RECONCILIATION GRANT TESTIMONY

Dear folks at FCC Antioch: Africa is amazing!!! Going to Africa was such a wonderful life changing experience. I can not tell you how grateful I am that you all made it happen. South Africa is beautiful. There is some wonderful landscape and fabulous beaches. There is also a lot of poverty in South Africa. The people there have nothing, yet they share everything. It was amazing to see what spirit the people of Africa have. As a nurse, I went to South Africa to help bring some relief to the Aids Pandemic that is sweeping the country and to study its effect on the people. I witnessed the love and care that mothers living with Aids had for one another and the children. As one mother would pass on, the other mothers would band together to take care of the children that were left behind. Even as they went through something so horrific, they still found ways to give and share. Truly this was a once in a lifetime experience! I want to thank my FCC, Antioch Church family and the Reconciliation Committee for its generous donation toward my trip. I felt God's call on my life to make this trip and you all made it possible. I felt a connection to the people, a sense of belonging and I am sure that I will go back many times during my life. Valerie