THE HIV/AIDS PANDEMIC IN THE WORLD

In the two decades since its outbreak, HIV has infected more than 60 million people in the world and AIDS has caused the deaths of more than 22 million. The disease cannot be ignored as being a disease that only affects people living in an aberrant lifestyle or in promiscuity. Spouses, friends, tainted blood, etc are infecting innocent people throughout the world. Children are born with the disease from infected mothers, and they can contract the disease from the milk of the mother. There are now more than 15 million innocent orphan children in the world under the age of 15 because of AIDS (orphan being defined as a child that has lost one or both parents to the disease). This number could rise to 25 million by 2010. As Christians, we must offer compassion and hope to ALL victims of the disease, no matter how the person contracted it.

Some countries have recognized that sexual abstinence before marriage can reduce the growing number of HIV/AIDS cases. Our Mission Hospital in India (www.missionhospitalindia.org) requested assistance in preparing a booklet on "the biblical basis for sexual abstinence to avoid AIDS." The booklet was completed in September 2004, and is titled: FOLLOW JESUS, PREVENT AIDS. It is the opinion of the hospital medical staff that if the booklet could be distributed in the quantities needed, the rate of new HIV infections in India could be significantly reduced. There is nothing comparable to this booklet in the entire country.

The English version of the booklet, prepared for English-speaking countries, follows in PDF format. This particular version has been specifically prepared for use in Ghana, West Africa.

The booklet is now available for use by any church, mission organization, or country that wishes to print it. To arrange details, please contact me at the address below.

The magnitude of this project, of course, is enormous and costly. If any reader would care to contribute to this worldwide distribution, you can send your donation to the Mission and Welfare Society - India at the address listed below. Your gift is tax deductible. Progress reports will be provided on a monthly basis to contributors.

Thank you for your concern.

Alvar Helmes, President
Mission and Welfare Society - India
20107 NE 107th Ave.
Battle Ground, WA 98604
U.S.A.

Member of the Foreign Mission Board of the
Apostolic Lutheran Church of America
ironbelt@integrity.com

FOLLOW JESUS, PREVENT AIDS: PDF DOWNLOAD HERE

THIS PAGE IS HOSTED BY WWJ MINISTRIES ON BEHALF OF THE ‘MISSION AND WELFARE SOCIETY – INDIA’, TO ASSIST IN THE CONTROL OF THE WORLDWIDE AIDS PANDEMIC. PLEASE ADDRESS ALL ENQUIRIES TO THE SOCIETY AT THE ADDRESS GIVEN. THANKYOU.