Christmas Eve pictures

Christmas Eve

Today is Christmas Eve...again!  The majority of the Christians in Ethiopia are Orthodox Christians which is why Christmas is celebrated on January 7th.  Ethiopia also follows its own calendar.  It is currently the year 2007 here.   Another thing to get used to is the difference in time.  What we would call 8:00 is 2:00 here.  Ethiopians consider the start of the day (7:00am) to be 1:00.

We started our day with our normal breakfast on the balcony in the bright, warm sun mixed with time of devotions and sharing.  The sun feels especially nice after the cool night in our unheated rooms!  Days are perfect here...sunny and 75 degrees.  At night the temperature drops to around 30 degrees.  Yes we are in Africa, but are at an altitude of around 7600 feet in Addis Ababa.  The altitude hasn't bothered us much...luckily we don't have to climb many stairs!

Our morning was spent with the children of Kids Care orphanage.  This is an extra special place as team members Alison and Kellie adopted children who once lived here!  We were given a warm reception by the children and were able to play games with them and love on them!  We are not able to post pictures of the children in orphanages so you will have to look at pictures of our team again.  Bummer!  Wish we could show you their sweet faces!  Thanks to the donations received before we left, we were able to donate 48 cans of formula for the babies living at Kids Care!  The staff was so thankful for this life giving gift!  Thank you!

In the afternoon we returned to the America World transition home to decorate for Christmas!  We brought a tree and lights and all the supplies needed for the children to make their own decorations and ornaments!  It was fun but got a bit crazy as you can imagine!

Here is the story of one of the children living at Kids Care:

Hi, my name is Belachew.  I am 16 years old, and I live at Kids Care orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  I have lived here 3 years now.  I grew up in an area outside Addis.  My mother died.  When I started having conflict with my father, I ran away to Addis and lived on the street.  Then some people came and asked us if anyone wanted to come live in the orphanage and get an education.  I was quick to raise my hand.  I love education, and I love soccer.  I plan to help children when I become successful.

I am the oldest child living in the orphanage full time.  There is a boy older than me who sleeps here at night.  He has a job, but he does not make enough money to support himself, so they are letting him stay here.

Then there is "William" (that's his new adopted name).  His parents are here in Addis now waiting on the adoption process to be completed.  They are from Washington in the U.S. and he will be their twelvth and youngest child.  He is 10.  He is my friend.  I am happy that he is getting adopted, but I will miss him when he moves to the United States.

Today is the day before Christmas.  So much happened today!  A group of people came in a van.  They had lots of formula to donate for the babies that live here.  There was a little boy with them-I heard he lived in this orphanage when he was a baby, and now he is adopted and lives in the United States.  The ladies started hugging and playing with the little kids right away.  They all looked so happy, and the little kids were all excited.  I just watched for a while.  They jumped rope and kicked soccer balls.  Then this lady came up to me and asked my name.  I couldn't really talk to her, but we tried to communicate.  She smiled a lot and worked hard to pronounce my name the right way.  She had a hard time getting it right!

The visitors went in to see the babies.  I think they liked them, because they stayed a long time in there, and even when they came out, they kept going back in over and over.  They especially seemed to like Nati, a boy with a really big head that can't walk and can't talk much.  He was sitting outisde in a walker. They gave him a maracca to shake. He was a little scared of them at first, but then he was smiling.

The lady who talked to me played basketball with me for a while.  We don't have a basketball hoop, and I like soccer better anyway, so I traded one of the little kids for a soccer ball and played with that instead.  

Then a whole bunch of high school students showed up.  They had come for a tour since it is Christmas Eve.  They had collected a lot of donations for the orphanage.  There was a big party, with bread and cookies and candy and popcorn and bananas and bottles of soda.  It was fun to watch the little kids trying to eat everything at once.  We don't usually get all those treats!  

Lots of happiness here today.  I will remember it for a long time.  And I will remember what that lady told me.  She said I am special.  She said she is happy I am not living on the street.  She said I should work hard and that I can succeed.  She said she would be praying for me.

Merry Christmas from Kids Care orphanage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Note: 

Belachew gave us permission to write his story. We were able to take his picture, but are not permitted to share it on the internet.  Visiting the children and babies was bittersweet; it was fun to play and smile and hug and see the joy it brought them. But, every now and then, we would start to think about the reality of their situation, and choke back tears.  

There are strict rules about which children are "adoptable."  The adoptable children will be referred to an adoption agency and matched with a waiting family.  The others will live in the orphanage until they turn 18. Typically at that point they are on their own.  Sometimes that doesn't work out so well - on Saturday we met Tarikwa, a young single mother who grew up in another local orphanage.  When she turned 18, she worked as a prostitute until she became pregnant.  Now she and her 16 month old daughter Bemenet live in a tiny one room home, with no furniture but a sleeping mat.  No windows, lots of dirt (water costs money, so it's difficult to keep things clean), a pile of belongings in the corner.  Tarikwa's dream is to get more education, so she can take care of herself and Bemenet. Right now she works as a day laborer.

So many stories.  It's overwhelming.  But we want to hear the stories and love the individuals.  They each matter.  Jesus told us that our Father knows when even a sparrow falls to the ground.  He knows Belachew and Nati and Tarikwa and Bemenet.  And He loves them.  Because of Him, we too can know them and love them.  We can touch them and hug them and tell their stories.  We can pray and give what we have. 

Compassion Photos

Day of Compassion

Recipe for pure joy:  10 Compassion sponsored children + their sponsors + an Ethiopian amusement park.  Add a heaping portion of love and mix well.  Sprinkle with hugs and smiles.

What a fun day!  We met the first sponsored young lady, Hiwot, at her Compassion project.  We heard the details of the work there from the project director.  He was so organized-numbers of children in the program, number that have attended university and vocational school, number that are self-supporting, etc.  I believe he said that 84% of the children from their first 20 years of this ministry are self-supporting!  We got to meet several of the graduates from the program, successful adults who came along for the day to translate for us.

Then, we headed to the amusement park to meet the rest of the sponsored children, several of whom had traveled a long distance from their homes to Addis to be part of this special day.  Excitement was running high as we each anticipated meeting the child (or children) with whom we have corresponded and for whom we have prayed.  What a special moment!  Lots of gasps and exclamations from the sponsors, smiles from the children.  Some were shy at first, of course.  So many firsts for them, and they were definitely the celebrities of the day.

Things just kept getting better and better-smiles and hugs and photos turned into riding a merry go round and a ferris wheel and giant swings, sliding down a big inflatable slide, and even playing arcade games.  I bet it felt like waking up in a fairy tale.  It was awesome to watch the joy on the faces and see the kids relax and have fun.

Simon and Fillmon, 2 brothers, got to play and maybe for a little while, stop worrying about their mother who is in the hospital with "blood cancer."

Kalkidan, a beautiful four year old, loved playing the princess role.  She was so animated and expressive.

Yosef had been waiting on a sponsor for almost a year.  He just found out last week that he has a sponsor, and then found out today that he was going to meet her!

Setena, a beautiful 16 year old girl is in university prep classes with dreams of becoming a doctor.  Today she was able to meet an American doctor who gave her advice and encouragement.

Habtamu was extremely shy until he saw a soccer ball.  He even gave his sponsor a couple of kisses by the end of the day.

We ate lunch together at the restaurant there, probably another big first.  We had pizza and burgers and drank soda-what kid wouldn't love that?  To top it off, there was a bag of gifts for each child: toys, candy, clothes, toothbrushes, school supplies.

This day will be long remembered by everyone who participated.  And the sponsors know for sure today that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world
Red, brown, yellow, black, and white
They are precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world

Sunday

We awoke to the sound of church bells Sunday. This was the Sunday before Christmas here in Ethiopia! We were able to join the International Evangelical church for worship. At the service we met Bridget Sullivan and her family of eight! We would be joining them for the remainder of the day.

After church, all 18 of us walked to a pizza place for lunch. Everyone enjoyed some yummy pizza.  The children especially were excited for familiar food:). At lunch we heard more of Bridget's story. She and her husband adopted a boy from Ethiopia through America World four years ago. A year later they adopted two older girls to make a total of 6 children in their family. A year and a half ago they decided to move their entire family to Addis to serve!  They opened and now operate a child care center for children 0-4 years old. The children who attend are often of single mothers. Many times single mothers are not able to work because they have no one to care for their children....often leading to many children to be left at orphanages. This center allows mothers or care givers to work and keeps families together!  

Following lunch we went to their child care center which was in need of some fresh paint. Our team and the family got to work and painted five rooms at the center. Everyone worked hard and even the kids helped out some!  

It is now Monday morning here. We are getting ready to meet our Compassion children this morning! 

On Saturday: by Leah, team member

"When we look at need in the world, when we see the statistics and see millions in need, it's easy to be overwhelmed. We can't stay in ignorance, we must know that it's millions-but we must see it as one: one homeless family off the streets, one orphan finding a home, one hungry mouth fed, one well in Africa dug, one victory at a time..."  from Barefoot Church by Brandon Hatmaker

Today we met our one.

Actually we met more, but here is one.  A one that is not forgotten. A one who matters to Jesus and now matters to us too. 

Britukan.  Her name means orange.  She welcomed us into her home. It was small-one room, but bigger than others we had been in.  She was expecting us and had out a tiny table with tiny cups, to share a coffee ceremony.  We talked and listened as she roasted raw coffee beans over a tiny coal oven.

Britukan raises 3 children.  Two are her niece and nephew. Their mother, her sister, tied 3 years ago of HIV/AIDS.  One is her biological son.  The girl is 9, and both boys are 8.  They are so happy to see us, and very happy to get the matchbox cars and baby dolls and coloring book with crayons.  Smiling, friendly kids.

Britukan roasts the beans and fans the smoke out of the windowless room and shares a little at a time, not starting at the beginning of her story but giving bits and pieces as we listen closely and try to understand.  She wishes she could bake injera (a traditional Ethiopian bread) to sell and help support her family, but she can't afford the equipment to bake it. She has been gathering the supplies little by little; she show us the big round bowls hanging on the wall behind the door.  Now she works as a day laborer instead.

She is a single mother.  Her husband did not want to keep her sister's children.  He wanted them sent to the orphanage.  She caught him trying to rape the girl.  She shows us the scar on her own forehead where he cut her.  And a few minutes later, she mentions that he had stabbed her in the side.  She has chronic pain there, and this limits her ability to do physical labor, thus her wish to make and sell injera.

The beans have turned from green to dark brown. The smell is wonderful.  She sends the beans outside to let our guide grind them with a mortar and pestle.  She has sent the children to buy bread to go with the coffee.  Four big white rolls sit ready on a platter.  She talks about the children and her desire that they get an education.  Especially Salam, the girl.  Britukan says she has good potential and does well in school, but she is afraid she will have to drop out and help support the family.

She tells us why the bed frame we are sitting on has no mattress.  Her husband took it and everything but the bed frame.  He has come twice and burned all the children's clothes was.  He did go to prison for 6 months for stabbing her, but he is out now, and she is still afraid of him. 

The ground coffee is placed in a traditional coffee pot and heated over the little oven.  We tell her that God has not forgotten her.  We tell her that he can make beauty out of ashes.  She puts sugar in the cups and pours coffee.  The coffee is wonderful, and it is shared with such kindness.  We are overcome.

There are hugs and tears as we say goodbye.  We have shared something almost sacred in that home.

And the God who has not forgotten Britukan gave her an oven to make injera today.

We Made It!

Man....we are one bunch of exhausted travelers! Our flight left Toronto Thursday morning at 11:30 am and arrived 13 hours later in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at 8:30 am Friday. Crazy right?!  Of course no one slept well on the plane because we left in the morning and were full of excitement!  

The airport was as expected in Addis...long, slow lines and then had to retrieve our 20 fifty pound each checked bags!!  How wonderful though that we were able to bring so many wonderful donations in those bags:). We were at the airport for over four hours after our flight arrived.  Part of the reason for this was due to lines and the other part because our driver wasn't there. We finally gave up waiting and called a cab.  Luckily the cab driver brought a friend to help get all our heavy bags on top of the minibus!

Our guesthouse in Addis is wonderful! The staff is incredible and the rooms are spacious. We were there briefly before heading in to town to buy a Christmas tree for the children at the transition home. We were able to stop by the transition home briefly to drop off the tree and meet some of the children! We then headed back to the guesthouse for dinner and bed. Our team was struggling to keeps their eyes open all day! At any point today in the van I could turn around and see several heads bobbing despite everyones best effort to stay awake and take in the sights:)

I will try to post some pictures tomorrow. Good night!