Trust in the Lord.

 

 

There are days when you just lay in the snow, stare at the blue-musky-cloudy sky above you, remember being blanketed by a clear sky of stars as you were nearing your sleep to the listen of tiny running baring feet in the street below the verandah you were laying on, in a country you love that is halfway across the planet from where you are now (you were soaking in these last moments knowing this day of coming back earlier than thought may soon come), and you breathe in, create joy in the moment you're in, permit yourself to laugh at yourself as you flap your arms and move your legs to make the silly snow vision-ed angel you're making now, and you are glad to have lived it.

Today is one of those days.

 

I don't know what is happening in life.

 

I smile at Him, though my heart breaks, curl myself up as I am completely stretched out on this cold earth, and I dare ask why my life is so hard. I'm reminded of Paul and his journeys and how he had to tear himself away.

 

My latest journal find during a trip to Wally was a God-thing. It was the only one on the shelf, it happens to be my color, and the cover is just timely in this season of transition.



 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; lean not on your own understanding."

- Proverbs 3:5

Transitioning: prayers, gratitude, and a fro.

Let there be laughter - among this VERY cold snow (5 inches of it and counting I've heard).  ;)  I took my braids out last night and ended up with my first fro ever!!  (It took me over an hour to take them out!) 

My sister says I'm just bringing back the 90s.  :)  80s?  Lol.

I appreciate your prayers as I continue adjusting to life back
in the States.  It matters. 

I really started missing my kids late last night (after bragging on myself not losing it at life group lol) and I grieved not being able to say goodbye to my kids at the school before I left.  They were on break the week prior and we just ran out of time doing everything else the following Monday.  By the time I was able to get to the school, they had already gone home.  It's hard not getting to say bye but perhaps getting to say bye would have been harder.  I did get to go on a home visit to one of my students during the break and when I brought up the truth of not being able to extend my visa, she started to cry. 

"Izosh," I told her (which means "be strong").

I miss them.  I miss doing handclaps with Habesha and Sudanese.  I miss their hugs and the high fives.  I miss nearly being pulled to the ground by our KG students as they were so welcoming and just wanted to give me a kiss on the cheek as I entered through the gate.  I miss watching children run to me as they saw me coming when I was on the street.  It really happened.  I'm so glad I was able to go and to fight for them, and the fight continues.  For those experiences, I am grateful. 

I love my family and friends who pray and put up with me as I go through these transitions in having more than one home.  Thanks for your love, your hugs, your patience and your attempts at understanding with me!         

Besufekad: autistic child left alone with young cousin while parents work.

Besufekad Yohannes

 

 

Besufekad is a sweet four year old boy who has been in the sponsorship program for half a year without sponsors. While he has not been diagnosed by a doctor, it is believed that he has some form of autism as he cannot speak nor can he eat by himself. There has been some improvement in his disability as he is starting to call out for his parents, but that is all he can manage to speak. He is currently living with his mom and his dad, as well as his one brother and his sister (who are older than he is). His parents are both daily laborers who work 12 hour days. Since the family is struggling to make ends meet, they leave the four year old child with his eight year old cousin (as neither are enrolled in school) to watch him while they work. Monthly rent is 300 birr, just around $15 USD.

When I visited the boy my last day in Ethiopia, he was running around wearing only a tee shirt. Clothes, food, and a mattress are the current immediate needs for this family as the children are sleeping on the floor. I would also suggest a daycare should he find a sponsor so that he is not left alone with an eight year old who should not be forced to watch him anyway. If another sponsor were found, while the cousin is not in the BCI program, we may be able to find a school to enroll him in should someone be willing to cover the monthly fee. For BCI Academy, that fee is about 380 birr, or just under $20 USD a month.

If you are interested in helping this family, and helping Besufekad to live a healthier, more stable life, please contact me for further information.

Why the men of God need to be the men God has called them to be.

Hiwot Semeneh

 

"How do I minister to this family?" were among my thoughts during this home visit. Hiwot and her family's story is a heartbreaking one. Hiwot is an 8 year old child living with her mom and younger sister Matogas. BCI only accepted Hiwot as a child eligible for sponsorship as the sister is being helped by another organization. Hiwot is a grade 2 student. She would attend BCI but separating the girls is troublesome for the mom as responsibility is placed on Hiwot to help with her little sister as her mom is sick with complications due to HIV quite frequently.

Hiwot's dad is alive but there is no communication there. Here's a part of their story. When the mom was 9 years old, her family tried to engage her in an arranged marriage. She was moved from that area to get away from that situation. She moved to Addis Ababa and when she was 16 year old, she was raped and this is how Hiwot was conceived.

Some time later she met a man who was interested in helping her and took her and the child in as his own. However when the relationship progressed and the dad found out about the second pregnancy, he left the family.

Hiwot has been in the program for one year without sponsorship. Her favorite subject is English Grammar while Spoken is her least favorite. If she were to travel, she would go to China but couldn't tell us why. Her favorite food is eggs. When she is not in school, she plays or she studies, that is if she is not caring for her mom.

Current immediate needs include your prayers, a school fee of 380 birr (close to $40 USD) for the sister to join school at BCI with her older sister, rent of 300 birr per month ($15 USD) and food. The mother was very upset upon the home visit as she had asked the father to pay for the school fee but he refused to pay it. If you are interested in helping this family, contact me for more information.

Bemenet Olana

Bemenet Olana lives with her mom and her siblings. Her father is not in the home as he is disabled. He lives in a government camp in Addis Ababa as he was a soldier. Bemenet sees her dad monthly or every 15 days. The mom was not at home the time of the visit as she was at work. Bemenet is 12 years old and attends a government school where she is in 6th grade. Her favorite subject is math and her least favorite is English. She wants to be an engineer in the future.

When she is not in school, she helps her family and she studies. In the summer, she will play with her friends and she studies for her next year of classes. She is very smart. She stays in Debre Zeyit when school is not in session. If she were to travel she would go to London. If she were to live there, she would miss Ethiopian holidays. When asked her favorite holiday, she replied Christmas, Easter and the New Year. Easter is her most favorite.

When asked to describe herself, she said she loves school, she loves her family and friends, and her social life is good. The social worker said she likes to help other people. For example, if an older person needs a seat in the taxi, she will move so they can sit down. When asked what she is good at she said she's good at dancing. She has no fear in travel to the moon or other places in outer space.

Bemenet has been in the program for a year and a half but still has not been chosen for sponsorship. There are 5-6 people in the family living in the home with about 30 people living in the compound. They do not own the home they are living in. Extended family are letting them live there for free. Currently, her immediate needs include a backpack, but the family also needs a place in which to live and income to be able to pay their rent. Money for travel to see her dad more frequently would come as a surprise I think. Her favorite things to do with her family are just being together, joking and talking with each other.

If you are interested in helping this family raise Bemenet, please contact me for more information.

Fanu and Asnakech Chuchu

Fanu and Asnakech Chuchu's story is a sad one. Their dad passed away and after the mom remarried, she married a man struggling with addiction who did not make the best decisions when it came to the girls. He did not want them around nor did he want them to attend school. The mom has them live with their grandma, Gudo, for this reason. The girls only see their mom 2 or 3 times in a year. The girls live with their grandma in a home free of rent as they are living in the house as a guard. They have lived in the current home for 3 months.

Fanu Chuchu is a 12 year old girl attending a government school in a rural area. She is a grade four student and studies hard to do well on her exams. She and her 11 year old sister, Asnakech live with their grandma. Fanu's favorite color is red and her favorite animal is the lion. If she were to describe herself she would say she likes helping others and she is more outgoing than her sister. If she were to travel anywhere in the world she would go to America because she likes it. She would miss her culture and her family if she were to go. Her favorite class is English while her least favorite subject is math.

Asnakech is 11 years old and also attending a government school. She is a grade 4 student whose favorite subject is math and her least favorite class is Oromiya. Her favorite color is yellow and her favorite animal is the cat. She would also go to America if she were able to travel anywhere in the world and she would also miss her family and the culture. When asked how she would describe herself she said she likes to play with her friends and she likes helping others. She is more quiet than her sister Fanu.

Both girls speak Oromifa, another language in Ethiopia. Currently BCI only teaches classes in Amharic which would make it harder for them. Perhaps after they learn Amharic they will transfer to BCI Academy. If the girls were to be sponsored, they would tell their sponsors thank you and tell them about Ethiopian culture talking about how they get together for coffee ceremonies. They enjoy playing soccer, going to church where they are members of the church's choir and Asnakech likes studying.

As for current needs, medically the family is doing fine although the grandma is aging and says she is tired. The girls need new clothes and shoes as well as perhaps another mattress as the three of them sleep on one bed together. Rent is also a problem as they are now living as a guard in an unfinished house for free. This is meant only to be a temporary place for them so in time they will need a new place. If you would like to help these girls, please contact me for more information.

Water damage and sickness: a widowed mother and her eight children need you.

Dinagde Tolosa is an eight year old boy living with his mom and seven other siblings. He is the youngest of the family. The father passed away some time ago. Their mom makes traditional alcohol for a living but the income from this is not enough to feed all of them. Dinagde's favorite color is yellow and he attends a government school where he is a grade 1 student. If he were to travel outside of Ethiopia, he would go to Germany but he couldn't tell us why. He was very shy when we went on the home visit. When asked if he would be scared to go to the moon, he said he would not.

When he is not in school he helps his mom by cleaning the house. When he is not doing that, he likes to play soccer with his friends. He also likes jumping. If he had a sponsor, he would tell them about how he likes school and studies. The family is an Orthodox family and when I spoke about Jesus and part of my story, how they find a friend in me as I too lost my dad 10 years ago and part of the reason I am in Ethiopia is to help other kids like me, pointing them to the Father, they were really quiet. I could tell we were reaching some sensitive areas as their own sadness from the reality of their own experience was creeping in on their faces.

The entire family shares one mattress, if you can imagine how hard that would be. The home is also is need of repairs as when it is rainy season, there are many leaks and water damage as the back wall of the house is not attached in places. I asked the mom if her kids were getting sick because of this and she said last time they did get sick with a cough. If we were to buy another mattress, it may not be of great help to the family as the space is limited.

What you see in the above photos are evidences of their need. These are two opposite corners of their bedroom area. The photo on the left is the wall next to where they have their bed. The photo on the right is of the corner across from their bed. At the time of the visit, one of her older children was laying down sick on the bed.

I want to help this family get the food they need and to repair the home so the children have less of a risk of becoming sick. However, I can't do this on my own so if you are interested in helping me help this needy family, please contact me for more information.

Edelawit Abreham: Future Singer or Scientist?

Edelawit Abreham

Edelawit is one of our funny children, very outspoken and honest with what is on her mind. She is 8 years old and a grade 4 student at BCI Academy. Her favorite color is yellow and her favorite animal is the dog. She likes to play soccer. She said she wants to be either a singer or a scientist when she grows up however when we talked about chemical combustion, science labs, and dissecting frogs, she asked "okay tell me what is a scientist?" She said she would not want to ever dissect frogs because they are dead and she does not want to kill anything, and while it could be scary to see chemicals react, she said she would take great care in practicing these things in her lab if she ever had a class like that.

She likes to play a game called "ikaka" in Ethiopia, a make-believe game where she is a housewife, pretending to be cooking and if she has a doll, the doll would become her child. If she were to ever travel, she would go to America because she likes it. She said she would miss her family and her school friends, but she would work there if she could and would learn. When asked if she would ever go to the moon, she answered she would be scared to. When asked to describe herself, she would say she goes to church, she is learning in school, and she helps her family at home by obeying them. She loves her family.

If she were to ever become a singer, she would sing fast songs not slow songs because she likes to jump and see others dance. Her aunt Tsege, whom she is living with, agreed she is telling the truth. If she ever wrote the songs she would sing, the lyrics would be about all things like God's mercy and God's love. After talking it out more, she said she would want to be a singer most. If she were president, she said she would tell people to worship God, to help others, and to help the poor to know God.

Upon our visit, her and her family seemed to be doing well compared to others but her needs right now are shoes and clothes. Her aunt took her in after her parents passed away when Edelawit was very young and to protect her, the aunt has chosen not to tell her that she is not her mom and raises her as though she were her own biological child. This is common in Ethiopia. I'm told when Edelawit is older, they will tell her the truth about her history. If you would like to help Edelawit, please contact me with more information.

Abreham Shimeles and Bereket Tamirat

Abreham Shimeles and Bereket Tamirat

Abreham is seven years old and attending BCI where he is a KG 2 student. He is currently enjoying his week long break from school playing soccer with his friends. His favorite color is yellow and his favorite animal is the cat but he said he likes kittens best. When he grows up, he wants to be a pilot. His favorite holiday is Epiphany although he couldn't give us a reason why. During the summer he helps his grandma planting flowers in their garden. He lives with her and his brother, Bereket Tamirat, who is 13 years old and in grade 7 also at BCI. When their mom got pregnant out of wedlock, the two fathers denied they were his. The mom was not present at the time of our visit due to travel to Addis Ababa for treatment on her back. The grandma is a retired housewife and the family is living off the grandfather's military pension. She watches her third grandson for the mom by the day. Bereket says when he is older he wants to be an engineer. He wants to visit Italy because 111 years ago the Italians tried to help colonize Ethiopia and he wants to meet them and know their story. If he were to move there, he would miss his country and his family. Were his family to move with him, he would miss the holidays, mainly his favorite holiday which is their New Year celebrated on September 11th. After school, like any other child he likes to play. The family is an Orthodox family. Their current needs are food and a mattress and blanket so they are no longer sleeping on their floor. The boys also need new clothes and shoes. If you would like to help this family, please contact me for further information.

Update on Natnael Melaku and his brothers Yosef and Eyoatam (Booti) Getachew

I met this family on my first trip to Debre Zeyit. Nati, Yosef, and Booti seem to be doing well. The boys are fully sponsored except Nati who is in need of a full sponsorship as of late. Current immediate needs include food and a new mattress with sheets and a blanket as what they have now is worn out. The boys are sleeping on the floor because the bunk beds they had broke. The mom is also in need of better medical treatment for her spine in Addis Ababa. She has a slipped disc that doctors here have tried working on but she remains in quite a bit of pain and is usually in bed a lot because of it. Estimates on the cost for their needs is in review. Here's an update on the boys based on responses from an interview when we went on a home visit.


Natnael (Nati) Melaku
 

Natnael or Nati for short, is a growing teenage boy whose future endeavors include being a professional or Olympic swimmer or soccer player. His favorite subjects in school are physics and math while chemistry is his least favorite. His favorite holiday is Easter with the reason being it is the resurrection of Jesus Christ who gives him new life. If he were to ever move to another country with America and Canada excluded he says he would go to England. He would miss his family if this ever happened but if his family were to go with him, he says he would miss Kevin (another missionary and sponsor) as well as Easter. A normal week for him looks like school and studies with a little playing. On the weekends, he will do chores to help his family and sometimes he goes to church. He lives close to the family's live in restaurant (injera business) with his brother and his uncle. His uncle stays busy doing construction work but it's not enough to take care of him. When asked to describe himself, he said he likes to swim. When we talked more about his plans for his future, he understands that finishing school is important. He says opportunities for becoming a soccer player are more open living in Ethiopia than opportunities for becoming a pro swimmer, but he is also ready to face the challenge after we encouraged him to chase his dreams even if it is hard to achieve. On school breaks, he likes to go swimming in a lake near the airforce base but this is more for recreational purposes than for training as it is not made for that. When he goes to university, he would like to study physics. When asked something he doesn't like about himself, he said he doesn't like his response after or when someone else insults him. Nati is a sweet boy with a bright future so long as he works hard to reach what he strives for.


Yosef (Yose) Getachew

Yosef also known as Yose is a 16 year old orphan living with his grandma who works very hard to provide for his needs. When he grows up he wants to be a professional soccer player. He attends Joshua Academy in Debre Zeyit. His favorite subject in school is chemistry and he's not a fan of geography. If he were to move to another country with America and Canada excluded he would go to Spain so he can meet the famous soccer players there. If this were to happen he would miss his favorite holiday, Gena or Christmas. When he is not in school he is studying or playing, and doing chores on the weekends. When asked to describe himself, he said he would tell the person his name, that he is 16, and he likes to play socccer. If he could tell his sponsors anything he would say hello and thanks for what they are doing for him.


Eyoatam (Booti) Gedion
 

Eyoatam nicknamed Booti is about to turn 8 years old next week and is a grade 2 student. He says when he grows up he wants to be a doctor, and when we asked what kind of doctor he said internal medicine. His favorite subject right now is math while Amharic is his least favorite. He currently lives with his grandma who struggles trying to take care of him. When Bootie was young, his father passed away and his mom left him after a break down, but has now returned to the family. When he is not in school, he is studying or playing with his neighbor friends. He likes to play Hide and Seek with them, or they make their own games rolling a tire down the street. He enjoys reading science books which is what he said makes him unique. If he were to describe himself to someone else, he would say he is shy. His favorite holiday is Meskel otherwise known as Cross Day. His favorite food is pasta. If he were to ever move to another country with America and Canada excluded, he said he would go to Japan. When we asked him what he would miss about Ethiopia if he moved to Japan, he said he had no interest in leaving Ethiopia but said Japan to answer our question. If he were to speak with his sponsor he would say hi and would ask for a soccer ball.