Hello from Ethiopia!!! We don’t have WiFi out here, so that is why you haven’t heard from me in awhile. I gratefully got to give my blog to one of our leaders who received WiFi and she posted my blog online for you all. Here’s what’s going on this month 9 of the race.
HOPEthiopia is the organization my squad and I get the privilege to serve alongside with this month. It’s in a village located in an agriculture environment of Harbu Chulule, Ethiopia.
This organization is focused on truly letting their faith be activated and is based on this scripture from the Bible:
“Pure and genuine religion, in the sight of God the Father, means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”
James 1:27 NLT
HOPEthiopia makes a community of homes for orphans and reaches out to widows. Jesus didn’t just give things to people in need, Jesus visited people and loved them. It’s really cool to be a part of an organization for one month who follows his example in this way.
There are 3 cofounders of this amazing organization. Ralph from Canada, a local whom I forgot his name and the President of Ethiopia. Ralph is an amazing, inspiring man of God. He and his cofounders started this organization back in 2008. He is a dentist in Canada and his wife is a psychologist, but they fly back and forth from Canada, to Ethiopia and to their other organization in Rwanda often.
Their goal is to invest in the leaders of the next generation. HOPE teaches the children to dream big! They teach the children that they can be the next ambassadors, prime ministers, doctors and anything they want to be. There are no limitations to the dream you could be in this world. This organization is serves in all sorts of ways: they makes bricks, builds houses for the children, has a garden, a chicken farm, bee hives, and a training center to teach parents how to sew and make clothes for their own business. It’s not just an orphanage; it’s a sustainable community empowering children, parents and families to reach their full potential through the guidance and love of God. They remind me of the example of “be the church.” The staff are filled with locals; a social worker, program coordinator, nurse, and job skills training director.
This month 9, in Ethiopia, we have an all-squad-month. My whole squad is all living together and all teams are together. We are split up into three teams: sanitation and hygiene/soccer ministry, teaching ministry and brick building/reforestation ministry.
I am, of course, in the teaching ministry – since it’s my passion.
Everyday my team of 8 teaches the orphans in the compound. Half of us stay with the kids in the compound to teach them English, and on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, half of us walk the children to school one mile away and we teach children at the school for 3 hours.
There’s so much I want to share, but this blog would be too long and I’m afraid you won’t read it all. So what are your questions? Leave it in the comments, and I’ll answer questions in my next blog!
It has been a great few weeks in Ethiopia, Africa. I still have to pinch myself to remind myself, “Wow, I’m actually in the continent of Africa!” For those wondering, I’m safe, healthy, and learning so much! Thank you all for reading and supporting my journey thus far!
Updates:
Return date back to the states: August 25th, 2019.
We land in Boston, MA.
From there, I’ll visit my family in San Diego. (So if you’re in the areas of Boston or San Diego, let me know)!
I’m not sure when I’ll come back to Chicago, since I’m looking for a job and a place to live. Please keep me in your prayers for these reasons: new opportunities when I get back to the states, staying present as I’m on the race, and for me to find a healthy Christian community when I re-enter the states (whether in San Diego or Chicago). I hear a lot of world race alum have a hard time going back to “real-life.” But I know God has a plan for me! 🙂
Jasmine Jaurigue
