End of Day Two: Orphans and Street Kids

We just arrived home from an extremely busy Day Two. I feel like today was the equivalent of about three days. Actually I guess today was more like our Day One since we arrived last night. Today was our first full day I guess.

We started the morning we a breakfast of waffles and eggs provided by the wonderful guest home 18 year old cook. On the plane the other day Simon and Amanda had prayed over each one of us and asked God to give them specific Bible verses for each member of our team. They shared those with us this morning over breakfast. It was a great intimate time growing as a team as well as individually.

After breakfast we headed to the America World Transitional Home. There were about 80 children there. Almost all of the kids there have families that are adopting them. This was my first experience with any kind of African orphanage. It was quite different from orphanages I have been to in China and Romania. Technically, though, this is not really an orphanage. Like I said earlier, these children have adoptive parents coming to pick them up in a few days to a few months. There were several nannies at the transitional home as well as a few nurses. The kids range in ages from babies to tweens.

I had a really special experience with a little girl about 2 or 3 years old. I'm exhausted at the moment and don't really feel like typing the entire story, but it was heart wrenching and heart warming all at the same time. This little girl clung to me like glue. She barely spoke and had the sweetest spirit. She would start sobbing when I moved away from her. The nannies had to bring her back to me at one point because she wouldn't calm down. She stayed with me the entire morning even when all other kids her age went down for a nap. This is such a difficult story to put into words. I wish I could share photos of her, but I can't with out her adoptive parents' permission. I hope to contact them via email and let them know what a precious daughter is waiting for them. It comforts me greatly to know she has a mom and dad that love her deeply and will be coming to bring her home soon. I can't imagine leaving her without knowing that.

The nannies do the best job that they can, but it's just not the same as a mom. There aren't enough to go around. These children deeply long for the love only a mother can give, someone to hold them when they are fed their bottle, someone to rub their back when their stomach hurts, someone to stroke their face and kiss them softly. I was determined not to cry as we left, but tears poured down my face as we drove away.

Also I was totally shocked by the older children that were there. Every stereotype I had about older orphans was completely broken. These children were amazing and the joy they had for their soon-to-be new families could be tangibly felt. Parents adopting these older children are in for a treat far beyond what they expect.

After the AWA Transition Home we went to a coffee place which I guess would be the equivalent of Starbucks but obviously quite different. Then did a little shopping.

After shopping we headed to play soccer with the street kids. Since I don't play soccer, I sat on the side and chatted with a group of boys for hours. It was so fun. I taught them English. They taught me Amharic. I took photos and videos which they thought was hilarious because they could look at themselves. Most of these kids have lost one or both of their par

ents and little live on the streets or in a shack somewhere. Many were professional beggars, and they ranged in age from 5 to early 20's. I can't image my five-year-old living on the street fending for herself. What a tragedy!

We loved on these children, shared Christ with them, and just hung out. Many couldn't understand why we came all the way from America just to be with them and show them they are loved.

There was one child, somewhere around 10-12 years old, who was seriously addicted to sniffing glue and sniffing paint. It was utterly devastating. To make a long story short, a few people in our group, and the Ethiopians we are working with, started talking to him. They ended up taking him back to our guest home to minister to, feed, clothe, and pray with him. We prayed htat the Lord would break his addiction and totally change his life. How sad be so hopeless and hungry, at such a young age, that you sniff chemicals to trick your brain into thinking you're not hungry. This boy was just one out of thousands like him, I'm sure. We packed him some food, shoes and toiletries in a backpack and hooked him up with a local guy who runs a ministry for the street kids. That man took the boy to where he lives.

What a full day! I can't believe we did all this in the past 12 hours. I debated whether even to go ahead and blog about all this because I am so tired and know that I'm not truly conveying all the events of the day. If my brain wasn't quite so fatigued I'm sure I could share more detail and really get to the heart of what the day was about. Hopefully for now you can get a little glimpse. There are a lot of hurting people here, but also a lot of hope.

Everyone is still doing well. No sickness to speak of. Please pray for continued health and miraculous sleep tonight. We have an even busier day tomorrow. It will probably be the most emotionally draining one as we head to the Mother Theresa Orphanage. It's a government run orphanage and most of the children do not get adopted. When they turn 18, they "age out" of the system. Most will end up living on the street, becoming prostitutes, committing suicide or living some other terrible life. Please pray we will know how to divinely connect with these children and show them they have a future and a hope.

Thank you so much for your prayers. You will never know how much they mean to us.