This month our ministry was with “Talita Rise Up” in Yirgalem, Ethiopia. The ministry is run by our host, Abenezar. Once again my team was paired with an exuberant and ambitious young man dedicated to serving God. The ministry is set up as a sponsorship/orphanage. Throughout Yirgalem about 100 families are sponsored. Sponsorship consists of creating better lives through monthly distribution of foods such as cooking oil or wheat, ensuring that any children are enrolled in school and helping working family members either maintain or find jobs. Housed at the center are 7 babies. Abandoned in a squatty, mom died during childbirth, all of their stories are different but the common theme is no one remains to care for them. They are taken in as Abenezar’s “kids” and remain at the center until they can be fostered or adopted from the community.
Our ministry this month was loving on the babies and putting on programs for the kids of the community. Every day we would go to the center in the morning and afternoon. Coming in to the compound we would be greeted by toddlers running towards us; what a great way to start your day! The kids in the community either go to school in the morning or in the afternoon so we would put our program on twice. We normally had a bible story and then a song, craft or game (I brought the Hokey-pokey to Ethiopia). We would then just play with the kids and the babies. They would try to teach us Amharic and we would do “double double this this” so many times I can probably do it in my sleep.
Halfway through the day we would often do a coffee ceremony (see my video!). Coffee is such an important part of Ethiopian culture and one woman who worked at the compound said she has 10 cups per day. *disclaimer: the coffee here is akin to straight espresso. Unfortunately I am hooked on caffeine again
One other ministry that our team was able to do this month was Beauty for Ashes (http://adventures.org/beautyforashes/). This is a specific ministry for women created by AIM. Their mission is “empowering women to experience God’s restoration and hope through storytelling and community”. Their vision is “restored women of all nations serving as Christ’s ambassadors for change, healing, and freedom in their homes, communities, and cultures”. For one weekend, we put on a beauty for ashes retreat for 17 women of the community. We shared stories, laughs and tears as we all worked through shame and hurt in our past. This was a beautiful display of how sharing your story to others and to Christ leads to healing and restoration.
Seeing ministries thrive makes our journey worth it. Watching these kids who have been abandoned run to me with smiles on their faces fills me with unexplainable love and joy. I have learned that there is always joy in the darkest of places.
“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”
Katie
