I have a decision and how you can help!

So I think I have made a decision to keep going with my blog for a while. My first plan is start posting excerpts from the interviews that I shot in Nigeria. I'm going to commit to one a week and I may be able to ramp it up from there. So look for a new video next Monday and I'll try to keep them going from there. I'll also mix in some general thoughts here and there, just to keep it interesting.

I really appreciate all of you who've been checking in over the past few months and especially the past couple of weeks when I haven't been updating. And I haven't forgotten about my plan to put up info on how you can help. Just to get you thinking about what you might do with that stimulus check you'll be getting, consider these options:

- For only $183 a year you can sponsor the ARV's (anti-retroviral medications) for an HIV positive patient at the Faith Alive Clinic through the Save-A-Life program. These drugs are literally a new lease on life for many patients, but most HIV positive people in Jos can't afford them and Faith Alive only has a limited supply. In fact, between PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief) and the Save-A-Life program, over 3,000 patients are on ARV's, but there are over 10,000 more on the waiting list. If you would like more information, please e-mail me at faithalivefpc@gmail.com and I will put you in contact with the appropriate people. Be aware that this commitment is more than just one year. Once a patient starts on ARV's they cannot stop taking them or they risk severe side effects and jeopardize the drugs' effectiveness.

- For about $150 you can sponsor one child's school fees for an entire year at Elim Private School. You may be thinking, why pay for a kid in Africa to go to a private school? Why can't they just go to a public school? That's simple, it's not an option. All of the schools in Jos are private and the only way kids get any kind of education is if their parents can afford to put them in school. Elim School is a kind of partner with Faith Alive and the principal is actually one of the key volunteers for the Sunday support group. Elim accepts all children, but also takes in kids who have been orphaned or lost a parent to HIV. Again, if you're interested in learning more, please e-mail me at faithalivefpc@gmail.com. You can also look through my old posts to find a video about Elim or click here.

There are plenty of ways that you can get help and I encourage you to find something that is meaningful to you, even if it's not with Faith Alive. To see more info on our church's website, click here.