Important Definitions/People for this month:
Unsung Heroes (UH)- When a team does not have a contact or organization to partner with. Instead the month is spent networking, meeting with organizations, and potential new contacts for future World Race teams to work with. (aka what my team is doing this month)
Ordinary Hero (OH)- Organization that partners and supports non-profits that may have previously been over looked.
OH Life Center- Guesthouse that let us stay our first two nights within our budget, has a wonderful staff, and lets us come visit and use their wifi so we can blog and talk to our families.
Lauren- Part of the family that started OH and currently working there.
Lincoln- An alumni racer who is currently working with OH.
(Both Lincoln and Lauren have been a huge help to our team)
Bridget- The lady that helped us find a place to live and also the head of a day care center, she’s been so helpful with networking!
Carlene- Friend of Bridget’s. The woman who opened her home to eight strangers without meeting us. Warm, welcoming, and absolutely wonderful!
Now that the basics are out of the way, let me tell you about the meetings we’ve had so far.
My first official Unsung meeting was with an organization called Children’s Heaven. Hanna Fanta moved to the states from Ethiopia with her family about twenty years ago. After seven years she had made a life for herself, she had her own insurance company, a nice home, and was happy. Hanna visited Ethiopia to see her father and noticed all the girls who were neglected and had no where to turn to for help. She made a promise to God that in three years time she would raise money and start an organization to help those girls. Like most people, once she got home and got into the routine of life she forgot. Three years later she woke up one morning with a voice in her head. It said “Three years”. Hanna wasn’t sure what it meant at first but then remembered the promise she had made. However, she did not raise or save any money in this time and was now unsure of what to do. Life changed for her. Things that used to bring joy seemed meaningless. Hanna was depressed and felt as if she let God down. One day a well known pastor was in town, she called and scheduled a meeting with him. Hanna went in and explained everything to him. He then told her to go to Ethiopia. She was shocked and reminded him that she didn’t have any money to do what she had planned. He said to her, “God does not need your money, He wants your heart.” Hanna took his advice, she sold all of her possessions that she could and then gave the rest away. She moved to Ethiopia and started her program with only five girls.
Children’s Heaven celebrated their ten year anniversary this past November. There are now 105 girls in the program and 200 girls on the waiting list. The trouble is the buildings are on her families land and her siblings could come in and ask her to move at any time. They need prayers for funding to purchase the property they’re interested in before someone else does.
Saturday we got to spend the day with Lincoln visiting two of the programs OH works with. In the morning we drove to Mount Entoto and got to work with Edinho Hope. We met and talked with the kids that they support. My team got to help hand out meals to over 50 children. We then got a tour of their buildings. In the first room was the women’s enrichment program. There were looms and pottery wheels where the women can work; Edinho Hope helps to sell the products, and the women are able to support their families. After our tour we got to accompany them on some home visits. We met a girl named Amarich who has an irregular heart beat. With the help of Edinho Hope and OH she will be flown to India for open heart surgery. She needs prayers for safe travels and that the surgery goes well. The next house we visited belonged to a family that has two children, a little boy and girl. The boy is younger than his sister but acts more like the big brother. The little girl has special needs and when Lauren from OH first met her, the parents thought that their little girl was living her last days. With the help of OH the little girl was able to go to a hospital and receive care. She has made an incredible recovery and is now a healthy, smiling, laughing, little girl. The family still needs prayers for health and provision. Lastly we visited a woman who’s daughter was currently in the states having surgery. The 12 year old little girl had a heart condition that made it impossible to live a normal life. She was unable to attend school or play with the other kids because of her problem. The woman was excited to have us and told us how happy she was that when her daughter came back that she would be able to have a normal life. The little girl needs prayers for safe travels and a quick recovery.
After we left there, we went to a Hope for the Hopeless sites. They are an organization that helps street kids. We met the group of teens that live there as well as a team from Maine who was there visiting for the week. They have plans to build a library, cafeteria, and a basketball court on their compound. They have about 50 teens in their program with 200 others on the waiting list. Hope for the Hopeless needs prayers for provision and the completion of the projects they have started.
This is just the beginning of the month. I will be updating weekly with information on the organizations we meet and what they need prayers for.
If you have any questions or would like more information on any of these programs please let me know!
ALSO, I am SO CLOSE to being fully funded!! My final deadline is quickly approaching and I need a little under $700. PLEASE, if you can help me out click on any of the SUPPORT ME! tabs on your screen.
Until next week, later days!
