A Path Through Tall Grass

Here I am in Jos, Nigeria, once again - at home. And this marks the beginning of a new journey, a path through tall grass. Here in Africa, we're taught to watch out for the tall grass, for that's where the snakes live. And it's true. But sometimes you have to go straight through the tall grass to reach your destination. You may have a machete to clear the grass; you may not. But you have to get through. Beware the snakes!

AIDS is real in Africa. Oh, I know it's real in the rest of the world, but here... Here you can talk to anyone on the street, any single random person you like, and he will tell you someone he knows who's died of AIDS. It's that simple. No one is left unaffected.

Here, I walk through tall grass. I spend time surrounded by needy, hurting people, people living with HIV, people dying of AIDS. I have just begun to clear my path because I know, gosh darn it, there is something - something - for me deep inside the jungle. I'm not sure what yet, but my heart and soul tell me I need to push through the grass. I know that death lurks in this tall grass, preparing to strike. And I have no machete to clear the way.

But I have faith.

And I will make a path, if it means trampling through like an elephant, snakes or no snakes. I have been brought here for a reason. I need to know what that reason is. And in the meantime, I must throw caution to the wind and plunge straight into the grass, embracing those most in need of God's love.

I am terrified.

...And did I mention I hate snakes?

But here I am, in Jos, Nigeria, and my path begins here. So help me, God.