Saturday, June 27, 2009

Two Boys - Two Lives





Our team had a great full day which is pretty typical of most Visiting Orphans mission trips. We started at our America World Transitional Home. There were so many children and so many babies and each one of them were so wonderful. It warmed our heart so much to know that each child there had already been referred a family...until I found out - all but one child. This child, a boy about seven years old, has been on our Waiting Child List for a number of months and it doesn't make sense to me. He's smart, well behaved and very artistic. When all the children sang, "This is the Day, this is the day that the Lord has made..." he smiled the most and sang the loudest. I have to admit I was a little angry to realize that this one child, had been waiting in our transitional home for a family, while others who were younger or had siblings were being adopted out quite quickly. Will you be this family for this little boy? Oh, and he LOVES to laugh! You can see it in his eyes that he knows he does not have a family yet as he looks at you with such hope asking..."are you the one? Do you find me worthy enough to call me your son? What can I do to please you and show you that I am lovable?" I have not been married long enough to adopt, but I just don't see a reason why no one has chosen him yet...I pray you will be touched as I know he will bless you and your family immensely.

It was awesome to visit the home and meet all our staff. We have grown exponentially in our Ethiopia program and staff in Ethiopia, and it was wonderful to see and witness. We have sixty nannies on staff and four nurses ! There was not one time that a baby cried that it went un held or tended to. All of this is because of your generosity to our Orphan's Ticket Home campaign which helps fund all our needs at the transitional home. SUCH a blessing to see!!

After the transitional home, we went to play soccer with the street kids and tell them about the love of Christ. We saw two young boys fighting over the glue they were sniffing. We have chosen to visit the street kids like this on each trip I have led to Ethiopia, but this was the first time I met any boys addicted to the glue. So, with my friend, Ephraim, who has this ministry with the street boys, we took away his glue and began telling him and all the other boys and strangers there about Jesus and all he did on the cross to set us free. We then led him in prayer to receive Christ. We are not sure if it was heartfelt or not, but either way he heard the gospel and so did many others. After we shared with him though, we brought him home to the Ethiopia Guest home let him take a shower and gave him some new clothes and some food and we made sure he had plenty to take home with him. We then prayed with him again making sure he understood that Christ was the one who provided for him and He and all of us loved him. Ephraim promised to keep ministering to him and to continue to meet with him and the other street kids he mentors. Please say a prayer for him as he has a big addiction to overcome. Please say a prayer for both of these boys who God loves so much.

Tomorrow we will visit a Mother Theresa Home and the AHope HIV orphanage...It will be an even harder day for the team emotionally as both homes have sick babies and children. We want to leave a lasting hope with them though, so please pray for us.

p.s. to join our next mission trip to Ethiopia where you can visit and work with the orphans and street kids like this, please visit http://www.visitingorphans.org/.

1 comment:

  1. am loving following your journey....truly inspiring. can't wait to witness w/ my own eyes next week. blessings to you and your group.
    sara

    ReplyDelete