USA soil!! :)

Our feet are back on USA soil!! We have landed safely in Detroit and will make the short flight to Indy soon....should arrive in Indy at 6:51 pm!

Today, Today, Today!!!

I have an email from Carrie that was sent on Friday, but instead of posting it, I figured you all might just want to hear it from her in real life!!

The team will be back in a matter of hours (about 6 hours, to be exact) and I know that you are all incredibly excited to see and hug and hear from your loved ones!!

Praise God!!

What an update! :)

The group has been doing awesome!! It's hard to believe that the week is almost over and they'll be back in a matter of double-digit hours!

I've been asked to share Stephanie's touching view of the day's events! So here it is:

As this week has progressed, what has been burned into my heart are images, visual snapshots, pictures of my teammates:
Carrie sitting with a beautiful young woman at Bright Hope School, looking at her school notebook, complimenting her work, laughing together, both of them totally engaged, eyes dancing, smiling and talking.
Zoe playing clapping games with young boys at Onesimus and holding that precious little girl until she fell asleep. 
Tim pulling fighting boys apart with firm but gentle hands, the perfect picture of fatherly discipline as it should be.
Dick giving up a whole day of his mission trip to sit at the guest house and supervise the Ethiopian electrician so that we could all be safe and have power and hot water.
Carlos standing in a tree at CFI, acting out the story of Zaccheus for the children.
Kidist holding hands and playing with other little Ethiopian girls her age, so very much alike and yet so very different. 
Terri stirring the cooking pot at CFI’s family day, helping the staff and mothers cook the food for our luncheon today.
Dean spending so much time with Carlos, playing cards, talking, watching him play computer games, consoling him after the fire, selflessly engaging a 9 year boy, just because he’s kind and good.
Neil loving on and being loved by every single kid we come into contact with, acting goofy, making them laugh, playing, teasing.
Mark taking the time to shake the hand of every single mother/guardian at CFI this morning and watching their faces open up and smile and some of them duck their heads shyly, as he paid them respect and attention.
Erica jumping out of our group picture (more than once) to hug and say good-bye to yet another CFI child who is precious to her.
Michelle in intense discussions with Peter and Elizabeth, Ephrim, Derejet, Nega, Jonathan and Jess, and others about the present and the future of the ministries Hope for His Children supports in this place because her heart is on fire for the women and children here.
Cindy flawlessly coordinating more donations than a whole team of people can keep track of, along with all the suitcases and duffel bags that carried those donations here.
Michelle R. paying tribute to her husband’s sweet service on this trip and talking about how proud their girls would be of their dad, tears flowing.
Kathy B. passing out hugs which bring people to tears because in her arms you are safe and at peace and loved, at least for that moment.
Dave staying up way too late to prepare a Bible story for the kids at CFI, just in case the person on tap to give it doesn’t make it there on time.
Deacon so eager to be a team leader to the kids at CFI, excited to participate and be a part of the team and serve.
Kathy L. offering that calm wisdom that blesses me so often.
I confess I felt a little guilty about that.  The trip, after all, is about sharing the love of Jesus.  We are here to serve in His name and bring Him glory.  I shouldn’t be so focused on my teammates, right?  And then I realized:  these snapshots are so intensely sweet for me because my teammates are reflecting the very face of Jesus.  They are the perfect image of Him as they love, serve, laugh, share, and listen.  I love them so very much, because they are so very much like Him.  Those images are so pressed upon my heart because my heart recognizes His Spirit within them.  It is about them, because they are about Him.
Thank You, Lord, for this team.  They are precious to me, and I know they are precious to You.  Bless them, please.  Show Yourself gloriously through them in these last two days.  





Michell Randolph also wanted me to let you know how touched she was by seeing Stephanie minister to the children of CFI and their guardians. Michell said that Stephanie's words were incredibly clear and beautiful as she shared the gospel with those who have never heard it! I witnessed Stephanie's sweet, sweet heart last year on the trip, and to say that she has been gifted with a heart for communicating God's word is quite an understatement. Although she left herself out of her blog post, she deserves recognition!! 


I can't wait to keep hearing updates from the team and I'm sure you all feel the same! They'll be back before you know it! 


Keep praying and have a wonderful Friday!! :)

Update!

First of all, I would like to apologize for being a bit behind on the team's updates! I've been sick with the flu. But now that that's over, let me catch you up!

This update was sent to me from Carrie about their activities on Tuesday:

"Good things about today 

We went back to CFI today to be greeted by all of the kids swarming our van, they could not hug us, kiss us or jump on us fast enough, they were so cute! 

 

I was able to go with one other team member to a "home visit", we had an interpreter with us, unfortunately for the team, only 6 of us are able to go to these, but it was amazing - this woman with her 7 yr. old son, who is part of CFI live in about an 8x10 metal home, one little light bulb hanging from the ceiling (i was checking out the electrical)  anyway, the amazing part was the fact she was so proud and so happy that she has a home and is able to make an income by doing some sewing for people in the community - I have pictures, but I am not sure they can do it justice, so humbling.

 

Also, I along with Michelle,Erica, and Kathy B were able to visit Hannah's Hope which is the orphanage that Derek came from.  A beautiful woman runs the orphanage, we got to see the babies, BUT they were sleeping so we couldn't hold them, I was sad about that.

 

We then went to Onesimus, which is a center for street kids, today was the first day for a new group of boys, it was hard for all of us to imagine these children going back on the streets to no home and no family when we left, but for them it is a reality, I don't think any boy was older than maybe 14 or 15.  We had a game of basketball going with them and enjoyed playing outside, these children have nothing, just the clothes on their back.  The men that run the center are amazing and do a very hard job each day, they were such an encouragment to us all.

 

Finally, for the evening we went to an "American" type restuarant and i got to have chips and salsa and Hawaiin pizza (yipee!!) and for the first time since we got here I was full!!! It was so good

 

The team is great, working really well together!!

We are now getting  ready for bed...we had a bit of excitement a few minutes ago, had a little electrical fire, but no harm, however, we are turning off all the electrical for the 2nd and 3rd floor...no hot water, no lights, no shower for tonight   NOW..we are feeling like we are in AFRICA but No worries...we are great!"

I haven't received any other updates about their activities today, but I had a tentative plan for them that I can fill you in on! This is assuming that none of their plans have changed.

Wednesday, they had planned on continuing the VBS at CFI while also working with the women's group.  A few members of the trip (though I do not know who) were going to be trying to do home visits with the children of CFI like the one that Carrie described in her update. Wednesday afternoon, the team was going to travel to the neighborhood of Korah where the city dump is located.  Last year's team had planned on visiting Korah, but were unable to because of a riot that broke out the night before. This year, the team was planning on visiting the Bright Hope school in that neighborhood to minister to the children there. I believe their plan was to teach the children some English while they were there. Wednesday night, the group attended a cultural dinner in which they were able to eat a traditional cultural meal of injera and watch some Ethiopian dancers dance to the traditional tribal dances of Ethiopian tribes. 

Hopefully I'll get an update about their experiences that I can share with all of you! 

Keep praying, I know they're doing great! 

Today's report!

Here is a wonderful discription of our day from the viewpoint of Stephanie.  Stephanie was on the team that came to Ethiopia last year.  This year her husband Dave and their two children (Carlos and Kidist) have joined her.

Here's what Stephanie posted on their personal blog:

First Day of Service

The first time I came to Ethiopia I fell madly in love - with my new baby girl and with this beautiful country and its people. The second time I came to Ethiopia, I was desperately heartbroken - by the tragedy of starving children, by the heartbreak of mothers who can't provide, by the vastness of the suffering. On this, my third trip to Ethiopia, I was confronted by reality. The beauty is still here, the dignity and joy are still present in the people, the passion and fire of their faith is pulsing, but the hunger, the loss, the pain, and the hopelessness slap you in the face.

This morning, our whole group arrived at CFI at 9:00. We conducted Bible school for the kids, and a few of us participated in a women's fellowship with the mothers/guardians of CFI's children. This women's fellowship was a new addition from last year, and boy, was it popular!! CFI cares for 70 children. We expected up to 25 women in our fellowship and were surprised when 32 showed up and a few more wandered in as the morning progressed. We had taken plain, white scarves and dye for the women to design and make their own beautiful scarves. How fun it was to see them catch on to the process so quickly, make it their own, take charge, and create their own patterns and colors regardless of what the "typical" process was! And all this despite a language barrier! When we first started, I found myself without a particular assignment in the process, so I went around the room and tried to learn everyone's name and asked about their children. We laughed alot, because after about 5 of them, I couldn't remember who was who or how to pronounce any of them except "Olive"!! It touched me deeply to hear their stories - a mother who "disappeared" leaving her child to be raised by her sister, a grandmother whose daughter died, leaving her to raise a grandchild. I was proudly shown beautiful twins, dressed identically, and was introduced to another Kidist, who immediately jumped into my arms and hugged me for at least 3 solid minutes. What a joy to serve these amazing women, women who lead desperately hard lives, but whose joy is real and whose children are every bit as precious and wonderful as our own.

This afternoon we went to Kechene, the poorest area of Addis. (And that's saying something.) An amazing man named Nicodemus, in his old age, began (with his wife) caring for recently orphaned children in his neighborhood in Kechene a few years ago. He now runs a drop-in center for impoverished and orphaned children in Kechene that serves 130 children 7 days a week. The children are fed, clothed, and educated as best they can be given the resources available - an absolute miracle. The main classroom is a cinderblock room with one window. There are 24 benches, eight to a row in three rows, and the children sit three to a bench. There is no electricity, and the only light comes from the one window or the one piece of vinyl that replaces a single sheet of tin in the roof. I visited this same center last year on this trip and thoroughly enjoyed watching the children and their energetic, totally funny teacher sing songs and do silly motions for us. They were amazing. The room was depressing. Walking back in that room today slayed me. It was all the same - the same dark, dank classroom; the same desperate, desperate need; the same pain in tiny little faces; the same worn, ragged clothes. It was almost more than I could bear. As soon as the kids finished singing and we left the classroom to go outside and play, a little girl grabbed my hand and was my buddy the whole day. All I had to offer today was a hand to hold, a smile, a game. Important and yet woefully inadequate. Her name was Delita, and she was an absolute delight. I imagine her life is far from delightful.

Our kids continue to be amazing. They played with the kids at CFI and at Kechene. They did not cling. They weren't afraid. In fact, I had to go looking for them to see what they were up to and have the enjoyment of watching them participate. They love the whole team, and how blessed we are to see the adults on this team engaging them in conversation, playing cards with them, making sure they have hand saniziter, including them. After many long days and short nights already, they had baths and went to bed early tonight. I pray they rest well.

We are so blessed. As Michelle, our leader, has said many times, it is a privilege to be here doing this work. It is amazing to be doing it together as a family. It is important to know that children and mothers live this way. And it is imperative that we follow the direction of our Lord and do something about it. As our family verse for this trip says: Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James 1:27.

Please pray for us as we start a new day of service tomorrow.  

Sunday- A Day of Rest!

While it's only mid-afternoon on Sunday here in America, in Ethiopia, it's the middle of the night! Whenever you're thinking of our beloved travelers, always remember that Addis Ababa is 8 hours ahead of Indiana.

Side note: I'm going to add pictures of some of the places that the team will be traveling to and have traveled to. Please remember that these pictures are from last year's trip and are only being posted so that you readers can get a better mental picture of the places and faces that the team will be seeing!

Today (Sunday), the team woke up from a long night of catching up on jet-lagged sleep to go to Beza International church. This church has "branches" in countries all over the world and holds services in both Amharic and English each week.

After church, the team returned back to the guest house to have lunch and visited with Peter and Elizabeth Abera. Peter has played a huge role in partnering with Hope For His Children in Ethiopia! Peter is the founder of Compassion Family International, which I'll be explaining a little later. His wife, Elizabeth (called Elza in Ethiopia) is from California and is an amazing and inspiring woman of the Lord! Peter's testimony is an awesome one and the team was blessed enough to be visited by the Aberas to hear their story and prepare their hearts for the work they will be doing this week!

After lunch and talking with the Aberas, the team headed to CFI to unpack and organize the donated supplies and get ready to be with the kids tomorrow!! Tomorrow I'll explain more about CFI and include some pictures from the site that they minister to the precious children of Addis at! 

I received this quick update from Carrie Gourley, and I wanted to let you guys know a little bit more of what she said about their experience so far!

"Everyone seems to be doing really well...food is ok, I'm still a little unsure :) Good thing I brought snacks! Lots to see, quite amazing to see all the stuff on the streets, still doesn't feel like I am in Africa, I am sure it will hit me tomorrow! :)"

Tomorrow the team will be heading to CFI to pass out shoes to the kids and will also be meeting with many of the mothers and guardians of these children to start a women's ministry at CFI! The time spent at CFI will be much like a Vacation Bible School set up and they will be there all morning.  After lunch, the team will be headed to the Kechene drop-off center, which I will also explain in more detail tomorrow!

Keep praying, everyone! God is so good and the team is doing awesome! 

Remember to feel free to comment if you have anything you would like to say to your loved ones and I'll pass on the message! 

Have a blessed Sunday, everyone! 

First day...

We woke up to the sounds of cars, buses, prayers on the loudspeakers and dogs barking.  The street outside our guesthouse is quite busy!  After breakfast (scrambled eggs and banana bread, and -- of course -- coffee!)
We attended Beza International Church (the same church we went to last year).  Church began with several  very exhuberant worship songs.  The pastor shared that it was "Vision Sunday" for their church and today the leadership would be sharing their plans for a new building.  More than talking about the building, however, they shared their vision for the "movement" of the church in Ethiopia.  Beza is determined to see righteousness reign not just in their church, their city or the country of Ethiopia....they truly are on fire to see Jesus Christ exhalted on the entire continent of Africa!  Although there was no "sermon," the determination of these Christian brothers and sisters to see people redeemed was very inspirational!  At the front of the church, they had flags for many different countries (about 30).  At that end of the service, they asked for people from other nations who were in the congregation go to the front to stand by the flag of their country.  We were amazed to see the number of nations represented! The pastor prayed that we would go forward from there to advance the gospel. 
After church, we returned to the guest house for lunch.  We met up with a team of 8 members from Illimois/Missouri/California.  We will partner with them later in the week to work together at CFI. During this time, Peter and Eliza Abera, CFI's director's and our in-country 'hosts' shared thier testimony and CFI's mission. Everyone was eager to learn more about the main ministy we would be serving at this week!
After lunch we decided to tackle the huge task of sorting out all of the donated items!  Imagine 28 suitcases and totes that are all stuffed FULL with 50 pounds each of all sorts of donations.  In order to maximize our space/weigh, the donated items were all mixed in together.  We sorted everything out and began the process of seperating items by where we will be taking them.  Hopefully this will save us time later in the week. 
We are settling in now for what will (hopefully) be a good night's rest!
On the schedule for tomorrow:  Compassion Family International in the morning (we will do a VBS with the kids, and a fellowship/craft time with the women.  We will also be fitting the children for their new shoes!
We appreciate your prayers!!