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It’s been raining in the UK, lots… There have been floods, property damage and even death has accompanied the rain.  I don’t need to tell you, you’ll have seen it on the news.  Perhaps you know even someone affected.  It’s been unusual though, more rain than usual, not a the usual time of year… unusual.

Being born and growing up in Manchester, a city famous for its rain, you’d think I’d know about rain… but like I said this is unusual.  I’ve seen unusual rain before.  I once went to Egypt, a place not famous for precipitation and guess what… it rained!  Young children ran out into the streets and danced, some of them had never seen rain before.  Can you imagine being 4 or 5 and never having seen rain?

It’s raining now as I write this… we’ve had 250mm in the last 24hrs here in Mumbai.  Its monsoon season, you’ve got to expect rain in the monsoon, but it’s unusual rain here too.

Just like in the UK where the average monthly rainfall fell in a few days, so it is here, but the average monthly rainfall in monsoon is a LOT of rain.

As I write the transport infrastructure has all but collapsed.  The international and domestic airports are closed (When was the last time Manchester airport was closed due to the rain?)

There have been deaths in the UK due to the floods… There have been deaths here too… Today alone Sun 1 July the news here reported 5 deaths in Mumbai, and 19 across the state of Maharashtra… 19 people drowned, swept away, lost to the flood waters… in 1 day… and it’s still raining and may do so until early August   This is just Mumbai!

Floods begin with a single drop of rain, then another, then drizzle, then a downpour.  It doesn’t matter what continent you’re on, it’s the same process.

An infection follows the same process, it starts small and then gets bigger.  HIV was once one infection, new we have a global pandemic.

Once there was only 1 Jesus, 2000 years or so later there’s a global movement.

I went to a meeting with Samaritans Purse (of Operation Christmas Child fame), it was in a nice hotel in Bangalore… it was billed as an empowering the local church initiative... OK, I’ll go and see, I thought.  It turned out to be helping the church to respond to HIV.  It was really great, firstly to see an organisation prepared to partner with local churches, and secondly to see so many Christians respond.  It’s called “Prescription for Hope”… it is just that.

You see the flood waters will pass, even in Bombay, the flood of HIV infections won’t.  The best we can hope to do is manage those already have the virus and attempt to stem the future flow of infections.

Perhaps you don’t see this as a job for the church, you may say it’s a job for the medical profession, or even a government issue.

What would Jesus do?  What did Jesus do?  Did He leave it up to someone else?  What is the model he gave us?  Simple, be involved at a personal, physical, spiritual and emotional level. 

The HIV/AIDS flood is here!  Just because we lack a personal perspective because we (probably) don’t know anyone who’s HIV+ve doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.  Did you know a 0.1% rise in infections equated to 1,200,000 people infected in India?  How fortunate we are, not to be infected, and (probably) not know anyone who is.

After the Samaritans Purse meeting I spoke with Emily, one of the leaders.  I explained I think that HIV/AIDS needs to have a face and a name.  To me this isn’t just a global pandemic, it’s represented by a little boy in PB (Purnata Bhavan), the residential care home for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Tell me… do you remember me talking to you about him?  Can you remember his name?... Do you recall the photos?

HIV has a name… but only if you learn it, only if you meet the infected and learn to love them a bit like Jesus would.

What will you do now?… Will you remember my little friends name?  If you can’t remember, will you ask?  What will you do next, ask God to bless him?  I wonder what’s on Gods mind for this little guy?  I wonder how we could prove to him we’re little Jesus?

I’m going to see him soon.  To play cars on the floor with him, look at his schoolwork, hug him like he was my son… I’m going to try and take a bit of my Jesus to meet with him and his sister.  Have you placed them now? 

Does this photo help?

Hasn't he grown since 2004?  Don't I sound like a "proper" uncle?

I wish you’d come with me somehow.  I wish you’d put your own face to HIV/AIDS.

I’ll let you know how he and his sister are… Check back again soon.