There we stood in a small sea of shining, smiling children’s faces! “What could they possibly have to be happy about?” Each of the 80 or so kids had lost both of their parents to the terrible tragedy of AIDS—16 were themselves HIV positive! Yet here they were joyful in the midst of tragic circumstance, excited about our 4 man team who had come to visit from America—and YES maybe the expectation of a toy, a piece of candy, new shoes or maybe even a warm coat for the cold nights.

This trip was a life changing event for me because I was able to look at life from a different perspective. I think of all the things we, as Americans, take for granted like the ability to see after the sun goes down. We have electricity in our homes and we often fail to stop to think that some people have to go to bed when the sun goes down because of no light. We can switch the lights on and off at the flick of a finger.