders in biblical responses to AIDS. • Pray that these leaders make God-honoring choices as they confront AIDS in their congregations and communities. • Ask God to clear the way for medicines to be available to each person who suffers with AIDS. • Pray for reconciliation with children orphaned and families abandoned by those misinformed about HIV and AIDS transmission. Do you want to do more? Find out how a gift of just US$30 ($33CAD) can provide for orphaned and at-risk children in Western Africa at www.crwrc.org/gifts. *Name and photo have been changed. USA 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue SE, Grand Rapids MI 49560, Phone: 1-800-55-CRWRC, Fax: 616-224-0806 Canada 3475 Mainway, PO Box 5070 STN LCD 1, Burlington ON L7R 3Y8, Phone: 1-800-730-3490, Fax: 905-336-8344 Web www.crwrc.org CRWRC is an agency of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC). To learn more about the CRC’s work in North America and around the world, visit www.crcna.org