Determination can come in all forms; it is a young girl, struggling with beginning in her teenage years with HIV. She sits at a table and tells us when she was 11, she just wanted to die. Everyone knew she was positive, and avoided her at all costs. Her classmates became like strangers, and relatives, well, the ones who were still alive treated her as a heavy burden. Now she is thriteen and is determined to fight-she wants people, especially her peers educated about this plague. It was not her fault she contracted it, but she is no longer deeply ashamed. Rather she is angry that children must be treated badly. This young one wants to teach people sensitivity and compassion; and she wants her HIV+ peers to feel the same.
Determination also comes with a group of young adults who do not want to continue in a tradition that is stagnant for them. They write plays, poems, and songs to demonstrate that there is a way out of a lifestyle that is destructive. Coming together to pray together, they no longer just pray for Botswana's burdens, although that is huge, they also pray for the world leaders to help. These are youth that see on a daily basis alcoholism, HIV, TB, domestic violence, and lack of motivation. Coming face to face with this takes a lot fo courage-it takes even more to push toward righting things that seem so wrong.
Encouragement seems so valuable here. I am humbled by the work the younger generation is trying to accomplish. Sure, there is still alot of apathy. And certainly many people hold to believing that things are what they are-that life is hard so do not try and sap what is left of your strength. Hope has a funny way of leaking into situations thought hopeless. God will always make a way for us if the work is Kingdom-minded.