Ethiopia 2015 - looking back

Well, we've been home for a few days. It's always a challenge getting adjusted, and this year is no exception. It's my prayer for our team that they would carry the spirit of our time in Ethiopia into their daily lives, and find ways to serve him and others like never before.

Speaking of our team...what a group!

Every single member of this team was amazing. During the time leading up to the trip, we went through a book to help us prepare. It talked about things like teamwork, flexibility, unselfishness, love for the group, being submitted to God's will and many more. I've got to say, these friends of mine got it. Everything they did was about God's glory, loving the children, respecting the culture, and loving each other. It was a joy to work with them. Here they are, in action:

Danny

Trisha

Clark

Kendra

Caroline

Scott

Sarah

Rachel

And then, there was our team member who supported us in prayer all week. Steve really wanted to be with us but circumstances prevented him boarding the plane. But through prayer and encouragement, he was with us all the way:

Steve, 2013

And so we are home. There is still work to do. There are our families and friends who need to see Christ in us every day. There are people in need right here in our hometowns. There are things we can do to support the work in Ethiopia from afar. And then, God willing, there is the opportunity to go back.

Whatever we do, I pray that for each team member, God will use the experience to bring them closer to him, so their lives can be an expression of his glory every day.

Ethiopia 2015 - Wednesday

Today was another awesome day in Addis Ababa. It had everything we've come to expect: time playing with the children, opportunities to talk about Jesus, meeting some needs by bringing needed materials. And serving lunch to But more than anything else, it has been fun watching our team pour out their hearts to children. Here are a few shots of that...

Hard to really see from pictures - but an amazing day!

We also got to spend some time with the local workers from Out of the Ashes. These dedicated men and women spend their lives year round making sure that the children have their physical needs met while hearing about the One who loves them more than they can imagine. It was an honor for us to get to know them better.

This is a special place. We love being here. Another great day in store tomorrow. We appreciate your prayers.

After

Well, we've been home for a little over a week, and the memories of the children of Ethiopia are still fresh. Trips like this are bittersweet. For just a few days, you're immersed in the glow of obeying Jesus' call to go. Loving children, working side-by-side with friends old and new, sharing God's love, and supporting those who are "on the ground" year round.

But what happens when you come home? Well, there are several responses. I think it changes the way we view our own culture. It highlights the need to look out for the poor and oppressed at home, not just on the other side of the world. It can lead you to consider going for longer periods, or at least going back repeatedly to make a difference.

So many responses.

One of those responses is to share what God is doing with your friends, in hopes that some of them may be led to get involved.

That's what this post is about.

During our time in Ethiopia, we worked with four different ministries and then a local feeding program for the homeless of Addis Ababa. Three of those need support for what they are doing, and I am not ashamed to ask you, my friends, to consider that. These are not orphanages, but programs that are aggressively working at orphan prevention. It's a wonderful thing to reach out to orphans, and I think it's at least as wonderful to work to keep it from happening in the first place.

Embracing Hope (EH) is all about finding single parent families in the community surrounding the city trash dump, and helping the parent (usually the mother) find a way to work while EH takes care of the children and provides nourishment and education. They could tell you story after story of families who have been changed. They need sponsorships to fund and grow the ministry. To learn more, visit their website here.

Out of the Ashes (OA) is making a difference in one of the most poverty stricken areas of Africa. So many children in this community have spent their childhood trying to find food for their families in the trash dump. OA has done interviews and found families that would benefit the most from sponsorships to get the children out of that environment, into school (often way from the city), and prepared to break the cycle. Currently, they have about 45 children in need of sponsorships for the 2014-15 school year. Learn more at their website here.

And No Ordinary Love (NOL) is another orphan prevention ministry. At any given time, there are about 20 children living at the facility temporarily. These children have been taken from their families and exploited, and NOL is about rescuing them and returning them to their families. Their budget is definitely in need of more support. They have a very extensive website, and I encourage you to explore it. The home page is here.

One week. A drop in the bucket. But it can be more than that if it leads to action. I am committed to going back and staying involved. And I also want to help other believers know how they can help. Here it is. May God bless you in serving him, whether through one of these opportunities or others he has called you too.

I just had to share.

Ethiopia 2014 - thank you

Four ministries in five days. Games. Music. Crafts. Sports. Hugs. Laughter. Tears. Sharing God's word. It has been an amazing week.

Tomorrow is a getaway day, so our work here is done for the most part. And so I want to take the opportunity to thank some awesome people for heeding God's call to Go.Be.Love this week. I have loved every minute of serving side-by-side with them.

Thank you, Clark, for your sharing your heart for reaching the nations with the gospel and choosing to focus that passion on these children in Ethiopia. You are an encouragement to me and someone who keeps me I the right path because you know me so well. And it was a joy to watch you use your language skills to bring the gospel into conversations.

Thank you, Trisha, for coming back with us a second time, and taking a leadership role on a critical aspect of the trip - activities for the kids. I don't know how we could have done that without you. And you did it all with a heart of love. And thank you for bringing...

Danny; I appreciated your servant heart and ability to take charge when something was needed. Whether it was blowing up soccer balls, playing with the kids who love sports, hauling food to feed kids, or changing a tire, you were right there. And you were a servant not only to our group but the children.

Chasya, I am so thankful that God led you to our team. You had no previous connection so I know the Lord's hand was in every aspect of that decision. I don't know what it was, but children just flocked to you. It was hard to even get a good picture there were so many around. God blessed the kids of Ethiopia through you - count on it.

And all of you: You really loved each other well. Jesus prayed for the world to see the truth by watching his people love each other, and that prayer was answered in this team. You just can't fake that. Because we grew together this week, God was glorified 24/7.

I will miss you all. But more than that, I am excited that The Lord brought us together for a special purpose. Well done, friends.

Day 4 - Happy

How are these days going by so fast? We come to the close of another day here in Addis Ababa and I can't believe that we'll be gone in less that 48 hours. The rest of the team is off to bed (surprise - I'm a night owl, ha!) and I'm sitting here reflecting on the wonderful things God is accomplishing.

I guess the big thing today is that it was the second of two full days with a ministry that is new to Visiting Orphans. Mercy Ministries Happy Children's Home is a place that provides an opportunity for children in its neighborhood with the greatest need - often single parent families where there is significant risk of them being orphaned. They give the children a year of preparation for school, and then after that they come back each year when school is out for a summer program. It was the summer program kids that we were spending time with.

I can't describe how it was to be with these 50 or so children. So I'm not going try, I'm just going to let the pictures (along with the ones in yesterday's blog post) speak for themselves:

Tomorrow we will spend the morning with No Ordinary Love, and then wrap up the week back at Korah to help feed the kids there a sheep/goat meal. Today we picked up the sheep and tok them to the site, and that was an interesting hour!

This amazing group of five individuals is really proving to be what Jesus had in mind for his church when he prayed in John 17:23. More on that later. For now, just suffice it to say that going out tonight with these brothers and sisters for some tractional Ethiopian food and culture was so much fun. Come to think of it, working with them has been so much fun.

On to the final full day...

Days 2 and 3 - being love

As our time in Ethiopia moves along way too rapidly (I can't believe it's already Thursday morning), we have been so blessed to see God working. The time Tuesday with kids from Embracing Hope and Out of the Ashes gave us opportunities to show love to children for a second time. Also, we had two more home visits, which are some of my favorite times here.

Then yesterday (Wednesday) we got to visit with the children of Mercy Ministries Happy Children's Home. This is the first time Visiting Orphans has sent a team there and so we didn't know quite what to expect. What we found was what we find everywhere - children whom God loves. We played, laughed, sang, and shared the gospel through Bible stories. I can't wait to go back there today.

There's no way to communicate how God is using this time in words. We just wanted to give you a glimpse...and ask for your prayers as we move through the rest of the week.

Thursday...let's do this.

Day 1 - The right way

How do you break the cycle of hopelessness?

Today our Visiting Orphans team arose full of energy, fresh off a jet-lag-fighting long night's sleep, and ready to tackle a full day. We headed to the community of Korah to spend time with two different ministries.

The morning was spent with Embracing Hope (EH), and in the afternoon we were with Out of the Ashes (OA). There are so many people out there who are addressing the hopelessness created by the cycle of poverty, and more and more we see organizations doing it the right way. These are definitely two of them.

How? Well, briefly, EH works with single-parent families (usually mothers) to help the family move beyond the point where their only concern is survival. By providing day care, school, food, and some basic medical care for the children, they can free the parent to make a living and give the family a future. And OA - whose name is based on Psalm 113:7 - works with children who have been mired in the same cycle of hopelessness to provide education and the knowledge that they are loved by people all over the world. In both cases, they are helping those who need it most not by creating more dependency, but creating a process where dignity is a priority and the benefits can be replicated - all while sharing the love of Jesus.

It is our privilege to be a small part of the process for a very short time. And we were blessed to be with the children today. So....

We played.

We laughed.

We loved.

You can't ask for a better day than that.

Gearing up...Day Zero

Day Zero In Ethiopia and already it's a good trip. No, we did not get much sleep on the plane and yes, it's been a long day. It's important to stay up after a flight like that so you can sleep through the night; somehow we did it.

So, on this day of preparation and fighting through jet lag, there were several highlights:

I got to spend the day with some awesome people and servants of Christ. I can tell already that I will be sad for this week to end.

We made an unscheduled appearance at an international church and worshipped with hundreds of other brothers and sisters in the Lord. Yes, at times it was a struggle to stay alert, but well worth the trip, as we heard a great message from Embracing Hope director Jerry Shannon about what to do when you get more than you can handle. I'm sure we'll be applying that at some point this week.

And we got to spend the day with the staff of Holy Savior Guest House. It is going to be fun working with them all week.

Well, it's on to the children tomorrow morning. Please pray for their hearts to feel the love of Jesus as we are with them. Please pray for the tireless servants of Christ who are with them 24/7/365, before and after we're here. And pray for our team: Danny, Trisha, Clark, and Chasya. Pray that we will follow the Holy Spirit's leading every step of the way.

Off to bed...big day tomorrow. Can't wait!