Monday, November 17, 2014

Desperate and Devestated in the Middle of Divorce

Sinite, a grade 9 student at a government school, never imagined her life would be this way at seventeen years old. Living without her mom as she's abandoned the family in the middle of a nasty, painful divorce has forced her to take care of her twelve year old brother, Sitota Esa, a new BCI program child who is in grade 5, and care for her aging and disabled military father all by herself. The father brings in about 500 birr from his pension from military disability, but 300 birr of that goes toward monthly rent for their rental home which doesn't leave much for food and other things. While disabled from service to his country, he can do some daily labor as he heals up from his wounds to help provide a little more to help feed his family but more responsibilities have been placed on the oldest daughter Sinite even as she tries hard to finish her studies at school and look forward to university. She fought to hold back the tears and avoid eye contact as I apologized for it being so hard and talking to her about how Jesus can walk her through it. Per Ethiopian custom, Sinite is arranging for community elders to try to bring her mom back to work things out with her dad. We tried very hard to encourage this young and fragile Orthodox family with kids who miss their mom and dad being together. It is so evident their hearts are hurting.

Sinite and her brother Sitota
 
 
Sinite was a victim to cardiac problems when she was younger, a common problem in Ethiopian children that causes so many deaths. Because she survived, her dreams are of becoming a cardiac doctor to help other children in Debre Zeyit, which would fulfill a great need as the town is in dire need of good and well educated heart doctors. Her goal is to help prevent cardiac deaths.
 
 
Sitota likes going to school and like his sister has a medical mind with a goal of becoming a nurse. He wants to work as a pediatric nurse (one who specializes in children). Right now, his favorite classes are Grammar and Spoken English, and last year he ranked 26/56 which means he is an average student.
 
 
Sitota does not have any sponsors as he is very new to our program. Sponsoring Sitota for as little as $30 per month will help alleviate some of the heaviness from the unexpected reality of their parents' divorce and their dad's disability as well as help him reach his goal of becoming a nurse as your dollars would help him continue to learn in school and give him food. To sponsor Sitota, proclaiming the Lord has given him a hope and a future, please visit www.blessingthechildren.org/donate to begin your monthly donation.

 

Sunday, November 16, 2014

An Eventful Week - with a broken arm.

I'm very aware of how God knew what He was doing giving me the parents I had. (That's not to say I was not aware - my parents were pretty gobez growing up - it was just...a moment).

God saw then these moments of treating Dawit's dad here in Ethiopia for his broken arm.

He had been in bed for over a week before I found out about it, according to my understanding. I'm so glad it wasn't worse. He fell from fixing a water tank, landed on his left side and back with his body landing on his left arm. He hurt his back and ended up with a radial fracture in his wrist. It was very swollen but he said the swelling had gone down and it looked so much better than it did when it first happened. I'm sure. Because I'm a beginner at Amharic, I looked from their house toward the school and saw the gate was open, so I went back to the school to see if Hiruy was still there or someone who knew both languages better to help me translate as Wendishet found me after school had let out for the day and told me about the accident. Thankfully he was still there and I asked if there were any extra cardboard laying around.

It was the only thing I could think of that might be around that would be hard enough for a temporary splint.

He lay it flat on the cardboard splint for a short time. I think general first aid is a new thing to them. He told us he saw a "traditional doctor," and after I asked my translator for an explanation, I found out this is an African doctor, a doctor like a physical therapist and this doctor massaged his injury, gave him some type of medicine in pill form called Clofen (a pain reliever I gather but it wasn't cutting it) and he was rubbing petroleum jelly on it. I knew there was more that needed to be done from the looks of his arm. Obviously he needed an xray, and a doctor who could set the bone and either splint it or cast it. An injury like this could affect him the rest of his life - work - everything. It was a miracle nothing else was wrong with him. Was he bleeding internally from the fall? What if he were? He had been laying there for days. Wendishet could have been a widow.



We finally got him to Dr. Solomon's clinic after fighting his thinking that he was a bother and trying to think of the best place to take him...one, a place with radiology and/or an orthopedic doctor and two, a place where he would get the best and quickest treatment, and then there was the issue of finding a ride to get us there. All of the above can sometimes be an issue. When we went into the room the doctor ordered an xray to be done the next morning as it was late. Yes, they have office hours. When we arrived the next day and he saw the xray, he diagnosed a radial fracture. (I knew the diagnosis before the doctor told him as I looked at the xray before he did - it was obvious enough for me to tell). The doctor asked me if I was a medical person. I said no, just a medical daughter and explained that my parents were of the medical field - my mom as a nurse and my dad as an EMT. I grew up with this. Turns out all those episodes of 9-1-1 late at night with Dad helped or something. Hmm...

We were given a referral to the only hospital in Debre Zeyit to splint/cast it. In Ethiopia, you have to have an appointment card to be seen at a government hospital and they were out of cards so we were sent away. This was not considered an emergency. (In an emergency situation, you do not need a card). We needed to make an appointment, fall from a water tank and then break our arm. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow is a cuss word! The medical staff are easily overwhelmed as I've found out other villages come to this hospital, so it really is take a number and wait. Maybe you'll be seen. Oy. So sad and maddening.

Tomorrow he goes to get his cast - one, two weeks from the day of the accident.

-----------------------------------------------

Its been an eventful week but glory be to God, this man is in a cast! (Does that sound weird lol?!)

So, I go to take him to DZ's only hospital and I watch as people fill the seats before the doctor is even on the property. I see a man laying down with his head on his son's lap, all wrapped in a white sheet. No, he was alive, just sick and alive at least for now. I didn't take pictures even though I thought of it only to show what medical care is like here but to respect their privacy and since you need a permit to do almost anything and it being an election year (more potential for unrest during elections), I didn't take any so I hope my words paint an accurate picture for you. The waiting area was the same structure as our dairy farm barn only with benches and I noticed birds perching and walking through their tin roof's gutter. It looked like there were different buildings for the hospital the more you climb the concrete hill up past reception. We sat near the emergency, where the man was laying. I tried not to stare but I kept looking at this maybe 13 year old boy. I wondered if he was about to be an orphan. I wondered if that man knew Jesus. I wondered lots of things. I got up. I walked back toward the front of the reception to find Mekonnen as Kelkias had now arrived. There were people everywhere. While I hurt for the people waiting, I knew Mekonnen needed good treatment, better treatment than what I saw was available. So, we decided to leave DZ and head toward Addis.

I knew I didn't have enough money on me to cover everything, but I stepped out in faith God would provide.

So when we got to Gebreal Brook (where we treated Mulugeta and Nati, a kid with a hole in his heart) in Addis, I called my Mom. Even though I woke her up very early her time, she agreed she would send some more money to help cover the cost. I have three times I'm keeping up with: back home in America, Habesha time, and ferengi time. I may or may not have called her at 4am instead of 5am. Oops.

I paid 150 birr for a consultation and we got a referral as Gebreal Brook only had a chiropractor type doctor, not what we needed. She tells us the traditional doctor hurt him more than helped him as now we have two injuries to treat rather than one: a fracture and a dislocation. She referred us to Yordanos Orthopedic, a short drive from Gebreal Brook. As we're driving, I'm thinking this is about to get real because we head up in a little van up a one way alley, and then we have to get out because the alley we needed to turn into had a car parked in the way, but you could see the hospital from where we were - just a short walk. Glad he didn't break his lower extremities. It would have made getting there even more crazy.

As we waited for the doctor, I tried talking to a little girl who was with her dad and giving her doodle paper but she was scared of ferengi I think and before I could say "guadenya" or friends, she was off back upstairs with her dad. This child and a Sunni Muslim stuck out on this trip.

The Muslim sat right next to me fully dressed in a black burqa, the closest I've ever been to one. All I could see were her eyes and the bottom of her jean skirt underneath. I was not absolutely horrified as I've seen them before and God did break my heart for them on last year's trip, but I did ask Jesus for additional peace. Is she strapped, is she packing - I listened for a tick tock. Her husband seemed to stare me down with my cross bracelet and my Jesus shirt. Then as peace washed over me, my thoughts changed more toward empathy and wanting her to come to Jesus. After hearing of ISIS beheadings oddly enough, I felt safe. I wanted to ask her why she wore the burqa. Was it her own choice or was she forced? But it's our turn to see the doctor and we need to get our cast so into the tiny white room we go.

I give Yordanos points because they let me pay them only 500 of the 700 birr I needed to give them for the casting as I had run out of birr. We walked a short way to the van and our driver offered to give me the rest so we didn't have to leave entirely to go find a bank with Moneygram. Hallelujah. So now after a three day process from the time I found out about his accident, Mekonnen has a cast and has an appointment to go back to Yordanos in two weeks. The cast needs to stay on for 4-5 weeks.


Please keep praying for him and his family as he heals up from his fall. It's such a miracle that he was not hurt worse or killed.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Will you sponsor 2 year old Nardos Melaku?

Introducing Nardos Melaku, age 2, and not sponsored. Little Nardos is new to the BCI program.

Nardos Melaku

She lives with her mom, Ababa (which means "flower"), who she is very close to, and her older brother, Yohannis, age 7, and all of them would live with their dad too if he didn't skip out on the family after Ababa became pregnant with the youngest. Currently, Yohannis is a grade 1 student and goes to a private school near the home, a cost of 70 birr per month. They rent the house they live in at a cost of 350 birr monthly. They are fortunate enough to have a water source nearby, but it is not filtered water and for the past two weeks, that water pump has gone dry so they travel about 10 minutes away to get it. Ababa washes clothes and sells injera to take care of her and her family, but even so it is not enough. With a full sponsorship, Nardos will receive rice and grain for food and when she gets old enough she will begin nursery at BCI Academy. If you are interested in sponsoring tinnish (or small) Nardos, please visit www.blessingthechildren.org/donate to set up your donation.






 

Will you help Meheret Teka and her family?

Meheret Teka

Meheret is a grade 5 student at BCI Academy. She is partially sponsored. She is a full orphan as she lost both parents when she was living in another area outside of Debre Zeyit. Her relative guardian who was living in Debre Zeyit at the time of her loss took her in, but this relative, her adopted mom, has 4 children of her own. The siblings are in government school except for the youngest as he is only 2.

The Christian family once lived in a church compound and their church, Emmanuel, funded the place that they live in now. When we reached their home, I joked with Getu that you needed to be part mountain goat to get here. He laughed, because he and I both know the walk we walked today was not as bad as some treks these kids make every day. The view from the top of the hill is amazing, but if you don't watch your footing, you will keep rolling down the mountainside.

Front view at first firm foot setting outside their home

View of a church to the right of the home,
located on the top of another hill
 
View down the hillside to the left of the home
 

The area in which they live would be nice for raising livestock and chickens. The mom is asking for chickens to sell for more income as the family is needy. I'm asking not only for the chickens for the family but for a donkey as well so they are not forced to carry water by themselves alone. Carrying water the distance they need to gets heavy and can be dangerous if one were to slip and fall. The children share a small make shift bed maybe with a slice of foam in a small corner on the floor and it is hard for me to imagine how all the kids sleep on this small space. They would have to sleep on top of each other if not some of them on the floor, but even if a missionary were to buy or make a bed for them, the living area is so small it would not fit without the removal of some of the other furniture that they do have.

If you are interested in sponsoring Meheret so that she is fully sponsored and receiving full support from BCI, please visit www.blessingthechildren.org/donate.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Child tempted to quit school due to lack of money and food: will you help this family?

 
Alemayehu Abera is an 11 year old boy living with his 2 sisters named Emebet and Asegedech, 1 brother named Getahun, and his mom. He is currently not sponsored. He is a grade 4 student at BCI and he aspires to be a scientist.

Emebet Abera is 13 years old and is in the BCI program. She is a grade 7 student and she has a sponsor. Asegedech Abera is 15 years old and she is a grade 10 student enrolled in government school and is not in the BCI program. Getahun Abera is 14 years old and in grade 9. He is doing well in school, is not in the BCI program and he also attends a government school. He wants to be a doctor.


Alemnesh Degefa is their mom. She is 35 yrs old and she does not work because of her health. She has an eye and heart problem. Her husband passed away years ago after a construction accident as he fell from a pole and died.

They have no water access near their home. They have to travel distances to fetch it. Because the older girl fell and broke her arm trying to carry it herself, a missionary bought the family a donkey to help carry it. They have no income and the family waits on monthly donations.  Another missionary also purchased chickens for additional food and income, however, three of those chickens recently died. 


 
The above picture is part of the family's property.  The traditional hut you see serves as their barn for the donkey and chickens as hyena roam the area at night.  To the right of the hut is their very small garden which allows for some food but the weather can sometimes affect whether it grows.

Current needs aside from sponsorship include uniforms for Getahun as he does not have any uniforms for school. It is Ethiopian law that every student wear a uniform in school. It cost around 450 birr ($23 USD) for 2 uniforms for him.

They need prayers and action. The older kid is not wanting to go to school because they send him away without a uniform and his family does not have money for food. They only get 12 packets of rice monthly and when they are out, they are out. Alemnesh strongly asked that we encourage her children to continue school regardless of their current situation because she knows the power behind an education. 

This family is in desperate need of assistance. If you can sponsor Alemayehu, visit www.blessingthechildren.org/donate to set up your monthly donation.

Monday, November 3, 2014

Ginchi: a mission within a mission AND Zion's International Service: Story Sharing.

 
On Saturday we traveled to Ginchi, a new up and coming ministry site just a 3-4 hour drive from Debre Zeyit. We left the guest house close to 7am so as to reach the site mid-day. As we traveled through Addis, we stopped and met another Kingdom minded man named Amonyee (sp?), an Habesha who is friends with the Chinese, as they send him money for construction and selling of houses. He was an EMT when Pastor Tadesse was a chaplain at the Korean hospital there when Amonyee came into contact with some Chinese who asked him to supply their work. They found out he is a trustworthy man who walks his talk as a Christian, not stealing as others in the business might be tempted to do. That's how they met. I got to meet him and we explored his latest adventures in construction. We climbed "stairways to heaven" - four flights of concrete stairs and when at the top, I was able to get some neat photos and then we said goodbye for now to Amonyee after we prayed God's hand on his work.



Yard in front.

Side street view.

The building itself.

"Stairway to heaven" lol.

When we reached the Ginchi site, we had to walk a 5-10 minute walk from a part of the road where rocks made van travel difficult (not impossible as we went in the van on the way back - it was just curious to the driver in getting there). As soon as I walked through the gate I had the sense something was here for me. As we listened to the church staff share their project powerpoint presentation, giving us more of an eye for their vision and getting to explore their compound, I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of. (If you or your church want to see this presentation, please contact me via email. I'm sure these brothers and sisters will not mind my sharing if you are considering pitching in to help). I didn't say anything at the time because I hadn't prayed about it. Our own missionary go-for Eshetu is looking at being project manager (along with his girlfriend Ashley) in about 2 years.

Currently Ginchi is beginning a KG with the hopes of expanding to an elementary school with a youth center and health center. Right now they are working on funding and getting squared away with facilities: toilets with running water, a guest house so they can have a missionary program, classrooms painted and equipped with desks and chairs, etc. They are registered with the Ethiopian government to begin this work in Christ. They need a lot of work and the overall project will cost initially around $5,000 USD.
Ginchi Myung Song Church
Korean plant 5-9 years
(English:  "Voice of the Gospel")

Area kids on playground on compound.


Adana in red
BCI kid checking it out

Future Guest House
Teff and wheat field

Currently storage

Classrooms building
 
3 girls of the 30 KG students
 

3 boys of the 30 KG students


So, I'm wanting to make this a mission within a mission.

Upon approval, I'm wanting to take some of the older kids from BCI's program (the ones who have shared with me they want to help other orphans when they get older) to Ginchi on some weekend to help with some of the painting and setting up the rooms. There's no reason they have to wait until later to help when there is opportunity for them to do so now.  It gives them a chance to shine God's light. 

Saturday was a fun and safe day of travels, and I've been feeling so much better. Thanks for your prayers as I've been healing up from this nasty upper respiratory cold and cough. Now, about Sunday!


So glad for Sheila Lamb and the Bible through Felt materials her and her troupe brought with them.  The kids were very curious about the felt characters that confused some neighbor missionary's kids into thinking it was a painting at long distance.  We talked about how Jesus loves all children and how he blessed them.  The story in the teacher's book talked about kids getting healed from sitting on His lap, and by the end of the story, kids were amazing me asking for prayers for patience, help with studies, their own healing of sickness like Jesus did, and for help keeping Jesus first in every situation. 


 
 
That afternoon, I got the privilege of sharing my story at Zion Church's International service where several different nations were represented.  We also talked about God's provision as it's been an ongoing theme lately, and how we all need to learn the word "provided" because He is our provider and it's already done.  I really like what Pastor Tadesse said in conclusion of Kelkias' speech at Ginchi: "If the need is big, God is bigger.  If the need is bigger, God is biggest.  If the need is biggest, God is Almighty."  So true. 
 
I'll admit, I was a bit nervous stepping into it as this is the first time I've grabbed a mic in front of a church since before my Grandma and Dad died but at the end of it, I was encouraged that I'm a gobez (good job) speaker, that I'm brave, and that I blessed them through it.  Thanks so much to the Tiatia's for asking me to share!!