Chinese university students are enthusiastically responding to HIV/AIDS awareness talks. Hungry to serve in meaningful ways, they are eager to embrace volunteer tasks that promote awareness and care for the infected. It is my prayer that God will use this response to increase awareness about HIV and to open doors for the Gospel.

An Emotional Response

Last year I spoke to a group of 200 college students in a large Chinese city. For several hours, I spoke through translation telling them the truth about HIV/AIDS and its threat to China. I explained that it is a disease of broken relationships and encouraged them to respond by making positive changes in their lives.

They became animated when I showed them the prediction of a Harvard expert that in 20 years 5% of China might be infected. They were horrified. I almost had to end the talk in order for them to respond.

The 5% figure was solidly drawn out in red on a graph. They couldn't stand it. They wouldn't let it happen. They offered to volunteer to do whatever they could do.

Action to Bring About Change

This slide seemed to speak to them, and God helped me to continue. I showed how this "solid" 5% didn't have to be that way—that it was just a made up prediction, a guess. The level of infection would depend on how they responded, both in their social action as well as having their behavior transformed.

During this commotion, one gal stood up and with tears in her eyes said to us, "I'm not afraid to help people who are infected or fearful I'll catch the virus if I go to their home. My problem is that I am just a college student. I don't think I would have anything to give."

The room was quiet. I answered, "Maybe the best medicine you have for them is your tears."

Pray

• for the students to make changes in their lives and to be equipped to reach out with compassion
• for God to provide more opportunities to present awareness talks
• that people will continue to respond by making behavior changes
• for God to use these talks as a bridge to share the Gospel