*Side note: Sorry I haven’t posted or written many blogs recently. We have to travel 2.5 hours in order to get WiFi, so I haven’t been able to be on the internet much this month! *
As soon as my squad and I stepped out of the airport in Ethiopia, I felt my spirit come more alive. I knew right then this was going to be a great month.
Nineteen of my squad members’ bags (including mine) didn’t make it to Ethiopia, so we had to stay an extra day at a compound near the airport to wait for them to arrive. This ended up being a blessing because we got to meet this American guy from Los Angeles named Keith. He’s the Missions Director at his church in California and has a big heart for Ethiopia. He has three biological children and also adopted five children from Ethiopia. He gave us a lot of information about the country and about doing missions here. He also told us about a jewelry store right down the road from the compound that hand makes jewelry from old bullet shells. They employ women who used to be victims of sex trafficking. The jewelry was so unique and beautiful!
After stopping by the jewelry store, some of my squad members were walking out the door when a little girl (about 3 or 4 years old) spotted me from across the street. She started waving so excitedly and saying “hi” in her language, Aramaic. I, of course, started waving back and smiling. Then she just ran up to me straight into my arms and I picked her up. If you know me, you know I love little kids, so this was a very sweet moment for me. After saying bye to her and walking back to the compound, I was thinking about this moment. I loved her joy and her innocence. She obviously didn’t know me, but trusted she could just run into my arms. Through this God spoke to me. He said He wants all His children to run into His arms like this little girl ran into mine: with full trust and childlike faith. He doesn’t want us to doubt Him but instead, trust that He has the best intentions for us. He wants us to have that childlike faith in Him because ultimately, that’s the only way to fully experience all He has for us.
This month, my squad and I are all staying together at a ministry called HopEthiopia. It was started and is run by a couple named Ralph and Glenda who are from Canada. They have three grown children. Six months of the year, Ralph works as a dentist in Canada, and the other six months, Ralph and Glenda split their time running their ministries in Ethiopia and Rwanda.
HopEthiopia is an orphanage for children who are living in the worst and poorest conditions in the country. Around five or six children live in a house on the compound with a house mom. They are given an education, taught how to be leaders in their country, given tons of love, and taught about Jesus who loves them so much and who has created each of them with a specific purpose for their lives. HopEthiopia also established a trade school on the compound for women who are considered the lowest in society, are rejected, and have zero chance to get an education in order to provide for their families. They are taught skills (for example, sewing) that they would have otherwise not been able to learn. Having these skills allow them to get jobs and in turn, provide for their families.
For ministry for me this month, I’m on the teaching team. I’m helping to teach one to nine year olds about a variety of things. We teach the kids on the compound, but we also are teaching a kindergarten class about a mile and a half walk away. We’re teaching them some English terms like animals and the names of family members.
These kiddos have my heart. They have a joy about them that I’ve never experienced before. They only have a couple outfits to wear, yet are the happiest kids I’ve ever met. It’s such a testimony to the fact that more “stuff” really won’t make you any happier. They naturally think of others before themselves and it’s so humbling to see, especially witnessing little kids acting in this way. We had a movie night with all the kids in the main house where my squad and I were staying. Popcorn was made and all the kids were making sure that my squad and I had plenty to ourselves, handing us handfuls and checking in to make sure we had all we wanted. One of my main prayers, at 25 years old, is to think of others way more than I think of myself, and these kids already have that down. Their futures are so incredibly bright. I can’t wait to see how God continues to use them in the future!
