We're Growing!!

I have just returned home from my trip to Ethiopia.  I got to spend a day at Kebron and hang out with the kids.  They are beyond amazing!!  


I am also happy to say that there will be four additional children who will soon be joining the others at Kebron.  They range in age from 12 to 17.  I am hoping to have their profile information very soon.  I am also excited to say that I already have one of the children sponsored!  I will be looking for three additional sponsors as well as one other for a child who is already there.  If you are interested in sponsoring one of these great kids, please let me know.  I can tell you firsthand what a difference your sponsor money is making in the lives of these kids.  Your sponsorship IS changing lives!!

Last Full Day in Ethiopia......

Hard to believe we have spent our last day with the kids.  The week has gone so fast and yet it feels like we have been here forever.  We got to go to Trees of Glory and spend time with the kids and let them enjoy a huge feast.  This included three goats that were slaughtered this morning.  The kids loved the meal!  We were even able to share some food with some of the kids family members.  They came and hovered on the edge of the property watching closely.  We were then able to motion them over and give them a much needed meal.  

Afterward, we played on the playground with their new equipment, a slide and merry go round.  Of course a soccer ball was soon brought out and a very competitive game between the Ethiopians and the Americans was played.  Needless to say, the very talented Ethiopians were victorious.  We did give them a run for it though!

Soon it was time to make our final goodbyes.  The founder and director of Trees of Glory thanked us and prayed a blessing over us.  So much emotion.  I hope to see them again one day.

Sunrise over Addis

Women carrying loads of wood down the mountain.

Ethiopian countryside

This little one just got new pants and shoes!  Look at that smile!!

Making injera

Cooking the goats that were slaughtered.

Our potty....the toilet was brought in just for us.

Enjoying their feast!

Lunch with the kids.

They LOVE having their pictures taken!

Thursday - Fistula Hospita

Our busy days continued today.  We got to visit Fistula Hospital in Addis.  This is a hospital for women who developed a fistula during delivery.  Often the villages that women come from think this is a result of a curse on the family and the women are considered outcasts.  They often live with shame for many years over this.  Some travel great distances to finally seek help from the hospital.  No woman is ever turned away for treatment.  We were unable to take any photographs there to protect the privacy of the patients.  The facilities were very nice and the grounds were beautiful.  One of the ways they help the women is to teach them a craft so they can use this as a trade to help them earn an income once they are out of the hospital.  They sell them at the hospital too and part of the money goes to the patient and part to the hospital.  We just about cleared out all the inventory they had!

We had lunch at a wonderful Italian restaurant and then coffee/machiatos at an outdoor cafe.  Being the birthplace of coffee, nothing beats Ethiopian coffee!!

We finished the afternoon off by spending it at the America World transition home.  I have to say it was hard to keep from taking another 2 or 3 home!

Dinner tonight was at Zebra Grill, a restaurant we were able to eat at when we were here for our adoption.  Food was good but service was slow....Ethiopian time.

Our group of ladies who spent the day together.  This has been an incredible mission team to be with.

Outdoor cafe and machiato........mmmmmmmmm!!!!

Wednesday - Trees of Glory

We got to venture out of the city today to Trees of Glory care point.  This is about 2 hours north of Addis on a very curvy mountain road.  As we began to ascend the mountain, the city slowly fell away to rolling countryside.  It was beautiful.  I felt like we were able to take in the beauty of Ethiopia.  This area is also mostly farmers and farmland.  We passed countless herds of cattle and sheep along the way.  Interestingly, we also passed several groups of runners in training.  Our guide told us that people come from many places to train here.  He also said that many of these runners we were passing were gold medal winners.  Wow!!

We arrived at Trees of Glory and got to see the kids.  They were all in their classrooms.  The kindergarten class had a little boy holding a stick that was at least twice his size up to point at the letters on the board of the Amharic language.  Our guide said there are over 200 letters in the Amharic alphabet.  That's a lot of letters!

We got to take a tour of the property.  It was previously a compound for a Japanese construction crew that had been abandoned.  There are several buildings that they are working on to be updated.  

Once again I was honored to be loving on these children and sharing Jesus' love for them.

Some children by the fruit stand.  The children here are fascinated by cameras and love to have their pictures taken.  They like to pose and then run to see what the photo looks like on the back of the  camera.

A fruit market we stopped at to buy some fruit fot he kids.  We were able to buy over 100 bananas and oranges for $20.

A herd of cattle we stopped to look at along the road.  There aren't any fences.  The shepherds just walk along the road with their herds.

One of the incredible views of the Ethiopian countryside.

This little guy is helping teach his class the Amharic letters of the alphabet.

True beauty of Ethiopia........

Shepherd boys who were very interested in what we were doing.  Loved having their photos taken!

Some of the buildings and land of Trees of Glory.

Tuesday - Kebron

Today I went to Kebron.  It was even better than I had hoped.  The kids were just amazing in so many ways.  They are going to a private school in the community and doing well.  They were even able to communicate with me a little in English.  They were so happy having us visit.

I think I went in unprepared for the emotions of it.  I felt like I already knew these kids because of looking at the photos and personal information.  I also felt an attachment to them because of knowing the sponsors and thinking about them with their child.  I was overwhelmed with knowing that we WERE making a difference in their lives.  To see their face light up at getting a care package of pencils, cards, jewelry or candy was worth everything.  I was blessed.

Traveling to Kebron.  A glimpse of the crazy Ethiopian traffic!  Lanes are optional....

Women carrying their water home in large jugs.

Our shoe donations.  The kids loved them!

Working on the tote bag craft we brought.  They really worked hard.

Tote bag craft.

One of the final products.....amazing!!

The kids classroom for teaching and homework.  

One of the boys dorm rooms.  Note the new ball that wouldn't be set down!

The "kitchen" with the injera (Ethiopian bread) maker.  The lid and flat surface are made from mud.  The opening at the bottom is where you put the fuel to burn.  The concrete piece with the hole in it behind is the chimney opening.  The smoke travels up and out a hole in the roof.

The boys playing with their new playground balls and soccer balls.

A few of the boys at Kebron with some of their buddies!

Traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony.   It is always served with popcorn (in the green bowl).

Hana getting her cross necklace from her sponsor family.....beautiful!!

My sponsor child with his new Cincinnati hat!  What a great smile!!

The tote bag finished product!

The boys hanging up their new prized artwork.  Thanks Wilson kids!

The kids and staff at Kebron.  Amazing people!!

One of many boys selling honeycomb by the side of the road.

Beautiful African sunset..........

We had dinner at a traditional Ethiopian restaurant.  Our feast of native foods.....delicious.  I chose to not try the dish made of raw beef.

Some of the traditional dances.

The Start of our Week.....

Today was our first full day in Ethiopia and yet it seems like I have been gone a long time.  Must be the 5 hours of sleep I've had in the last 3 days!

Ethiopia is truly an amazing country.  I have no doubt this is where I am supposed to be serving.

Here is a quick update with photos so far.........

 Rome, Italy from the air.  We made a stop to clean the plane and refuel but weren't allowed off.  Boo!  It looked beautiful from the plane though.  We also had a guy cleaning the plane who looked a bit like a young Fabio!  HAHA

 These are the beautiful children who were awaiting us at the Kind Hearts care point.  There were around 100 kids.  They were all standing in lines singing with the teacher when we pulled up.  The drive was separated by a row of hedges but the kids were trying desperately to peek under to see us.  So cute!!  We unloaded and went to watch them.  They sang a song just for us with hand motions.  When they were finished they came running!!!  They couldn't get to each of us fast enough.....hanging on our legs and waists, desperately hugging us and waiting to kiss us on the cheek (an Ethiopian custom when greeting).

Some of my sweet new friends "greeting" me!!

Since there were so many children, we divided them into groups and set up stations for them to go through.  One station was making necklaces and bracelets with pony beads, one was decorating tote bags for each of them to keep (this is where I helped), one was taking individual photos of them and making popsicle frames and the last was playing soccer, football and frisbee.  They had a blast!

 Lunch was served to the children.  They enjoyed "spicy rice"!  Of course, most all food in Ethiopia is spicy, even the spaghetti we had last night!  Right now the kids are able to get one hot meal a day so you can see, they got a heaping plate of rice that they all gobbled up!

We are doing a special feast with the kids and families tomorrow.  We are having 4 goats, fruits and vegetables.  I have to say that I have never experienced picking out a goat for dinner!  Guess it's our equivalent of picking out a lobster from the tank.  These two goats were being hauled out toward the van and put the brakes on.  They then roped their feet and put them on top of our van to transport back to the care point.  Tomorrow morning they will be slaughtered and cooked for lunch.  I love my steak and burgers but I sure didn't like watching these two knowing what was coming!  Unfortunately I won't be able to experience the prep, and yes I would have watched just because I have never seen anything like this before, because I am heading to Kebron.

 The goats were loaded on the roof of the van and tied down.  We heard the hooves against the roof all the way back to the care point.  Okay, that was a little disturbing!!

Tomorrow I am off to see the kids at Kebron.  I have three suitcases loaded up with shoes, care packages, games, food and school supplies!  Oh, I can't wait to see them and hug them tight!!  For those of you who sponsor a child, I will be getting photos and videos to you soon.  Please pray for our group.  We already have a few who are having stomach issues.....no fun.

Hi Wilson kids..... Mrs. Crowe's class, Mrs. Armstrong's class and all of 6th grade!!

We are here!

After over 28 hours of travel time, we made it in last night to Ethiopia. Travel went smoothly except for a group that almost missed their connecting flight. They made it on the plane but their luggage did not. Hoping it comes in today.

For those of you who have been to Ethiopia, you will understand when I say that sleep was not easy between the dogs barking, roosters crowing and prayer chants! Tonight I find ear plugs!

Today we start out at our first care point, Kind Hearts. There are approximately 100 children there. This will be our largest care point that we visit. I can't wait to see the kids! We will be doing crafts and games with them today. I hope to have photos to share tonight.

Please pray for health and safety for our team and that we can make a real connection with the kids.

We've arrived!

After 28 hours of travel time, we have finally made it to Ethiopia!!
For those of you who have been here before, you'll understand when I
say that I am typing my update at 2:00 am with a delightful chorus of
barking dogs in the background!

Travel was smooth except for part of our group who barely made the
Ethiopian flight and unfortunately found out their bags didn't!

Time for some sleep and off to our first care point tomorrow morning!

Sent from my iPhone

There's Still Time

I can't believe how quickly the time for travel is coming.  In just one week, I will be leaving for Ethiopia!


I am excited to share that we have more kids sponsored!!  We still have a few kids available who are in need of a sponsor.  Do you feel led to be the one to step up and make a difference in the life of one of these children?  There is still time to get a care package to me before I leave.  I would be honored to hand deliver your personal care package to your sponsored child.  Please let me know if you are interested in sponsoring a child and getting a care package to me to deliver for you.  It's not too late!!

AYECHWE

Ayechwe was born in 1998.  Both of his parents are deceased.  He has 5 siblings.  

Update: Ayechwe now has a sponsor family!!

MEDINA

Medina was born in 1994.  She has one sibling.  Both of Medina's parents are deceased.

Update: Medina now has a sponsor!!!

YOHANES

Yohanes was born in 1996.  He has 1 sibling.  Both of Yohanes' parents are deceased.

Yohanes now has a sponsor family!!!

EYOB LEGESE

Eyob was born in 1998.  Both of his parents are deceased.

Eyob now has a sponsor family!!!

EYOB TELAHUN

Eyob was born in 1994.  Both of his parents are deceased.

Update: Eyob now has a sponsor family!!!!

TAMERAT 

Tamerat was born in 1997.  Both of his parents are deceased.

AMIRE

Amire was born in 1998.  Both of his parents are deceased.  He also has some eyesight problems.

Update: Amire now has a sponsor family!!!!

DAGEMAWI

Dagemawi was born in 1998.  He has 3 siblings.  Both of Dagemawi's parents are deceased.

Update: Dagemawi now has a sponsor family!!!!