I took a break from my work day today to go to Bethel Church (on Keene & Shockley rds.) at 1:30 pm. I’m not usually in the habit of going to church in the middle of a weekday afternoon, but this was for something a bit unusual: World Vision Experience: AIDS.

The “experience” is that you put on headphones and walk through an exhibit as if you’re a child living in Africa. There are four different children — essentially, four different exhibits to walk through and experience. If I’d had time, I would’ve liked to do all four.

My walk-through was about a girl named Babirye, whose father died of AIDS when she was five … whose mother was diagnosed with HIV … and who, herself, was also diagnosed as HIV-positive. They took her mom away to get medical treatment in a bigger village, leaving Babirye and her twin sister to fend for themselves without a home. Their mom eventually came back, her life saved by anto-retroviral drugs. She came back and works in her village on behalf of World Vision, helping her fellow villagers deal with — and avoid — HIV/AIDS. Babirye has also survived so far.

That’s the thing: These are true stories of real people in Africa right now. The exhibit is filled with photos of them, their village, the conditions they live in, and so forth. This 90-second video gives a pretty good overview of what the experience is about, and you can see some shots of the exhibit near the end.

You should experience this. It’ll open your eyes (if they’re not already open) to what’s happening in Africa. And if you think, Oh, it’s just Africa. It doesn’t matter., I’d ask you this: If it were happening here in America, would it be okay? Of course not. So why is it okay to happen in Africa?

The exhibit opened today (Thursday) and will remain open through Monday, December 8th. It’s free. You can just show up at Bethel Church and go in. You can also reserve a time at Bethel’s web site.

It only takes about 20-30 minutes. I probably wouldn’t bring any kids under 10-12; might be a bit much for them. But give it a shot, won’t you?

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