Ordinary Hero - Arriving in ET

Some people just have a way with words.  I am not one of them.  I haven't written about my trip, because I am having trouble finding the appropriate words to express just how wonderful my trip was.  I just loved it, which kinda sounds weird when you are talking about a missions trip focused on children in extreme poverty.  The children both tear at your soul and bring you great joy.   It's really a holy experience.  One that words could never do justice...

With that, I will at least chronicle my journey for my memory purposes :)

  

My "buddy", Amy, and I eagerly waiting to board ET airlines.  Both of us have adopted children from Ethiopia, so the country and people have a special place in our heart. 

  

Ahhhhh!!! After a long flight, we finally arrive in Addis around 8 am.  It is their rainy season, and the temperature is just perfect, especially since it has been a scorcher at home.  I'm beyond excited to be back in Ethiopia.  

   

  

Here we are waiting for some of our 3,000+ lbs. of donations.  The airport officials thought we had brought much of the stuff into the country to sell, so they held us up for some 5 hours while they searched, researched and re-researched our donation luggage.  It was frustrating, and I really feel like it was spiritual warfare.  The devil wants the children to suffer and remain hopeless, and we were bringing a message of love and hope - all in the name of Jesus.

  

There were 28 people on our team from all over the country, and I must say, everyone was great!  Because of our size, we had 3 vans.  We finally got all of our donations, and they were loaded on top with the rest of our luggage.

     

We turn off the main road to get to our home for the next 7 days.  Most of the roads in the city seem to be like this.  The main road is paved, and all side roads are dirt.  They all seem to look like alleys, because there are gates around everything.  You never know what is behind the gate.

  We arrive at the Ethiopian Guest House.  EGH was started by an adoptive family that wanted to do more, so they started opening up guest houses as non-profits.  They cater to mission groups and adopting families, and the proceeds go back into orphanages and other related programs.  

  

Each day outside our gates, we were met by a group of local children.  When we'd leave in the morning, they would be there to hang out with us, and when we got home in the evening, they would be waiting for us.  They just wanted to hang out.  Sometimes, we'd bring them into our little compound and give them something that they needed.  This little boy needed some shoes.  He was thrilled with his new rain boots we found for him.

  

These 3 boys stayed with us most of the week.  They live at Korah (local trash dump), and each have a sponsor that was on the trip.  It was fun to watch them experience new things and develop a life long bond with their sponsor.  I can tell you firsthand that sponsoring a child CHANGES their world.  These boys lives are forever changed because 3 families stepped up and said yes to sponsorship.  To learn more about sponsoring a child in Korah, you can visit the Project 61 website.

They are so proud of their new clothes.

 TO BE CONTINUED...

"He has to have a name!"

    

After playing with the older children in the courtyard, and after holding the toddlers, we head into a TINY but bright room where the infants are.  There are about 6 of them in this tiny little room.  The nannies due to best they can, but really do they ever go outside this room?  How much are they held and talked to?  We're taking turns holding the babies, talking to them, and reading their bio note (if they have one) when my friend asks, "What is his name?"  He's a tiny cute little thing about a month old.  He's baby "d".  He doesn't have a name, the nanny replies.  We explain through a language barrier that we know that his name is blank on his bio note, but we still want to know what his name is.  She still replies that he doesn't have a name.

Not only had this child been left at a church at birth, but he still, even at a month old, didn't have a name.  Why didn't he have name?  A lot of children + a few nannies who are underpaid + high turnover nannies + an orphanage with no money = a child in the corner with no name.  

Well, this just wasn't going to do.  My friend, LeaAnne, said that he has to have a name.  So, there in that tiny little yellow room, we throw out some names.  When we came to Elijah, which means God's grace, LeaAnne said that's it.  So, we find a pen, and she wrote it on his bio.  So, just like that he went from baby "d" to Elijah and had someone standing with him in his corner.

When we met Elijah, we knew that something wasn't quite right.  His head was a little too big for his cute little body.  Again, my friend, LeaAnne stood with him in his corner and advocated for him to go to the doctor.  She advocated the next day.  She advocated the next day.  She advocated the next day.  She advocated the next day.  

We returned to that orphanage before we left, and again she advocated for little Elijah to go to the doctor.  When we got home, she continued advocating for him to go to the doctor.

Yesterday's text...The doctor doesn't give him more than a month or two to live unless he has brain surgery.  Please please pray!

It's heartbreaking news!  But we serve a mighty God, and he hears our prayers.  So, please join us as we lift up our prayers for little Elijah - for medical miracles - for financial miracles.