My Journey to Ethiopia & Uganda

Extremely Important Announcement Concerning Haitian Orphans!

2010-01-18T19:59:00.001-08:00

This was an email sent by Greg Buzek. He is the head of the orphan ministry at my church.

The situation in Haiti continues to be fluid, specifically surrounding orphans. Before the earthquake there were 50,000 orphans in Haiti. Undoubtedly that number has increased, perhaps doubled or tripled.

I received this note below and then a few minutes ago Fox News announced the US is allowing orphaned Haitian Children into the US and it appears that a number of those children wil lbe coordinated through a charity that my friend Irene started 11 years ago in South Florida which has now evolved into 4Kids of South Florida.

This situation remains fluid. If you know of families who were planning to adopt or interested in learning more, please pass this information along. Here is the original announcement. You can see the latest announcement atwww.foxnews.com, but here is some more detail on what has been considered here. If you know of someone who has been in the process of adopting from Haiti and they are wondering how their kids are, they can contact the Department of Homeland Security at hatianadoptions@dhs.gov.

Thanks,

Greg

Haitian Orphans as Refugees to US.

The U.S. government is giving serious consideration (now it is policy according to Fox News Report) to allowing a large number of Haitian orphans to enter the U.S.-essentially as refugees under special humanitarian provisions. Whether these children could enter permanent families through adoption in the short term is unclear. However, it appears likely that the primary entry point for them to the U.S. would be South Florida. Alliance member organization 4KIDS of South Florida (http://www.4kidsofsfl.org/) has been contacted by Florida's Department of Children & Families (DCF) with questions about 4KIDS' capacity to aid with both direct care and connections to additional care options nationwide. 4KIDS informed DCF that they stood ready not only with their own network of churches in South Florida, but also to activate a vast network of churches committed to caring for orphans nationwide through the Alliance. If the Federal and state governments decide to move forward with this plan, we'll be asking you to join this work in every way possible.

Emergency Help Needed!

2009-09-09T10:43:00.000-07:00

Friends...

I need to tell you about an immediate need. While I was in Africa we worked with orphans at the Canaan Children's Home. This place is amazing! I just got word that there was a terrible fire there that completely devastated the junior girls dormitory and damaged the senior girls dormitory.

There is an emergency fundraising campaign underway to pay to rebuild the dorms and replace the damaged items. I strongly encourage you to prayerfully considering donating.

It's not like these kids can just go stay at their friends house or the nearest hotel. They can't run to the mall to buy new school uniforms that were ruined. They need me, and you, and others to help. Canaan Children's Home is truly an extraordinary place living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

You can read all the info about the fire HERE. And send your donations in 1 of 2 ways:

YOU CAN DONATE ON-LINE USING CHRISTIAN AID’S SECURE FORM – BE SURE TO SPECIFY “568 CCTC Fire” IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THE FORM.http://www.christianaid.org
OR, YOU CAN SEND YOUR CHECK TO:

Christian Aid Mission
“568 CCTC Fire”
P.O. Box 9037
Charlottesville, VA 22906

434-977-5650

What is going on there...

2009-08-29T07:17:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted for a while. Been processing much and busy with much.

I wanted to share with you the blog of Katie Davis. You can go HERE to see it. Katie is 20 year old girl from Brentwood who lives in Uganda. I had the great privilege of meeting her before I went to Africa and then we worked with her ministry while there. She is truly one of the most extraordinary people I have ever met. She is now the mom to 13 little Ugandan girls all of which I had the pleasure of meeting. She just posted a great post that shows what is truly going on on the other side of the world. As I read it last night, I sat there weeping, asking God to show me how to be involved on a continual basis. What Africa did to me was make everything I had seen and heard a reality. When I looked at the starving and orphaned children, I saw my own children in their eyes. What if that was my child lonely and hungry? Those children are every bit as real as my sweet Ellie & Libby. They are not just a face or a name. Each one is a real human being who needs to loved and fed and cared for. I’ve tried to imagine my kids out there with distended bellies, no one to treat their illnesses, worms in the bodies, and sadness in their eyes. It’s almost too much. My heart can’t bear the thought of it. I don’t even really know why I’m writing this post exactly. I guess I feel a sense of responsibility for these children. Whether or not you are involved in taking care of orphans or those whom the Bible calls “the least of these”, I challenge you to read this and pass it along to others.

Great News

2009-07-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

Early in my trip, I posted a blog about a little girl I met at the America World Transition Home. You can see it here.

This little girl absolutely stole my heart. A day has not gone by since I've been home that I haven't thought about her. Every day I wonder if she's gone to be with her Forever Family yet. So guess what? I found her parents' blog today and they are in Ethiopia RIGHT NOW picking her up! I am so excited for her! She is about to feel the love of a Mom and a Dad, HER mom and dad. Check out her blog, Anxiously Hopeful and say a little prayer that she adjusts well. God is good!

Since I've Been Home...

2009-07-10T11:39:00.001-07:00

It seems like I was in Africa just yesterday, yet at the same time it seems like a distant past.

Since I have been home, life has been incredibly busy. In a perfect world I would have like to come home and just chill for a few weeks to recuperate and process everything I saw and did while I was in Africa. This is not a perfect world however. I have been going non-stop. For those of you who know me, you know I typically have a lot going on, but this week has been particularly busy. Thankfully I've been working with kind, laid back clients though which is definitely a blessing. In addition to real estate, I've also been working on my upcoming consignment sale and working on advertising for my dad's blog. Honestly, I am exhausted. I never in a million years imagined my first week back would look like this. I've decided that next week am going to not work during day, unless I absolutely have to. I'm going to try to do most everything I have to do at night once the kids have gone to bed.

My kids need me. I must confess that I feel like a very bad mother right now. I was gone for two weeks and then come home and have basically been gone this entire week. I'm so thankful that I have the opportunity to work a bit here and there, but it's just been hard after being gone for so long. I'm definitely taking it easy next week and hanging with my kids. Maybe we'll go to the zoo. I love my zoo membership. I bet the kids at the orphanages would love the zoo. Wish I could take them with me!

Every now and then I've thought about my journey to Africa. I can't even tell how what an incredible experience it was. I've having a hard time reconciling what I do with my life here knowing that there are millions of kids on the other side of the world lonely and parentless and millions more hungry and scared. My life seems so pointless sometimes. Once you've seen the need of those children in Africa, it's hard to forget it. I've got to find someway to help with that need while here in America. The problems in Africa are so large, but quite simple. Kids need parents, families need food, orphanages need training, people need clean water, kids need love, people need God. I don't mean the problem is simple as in easy. But simple as in straightforward. We can ALL do something. At the moment, I'm doing nothing. I feel terrible about that. Those kids need me. They need you. As Christians, God commands us to take care of them. He doesn't say "if you feel like it." Just look up all the verses about taking care of the poor, the orphans, and the widows. It's shocking!

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by it all. There is so much to be done. How do I decide what I can help with? If I support one organization, then I feel guilty for not supporting the others. I think that is totally Satan's way of getting to not do anything. I think I'll start by sponsoring a child through World Vision. That is so easy, yet at the same time life changing.

Still so much to process. So much to consider.

Days 9-11 Hope At Last

2009-07-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

I didn't write very much about our last days in Uganda because I got some sort of virus and ended up with a high fever and terrible cough. I was exhausted and pretty much fell asleep as soon as I could at the end of each day.

I do, however, want to let you know about the most incredible organization we visited during our trip. It's called New Hope Uganda. Running an children's home and ministry training center are just a few of the many things they do. The difference with New Hope Uganda is HOW they do things. There orphanage doesn't feel like an orphanage at all. It is made up of "families" each with a mother and a father. It's such a common sense way of doing things, yet it doesn't seem to be done in very many places. I can't even explain to you the hope I felt after visiting New Hope. It was a renewal of spirit I so desperately needed.

They also have a training program for adults interested in orphan ministry. People come from all over the world to attend and they only all 6 Americans per session. I've never seen anything like this. We met a few of the instructors. How I wish I could learn from them. These are people who possibly know more about orphan care than almost anyone in the world. You can watch the 2 videos below to get a little glimpse of New Hope.

Tomorrow I'll be writing about how my transition of coming back to America is going. It's been a bumpy road.

Day 8-Compassion Kids & Babies, Babies, Babies

2009-07-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

Amanda and Danielle both sponsor little girls through Compassion International. They paid to have their kids brought to Jinja so they could meet them. Amanda’s little girl has a twin so they also brought her. What beautiful girls! We hung out with them for a little while and both Amanda and Danielle gave the girls quite a few gifts such as Bibles, clothes, jump ropes, etc. I think the jump ropes were the highlight. The girls were about 5 and 10, and it was clear they did not have experience with jump ropes. It was great seeing the joy on their faces while they tried out a new toy.

Danielle’s little girl had a very interesting story. She is a 10 year old and her caregiver came along with her. Apparently this little girl, Sharon is her name, didn’t do very well in school when she was younger because she missed too much. Her parents ended up taking her out of school and then reenrolling her later. She didn’t do well again so they sent her away at the age of 9 to work as a housekeeper for a pregnant lady and also live with her. The lady she went to work for said she was too young to be working and decided to enroll her in school herself. She also made the decision to enroll her in the Compassion program. These were life changing decisions for Sharon. This lady is now Sharon's caregiver. The thought of sending away a 9 year old to work full time is completely unfathomable to me. She was a shy, quiet girl who couldn’t even write her own name. She just got involved with Compassion one month ago so they didn’t have too much to tell Danielle in regards to her progress.

Amanda’s little girl and her twin were also shy, but became more outgoing as the day went on. Their mom is a single mother of 5 or 6 kids and is 33 years old. She came along and was sweet and reserved. Amanda took these little girls swimming for what I’m sure was the very first time in their lives. They loved it! We also went on a short boat ride to the source of the Nile River with everybody.

After lunch (which took 3 hours!), we made our way to the Amani Baby Cottage where there are 55 kids ranging in age from newborns to age 5. Most of them appeared to be under 3 though. There seemed to be tons of people working there, but there were babies constantly crying. The caregivers, “Mamas” and “Aunties” as they are called, truly loved these kids just like many other orphanages we have seen. The people that ran the orphanage were also wonderful. I believe it’s an American woman that runs the home and also an American nurse who runs the clinic there. In addition to the paid employees, there were also many college age girls there for the summer to volunteer. All of the children are up for adoption and about 5 or 6 currently have pending adoptions including 2 or 3 from Nashville. Way to represent! Some of the children here have special needs. They seemed to be cared for and loved well. But as a mother of 2 children that I adore, my heart was yet again broken. Just when I think my heart can’t possibly get broken again, it does. Despite the great and loving staff and 14 extra pairs of hands from our team. Some kids were running around in peed on clothes, had snot running down their faces, and would cry for quite a while with no one picking them up. I don’t want to say anything negative about Amani. They are truly doing a great job. It’s just not the same as having a mother and father. No matter how great the staff, it’s still an institution. Children were not meant to live in an institution. Amani’s goal is to get all these kids adopted out. Would you possibly consider making one of these children your child? There was one little boy there. I don’t know if I can share his name because he has a pending adoption, but he was just precious. He was probably about 4 or 5 and he had a photo album that his new parents had sent him with pictures of them as well as his new siblings, his house, his new bedroom, etc. He was so proud of this book! He literally went around showing every single picture to anyone that would pay attention. I was so excited for him! His new life would begin soon. But what about the other kids? Would they have mother and father one day?

A Guest Blog Post by Danielle Patteson

Amani Baby Cottage

I saw the face of hope today. A young boy, maybe three or four, was insistent to find the small , red, 4x6 album of his family. Once he found it, he shared it with every member of our team. Each time he looked at the photos with equal excitement. He pointed to his mommy, his daddy, his two brothers and sister. He delighted in the photo of his own bed. To one of us he said, “I am leaving Friday.” To another he replied, “I am leaving tomorrow. I luf them.” “Xavier” is one of the fifty five orphans that I met yesterday. His future adoptive parents sent him hope wrapped up in this album, and he is clinging to it.

I saw the face of need yesterday. Although there were an incredible number of workers and volunteers, the need of the children was greater than the workers could provide. My mother’s heart broke. I am so thankful that I have the resources to provide for my own son. Soon after I arrived, two little arms reached up for me. Of course, I picked the toddling boy up. So many babies sat on the tile floor. I tried to set this little one down after holding him for 30 minutes with the intention of loving on another. He wailed. I scooped him up and he nestled in my chest for the rest of the hours we were there. These children need the individual attention that only a family can give. More mommies and daddies are needed for these precious children.

I saw the face of Jesus yesterday. My promise is in Matthew 25: 34-40. Read it. I know these children are not destitute. They are not abandoned. Christ knows every hair on their heads. Still, their need is so great that it is overwhelming.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2009-07-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

Day 7: I Am Responsible, I Will Tell Them

2009-07-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

Today I’m having a pretty hard day emotionally. We had the morning off to rest or do whatever we wanted, and I think it gave everything I’ve been seeing and hearing a chance to sink in. Also, Paul’s talk last night really pulled on my heartstrings. There are so many broken people here. I know America definitely has its fair share of brokenness, but this is just plain different for what most Americans considered brokenness. My heart breaks for the orphans of America just it like it breaks for the orphans in Africa. However, Africa just has the problem multiplied by what seems to be infinity. My heart breaks for the hungry of America, but, again, Africa is just different. I really don’t know how to put it into words. My mouth can’t seem to articulate the way I feel. Until you have been here, it is difficult to grasp the gravity and enormity of the issues.

Brooke Fraser says it so eloquently in her song “Albertine:”

(Watch Video Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGx-xU6TnU8)

Now that I have seen

I am responsible

Faith without deeds is dead

Now that I held you with my own arms

I cannot let go to till you are ...

I am on a plane

Across a distant sea

But I carry you in me

And the dust on, the dust on, the dust on my feet

Rwanda

Now that I have seen

I am responsible

Faith without deeds is dead

Now that I have held you in my own arms

I cannot let go till you are ...

I will tell the world

I will tell them where I’ve been

I will keep my word

I will tell them Albertine

Rwanda

Now that I have seen

I am responsible

Faith without deeds is dead

Now that I held you in my own arms

I cannot let you go til you are ...

I am on a stage

A thousand eyes on me

I will tell them Albertine

I could put many names in the place of Albertine, the one that moved Brooke Fraser. I could tell the story of Abraham, Habebah, Sheulamae, Sumine, Mary, Grace, Peace, or Niggist. All children with more pain in their short lives than most of us see in a long lifetime. Some have joy that exudes despite their circumstances. This is nothing short of a miracle. Others wear a mask to hide their pain. And others sit silent with pain covering up their heart.

Yet God is there. God is there in pain and God is there in joy. I know this to be true. As their tears fall, so do tears fall on God’s face. I have to remind myself of God’s promise as my heart aches for each precious, perfect face I look into. John 16:33 says “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Also, several times in both the New Testament Lord tells us that He will NEVER leave us. Deuteronomy 31:6 we are told, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God. He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave your nor forsake you.“

My prayer is that I never become numb to the stories of the lives of people. I thank God for the pain that I have experienced in my life so that I am able to have compassion and empathy even if I can only identify with a small part of their stories. I have begun to understand the reason for some of my own pain over the course of my life. And thankfully I know that Jesus, the Great Sufferer, can most certainly not only identify with their pain, but also feel it. I pray God continually opens my eyes to the things that break His heart.

After our time of rest this morning, we took a quick little drive over to Canaan’s Children’s Home. In the eyes of America, the facility looked poor at best, but by the standards of the village where it was located, it was exceptional.

And the hearts of those that ran the children’s home? Glorious, absolutely glorious. I am continually amazed by the adults we encounter that run these children’s programs. The strength they have can only come from God himself. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like Pastor Isaac and Rebecca before. If you should ever have the chance to meet them and speak with them, please take it. Run to meet them for they will inspire you to truly live out the Gospel.

Canaan is a children’s home where children will spend their entire childhood. They do not get adopted out. Currently there are 104 children living there and they are one big family. They rarely get visitors so they made a huge deal of our arrival. It was precious.

Amanda (our team leader) was almost like a celebrity. They had her introduce each of us and told the kids to pay attention because they would be expected to remember each of our names. They listened attentively and then were quizzed on a few at the end. I loved seeing the excitement in their faces.

We then took a tour of the grounds. There are several needs at this orphanage such as the need for a new playground. The one they have has fallen apart and looks too dangerous to play on. There is a clinic for the community on the grounds that is in desperate need of medical help and material needs. The computer lab has a few donated computers sitting unused and waiting to be set up. Despite these needs and many others, the love that abounded for the caregivers was so contagious.

We did several activities with the kids and the guys played soccer with the older boys despite a heavy rainstorm. I always feel so close to God when I am doing His work. Being His hands and feet allows me to learn more about His nature and character and draws me closer to His heart. I count this trip a complete privilege.

I had the pleasure of speaking with a 21 year old girl named Peace during our time there. She is the caregiver or “Auntie” of the older girls at Canaan. She asked me several questions about America. She spoke English pretty well and we were able to have a wonderful conversation.

At one point, she asked me what my testimony was. I tried to give a simple, understandable version of the trials in my life and how I had come to have a deep, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. I think she understood most of what I said. I then asked her to share hers. I didn’t know what I was in for. She shared how her Father died when she was six and her family could no longer pay her school fees. When she was about 8 her brothers began working in order to pay for her to go to school. She told about her difficult life. I tried to sit there attentive while at the same time restraining my tears.

She started to have a more difficult time when she was a teenager and had heard about this place called Canaan. She had heard there was love and the people were Christians. She came there herself at about age of 16 and asked if she could live there. I was unclear about whether or not her mother was still alive. She began living at Canaan and her life completely changed.

I have honestly never seen someone more in love with Jesus. If I could bottle the love she felt for Him and sell it, I would be a billionaire. She told me of how she loves to pray. She prays anytime she can. She loves to be able to give counsel and guidance to the girls she cares for. I can’t imagine what she must speak into their lives. I pray that God blesses Peace beyond what she can ever think and imagine. I image the reward for her in Heaven must be many rooms deep.

A bit later we did some trauma counseling/art therapy with the kids. Amanda shared with them how our heart can break just as our bones can break and we can have heart wounds. When we get bitten by a snake, we must get the venom out or it can poison our bodies. The same is true with things that have happened in our life. If something has caused great sadness and we don’t talk about it, it can poison other parts of our lives as we get older. Freedom comes from sharing our stories.

We used a program that Amanda’s friend, Bethany, created for her ministry called Exile. Exile does trauma counseling in regions were kids were forced to become child soldiers and where other terrible things have happened to them. After speaking with the kids for a while, we split them into groups and had them draw a time in their life when they were sad, or scared, or angry, and then share that with us. Some children didn’t understand and drew pictures that were irrelevant. That was just fine. It allowed them a chance to be creative. Others totally got it and drew things of great sadness. Many drew of times they were hungry. Some drew of parents beating or “caning” them. One child drew a picture about himself eating rotten bread out of the rubbish pile. I’ll share the pictures when I can. We taught them that even in the midst of their suffering, God was there. We had them draw God in their picture. Hopefully this was the start of the healing process for some of them.

All in all this was another great day, but oh, so hard. Here in Uganda, the people, and especially children, do not show a lot of emotion, especially emotions such as sadness, fear, hurt, or anger. In all the children we’ve encountered, I’ve hardly seen any child cry. Even when they been hurt or someone has done something mean to them. I think I am partly weeping for them. Weeping the tears they cannot. Weeping tears that they have been told to hold back. Weeping for lies that have been spoken over them that they must not cry.

Sweet Jesus, remove these lies. Let them cry out to You even if they can cry to no one else.

Day 6: A Day at Amazima (Truly Amazing)

2009-07-02T05:31:00.000-07:00

The place we’re staying at in Jinja is called Kingfisher. It is just beautiful and right next to Lake Victoria which is the source of the Nile River. Amazing! It is a wonderful place, but it been quite funny getting used to the electricity constantly flickering on and off and only being able to have hot water after 6pm. Honestly I’ve kind of enjoyed it. I don’t want to have all the comforts of home while I’m here. I want to be able to identify with those who live here even if it’s only on a small scale.

We spent almost the entire day yesterday at Katie Davis’ house. (Take a look at her blog: Kisses From Katie and the Amazima Website.) She is a young woman who is about 20 years old from Nashville. She runs a ministry called Amazima Ministry in Uganda. It mostly a child sponsorship program, but she is also personally Mommy to 13 beautiful Ugandan orphan girls. We had the privilege of meeting her a week before we left the U.S., and she told us some of the most amazing stories about some of her girls. She is truly a remarkable woman. Can you imagine at age 20 giving up every comfort you have, moving to a third world country, becoming a single mom to 13 girls while also running a large ministry and planning on spending the rest of your life there? She is truly living out the Gospel.

Even though we were at Katie’s house, she was not there. She is currently in the U.S. sharing her story and working on getting more kids sponsored. There were two young woman there carrying for her kids while “Mommy Kate” was gone. They looked about the same age as Katie. Katie also has a few employees that help her run her ministry. They were all so wonderful!

Our job for the day was to help with the Amazima Saturday program. Every Saturday all the sponsored children with Amazima along with some waiting for sponsors come to Katie’s house for singing, Bible Study and food. There were over 300 children who all came to this one house! Almost all of them walk there. A few of the littlest get picked up in Katie’s van. For some it took several hours of walking to get there. The kids ranged in age from three to early teenagers. Many Ugandan children do not know their age since it is not a hugely celebrated holiday, and most of these kids live in extreme poverty.

As far as I understand, sponsorship through Amazima pays for the children’s school fees, food, and medical care. Each week, the children receive a bag of beans, rice and corn flour to take home to share with their family. One of the things some people in our group helped do, upon arrival, was to prepare these bags of food for the children to take home with them.

We played with the kids and loved on them for a while. They are so kind, but very different from Ethiopian kids we met. The Ugandan people in general seem to be much more reserved and shy.

Our time with these kids was so special. My heart broke for all of them, though. I don’t know what they live with every day, but most likely it includes some sort of hardship. Many would barely speak a whisper when asked their name. Most seem to be having a great time though and participated in all the activities we did with them. Katie, her staff, and the other volunteers have really developed an amazing program, and you can see clearly how they have worked in the lives of these children. I was blown away.

When it was time to eat, these kids got in the longest line I’ve ever seen and waited to receive their food. I can’t imagine any American child I’ve ever seen wait in a line that long to receive an egg or some beans and rice. I know I live in an area where most people do not go hungry, but we truly have no idea.

I thought it was weird before lunch that Rowoul kept praying & having the children pray that God would help them finish their food. I didn’t think that deeply about it, but I remembering thinking, “Well, that an odd thing to pray about.”

It all became clear though when they got their food. These children received a very large, and I do mean, VERY large, plate of chicken, rice, and beans. Now the prayer made sense. They definitely would need God to help them eat it all. This was probably the best meal they would receive all week so it was important to get as much of it as they could into their little bodies.

I was so blessed to be able to be a part of Amazima. I would write more, but I’m falling asleep as I write this. The kids truly touched me and caused me to totally fall in love with the Ugandan people. What a blessing!

After Katie’s, we got back to the Kingfisher Resort to have dinner. It takes well over an hour to get our food once we order it, so we always have time to chat. On this night, Paul, got to share his testimony and his thoughts about orphans with us. Paul works with New Hope Uganda and has been staying with us and helping with our trip. I wish I would have video-taped his entire talk. It was one of the most powerful things I’ve heard about how God is a redeemer and the journey from true tragedy and complete heartbreak to a life full of wisdom, hope, and redemption. He has more insight on the heart of an orphan than anyone I have ever spoken with or heard. Sitting and listening to him changed me forever. I’ve heard people speak before in person or on the computer, but it is different when you are sitting face to face. God must be so pleased with him. He is a world changer.

Day 5

2009-06-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in the internet cafe in Jinja. Internet is very slow. I'm actually posting this on Day 6. Yesterday was mostly a travel day. Uganda is beautiful!! I'll post more later. Not sure when I'll have internet again. Only 3 of us were able to get in town and get on the computer. Everyone is doing great! Much love to all!

Day 4

2009-06-27T07:28:00.000-07:00

Note: This has not been proofread at all!! Please forgive typos. Also, we have very rare and unreliable internet access and it's extremely slow I'm not able to get any pictures up at this time. Thanks! :)

It’s Friday at 1:30pm here in Africa and I’m sitting on an airplane leaving Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and headed into Entebbe, Uganda. We’ve been travelling around like crazy and haven’t had internet for the past 2 ½ days so I’m trying to catch up while I have some time. I’m sad to leave Ethiopia. I have fallen in love with this country and its people. In many ways it feels like I’ve been here a very long time and in other ways it feels like we arrived yesterday.

I’ve been processing lots of emotions and spiritual questions over the past few days. Seeing so many orphans can be very overwhelming at times. It is so hard to comprehend how so many children can be fatherless. It think is especially difficult for us as Americans because most of us are not surrounding by orphans in our daily lives. I’m the kind of person that likes to fix problems for people. There is no way on earth I can fix the problem of 143 million orphans so this becomes a very challenging task for me. I want to rescue each child. I want to love each child. The reality, however, is that I can’t. What I can do is make difference in the lives of the child or children that God puts in my path. I can’t pretend I don’t know there is an orphan crisis in this world. I can’t become apathetic toward an epidemic that is far too large for me to comprehend. I am responsible now. I am responsible for the things that I have seen. I will one day be held accountable for what I did with the things I have seen. But I’m not responsible for solving the problem. I’m responsible for listening to God and obeying Him. His Word tell us over and over how much He loves orphans and that we, as Christians, are called to take care of them. I have definitely been challenged during this trip and I challenge you to ask yourself what are you doing for the orphans of this world.

So after arriving at the Negesh Lodge in the pitch black and pouring rain the night before, we awoke to a peaceful clear morning greeted by the sound of hyenas and monkeys. Yes, I did say hyenas and monkeys. The weather was so crisp and the air was clean, a welcome change from the exhaust-filled streets of the city. Our lungs thanked us. The Negash Lodge was wonderful. We all stayed in perfectly constructed huts spread out along a stone path way. It almost felt like somewhere you would stay for summer camp, but way cooler. Monkeys were running around and seemed to not be bothered by us. After breakfast we piled in the cars to begin another 1 ½ drive to Kidmia.

The countryside of Ethiopia is such a sharp contrast to the city. Just about everything is different. Most of the homes are huts created out of tree branches, manure, and straw. Electricity is available, but only in certain areas. The roads are not paved and are in such a terrible state, we even had to leave one of our cars behind in the middle of the journey because it wouldn’t survive the trip. We’ve coined the term “POA” which stands for Part of the Adventure. Whenever something crazy happens, we all just say “POA!”

Kidmia Orphanage was so wonderful. As far as orphanages go, this seems to be an amazing one. It has pretty nice facilities and tons of rooms for kids to run and play. This orphanage is very young so there are only about 30 kids in it right now. It is funded by Gladney Adoption Agency I believe. I’m not 100% sure about this, but I know Gladney is the agency contracted to do adoptions there. The kids were amazing! They told us that currently none of these children have families and all are available for adoptions. We played with these kids, painted varnish on the pavilion and had a great time. We tried to teach them the game “Simon Says.” It was hilarious, especially since Amanda’s husband’s name is Simon. We had him lead it and then they a few kids tried to lead. One kid in particular, Abraham, who was about 8 or 9 years old, did a great job. He was an amazing kid. I would have loved to take him home as well as Selam and Habibah. Actually, I could have taken them all home!

We stayed at Kidma most of the day, and then began the long drive back to the guesthouse. On our way back, we had to stop to pick up the car that we left on the side of the road. Holly wrote a little snipit about what happened when we did this. Here is what she had to say:

A Story from the road…A crushed “sole” by Holly Willis

Driving from Gaunchir back to Addis yesterday afternoon we stopped to drop 3 people off at the car we left behind when we entered a “rough road”.

When we got back to the car about 8 hours later there were swarms of people and kids “waiting”... The reason: when we left the car earlier in the day, we had given 2 or 3 kids a pair of shoes.

The kids had apparently told the whole village of the gifts and called for their friends and families to wait by this small, red car for the Americans to return.

We actually had about 100 pairs of shoes in the trunk to give away (thank you Soles for Soles!)…Though, 100 pairs was generous, it was nowhere near enough. Many children were turned away and the anticipation of our arrival turned out to be a disappointment for some.

In particular, a boy about 6 or 7 came to me wearing an extremely old and worn pair of men’s Nike soccer sandals that had the back end cut off so they sort-of fit. I told him we had nothing left and reached to squeeze his hand…He bent down and took off the shoes as if to show me again how tattered and much, much too big his shoes were. Again, I had to say I had none left to give. Two huge raindrop tears rolled down his cheeks and he walked away. More than 2 tears streamed down my face, too, and I walked back to the van to continue back to Addis. Along the way I prayed that somehow soon the boy would get new shoes, and that he would feel God’s love and peace in a way that was much more satisfying than even the nicest pair of new shoes. Yes, this story evokes a twinge of sadness, but we know in our heart that God’s love is far bigger than anything tangible from the back of a little red car.

Day 3

2009-06-27T07:15:00.000-07:00

*Warning: I have not had time to proofread this! :)

I’m sitting in the most amazing hut in Wollisso as I type this. The ceiling is made of some sort of flexible sticks and twine and looks absolutely brilliant. I’ve never seen anything like this in America. I can’t believe I’m here, in Africa, on the other side of the world! It is still quite surreal. I feel so far from home, yet so right at home at the same time. I just adore the Ethiopian people, everything about them. Of all the countries I’ve visited, I feel this is definitely where my heart is most comfortable.

The Mother Theresa Orpanage - Home to 400+ HIV Children

We started the day going to the Mother Theresa Orphanage. We had been warned this would be a difficult orphanage to visit because it’s a government run orphanage and most of the kids never get adopted. When we pulled through the gate, I was shocked at how enormous this place was. It was like it’s own little town. Approximately 400 kids live at this orphanage ranging in age from newborns to teenagers. What we didn’t know until we got there was that all 400+ children were infected with HIV or AIDS. The campus is funded mostly by the Catholic Relief Society. It was actually much nicer than I had anticipated. The thing that was very obvious though was the lack of adults and “nannies.” We saw hundreds of kids and only just a handful of “nannies.” The campus included several dormitories where the kids eat and sleep, a few schools, a clinic, a place for the nuns to sleep and pray, an art hut, a library hut, a incredibly run down playground, a building were children make scarves for money, a big sports field, and a few other random buildings. All in all, the buildings themselves were not all that bad, just very simple. We viewed the girls’ dormitory. There were about 30 beds to a room. Basically the place was everything you would think of in a stereotypical orphanage

I was told by a college girl from North Carolina that was volunteering there for a few months, that these children do not get a lot of visitors. When we arrived, there were some children wandering around, others playing soccer, and some going to school to finish their final exams. Our plan was just to be with them for several hours, do a craft with them, play sports, and just show them the love of Christ.

These children were different from the children we had visited the day before. First of all, many were sick. Not visibly sick with HIV/AIDS, but sick with colds, coughs, warts, broken bones, etc. Tissues are few and far between so crusty and dripping noses were common. Warts are also common among HIV/AIDS children we’ve seen here. I don’t really know why this is. It was very sad. The clinic probably does the best job it can, but there are just SO many children.

One little boy about 5 years old cut his head while we were there. Amanda took him to the clinic to get it treated. When she took him in to the nurse, the nurse told him he couldn’t cry or she would not treat him. Amanda said the nurse wasn’t necessarily mean, but that she was pretty rough on the boy’s head. Amanda even had to leave the room after a short while because she couldn’t want to watch. She said the precious boy never moved or made a sound. This just absolutely ripped at my heart. This child need a mom to hold him close and reassure him everything would be all right. Instead he sat there silent, trying to remain still so he could get his head bandaged up, all alone. Also these children had much more of a survival instinct alive in them. Some would steal tings from one another, lie and tell you they hadn’t done the craft so they could get another one, and grab ziploc bags off the floor like they were gold. They weren’t mean. They were precious actually. Just trying to survive in a home with 400 other kids and very few caregivers. These kids have nothing.

I had a blast at the Mother Theresa Orphanage. In addition to doing the craft, we taught the kids a few songs. African kids seem to love to sing, and they are good at it! They pick songs up in seconds that aren’t even in their language. A group of girls between the ages of about 8-12 decided they wanted to teach me one of their little hand clapping rhymes. They pulled me over and pointed to me and said, “Wait. See. See.” They were telling me to wait and watch them so I could learn it. I caught on and joined in pretty quickly. They seemed quite impressed that this tall while girl could learn their game. It was so much fun! We did that for over an hour I bet. I can’t wait to teach my girls the hand clapping games I learned. Most of the boys played soccer and sports while we were there. We weren’t really supposed to take pictures, but I got some great video clips while we were there. I’ll post soon…hopefully.

The Orphans Singing "Happy Birthday" to my daughter Ellie who turned 6 while I was away.

While at Mother Theresa, all the sudden it hit me like someone knocked me upside the head…This is what the Gospel is all about. It was odd. I just had a complete strong sense of truth overwhelm me. Jesus LOVES the least and the lost. And we are called to be His hands and feet. I was so immensely blessed today. These children need love. And even if it was only for a day, we were able to give that to them.

Most of these children will never be adopted even though HIV/AIDS is totally treatable nowadays. One good thing about this orphanage is that these children have to take their medicine every day at the exact same time. This is essential for them. By doing this, they are able to live very long, mostly healthy lives. If they lived in a place with proper health care that would greatly increase their quality of life any many of the colds, warts, etc could be properly treated.

Children here also make scarves and jewelry and sell them at the office. They told us the money that each child makes is put into a savings account for them that they can withdraw when they leave. What a cool idea! We saw one boy about 11 or 12 sitting in a dimly lit room making scarves. The teenager leading us around told us this kid is the most brilliant boy there. He had just completed the 5th grade. And would be starting 6th grade in 2 months. Once the children start 6th grade, they attend an outside school the campus based on their ability. Most likely they told us this brilliant kid would end up having a shop on the road somewhere selling scarves his whole life. That would be considered a great success for one of the Mother Theresa orphans. I couldn’t help, but wonder what this kid could be. What talents and gifts God had given him that, if nurtured, could grow into something amazing? And what about the kids that weren’t considered brilliant that would go to a not very good school? Where would they end up? To my knowledge, these kids are adopted, but just not “wanted.” Too many cards are stacked against them. They have AIDS; they are not in a nice private orphanage, etc. etc. Please pray for these children that God would continue to touch them despite their circumstances.

On the Way to AHOPE. A store front in Addis Ababa.

After finishing at Mother Theresa, we went to AHOPE International. There we were with kids mostly under the age of 8. Many were toddlers. I think there were about 30 kids and all had HIV/AID just like the Mother Theresa Orphanage.

Children's Beds in AHOPE Orphanage

Although this facility was definitely lacking, there was much more love in this place. It’s a private orphanage with many nannies who really seem to care for the children. They love on them, kiss them, hold them, play with them, etc. Not the same as a mother’s love, but better than no love at all.

Painting Fingernails and Doing Crafts with the Kids

These kids are all-adoptable and seemed to be quite healthy. We saw on newborn that was about 3 weeks old that was absolutely precious! A few of these kids already had been matched with families and were just in the waiting process. However, I assume most will likely never get adopted. AIDS has robbed so many children of their parents. My mind can’t even comprehend how many orphans there are in Ethiopia alone. 4 million is the number I believe. 4 million! We have seen probably played with about 500 so far and that number by itself overwhelms me. It’s just a number until you see 500 faces. 500 little people looking back at you, alone in the world. It rips apart my heart and brings tears to my eyes. I try to imagine standing on a hill with 4 million little people below me and knowing they are all orphans. I don’t even know what 4 million people look like. I’ve never seen that many people at once. And the thing that is so hard is that these are children. 500 seems massive. 4 million seems unfathomable. Thankfully there is a God in heaven who loves them more than any mother could, who knows the hairs on their head, the scars on their faces, and the loneliness in their hearts. One day their lives will be redeemed. For most, it will not be on this side of heaven. But thank God there is a heaven. Thank God for Jesus.

Crazy Rain/Hail Storm on the way to Wollisso

Our third venture of the day was to travel 2 ½ hours outside of Addis Ababa to a village called Wollisso. We ended up traveling through a massive rainstorm. It was the craziest car ride I have ever been on. Let me try to paint the picture for you. We were traveling in a van probably about 20 years old or so with no seatbelts and 14 of us piled in, plus “Z” one of the translators, and our driver, 16 people in total. As we left the city, we could see the enormous rain clouds rolling in with sheeting rain in the distance. There are no real driving rules in Ethiopia. It’s kind of a free for all. Our driver is quite skilled except for the fact that he ran into a guy the other day and knocked the mirror off. The guy was fine. Anyway, so we’re all piled into this van with no seatbelts and it starts raining. Just nice rain at first. Then it starts to pour with continuous hail and the temperature drops at least 20 degrees. There is no defrost for the windows so they are all fogging up, including the front window. The people in the front seat kept having to wipe the window to be able to see. Then the sun goes down and it’s pitch black with no street lights. There was hardly any visibility at all. Many people do not have headlights or tail lights so that makes it extra interesting, not to mention the frequent crossing of goats, donkeys, horses, and people. There was probably 2 inches of hail on the road and land at times. It was like driving through wintertime slush. Crazy!! It was like a roller coaster, but without the safety. I took some funny video that I hope captures the essence of the road trip. It was great! And we all made it alive.

We arrived at the Nagesh Lodge in Wollisso. We couldn’t see much because it was so dark and wet, but it was very nice. We ate a much-needed dinner and then they walked us to our huts. So cool! Now I was feeling I was in Africa. More to come tomorrow!

Morning of Day Three: Orphanages And Playgrounds

2009-06-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

Morning of Day 3:

We're just about to have breakfast, but I thought I would go ahead and
update quickly because we mostly likely will not have internet access for
the next 2 days.

This morning we are going to the Mother Teresa Orphanage. After that we'll
head to the AHope AIDS Orphanage. Once we're finished there it'll be time to
head out to the village of Woliso where we will be putting together a
playground for Kidmia. Wolisa is about a 3 hour drive away, and we'll be
spending tonight in that town. It's in a much more remote area so
I'm not anticipating any Internet connection, and I'll also be leaving my
computer here in Addis.

Just wanted to give you all an update and let you know that you may not hear
from us for a few days. I'll try to Twitter, but again, I'm not sure what
phone service will be like.

Love you and miss you all!

This was posted the evening of the third day. Mindy hasn't had access to the Internet so we don't have any details about the day yet. She was able to Twitter a few times. You can read those update on the right side of this page.

Thanks so much,

Gail Hyatt

End of Day Two: Orphans and Street Kids

2009-06-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

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.

Day Two - Morning: Ethiopia

2009-06-23T06:20:00.000-07:00

It’s 4:10am in the morning here in Addis. I can’t seem to sleep. I’ve been up since 2am tossing and turning. I’m not sure if it’s the fact that I slept quite a bit on the plane, the jetlag, or just all the thoughts running through my mind that won’t seem to turn off. Whatever the reason, despite, the ambien I took, I can’t sleep. After fighting it for two hours, I decided to give up and go ahead and wake up. The house is quite except for the noises of others getting up to use the restroom every now and then. I have a feeling a few others are also lying awake.

We haven’t actually seen much of Ethiopia yet except for what we saw along the way on the 15 minute car ride from the airport to the Guest Home and what we can see around us here. It’s strange, kind of surreal actually. So similar to America, yet so vastly different. People are people, but their “normal” is quite different for our “normal” in America. Already I’m realizing how much I take for granted, like instantly accessible medical care. As the man I referenced in the previous post lay dying in the street last night, it occurred to me how strange that seemed. I wanted to just call an ambulance and have him picked up and rushed to the hospital. I thought to myself, “This is such a simple problem with such a simple solution. How can he lay dying while tons watch and nothing is done?” But here in Ethiopia, it wasn’t a simple problem with a simple solution. It was quite complicated actually. How would he get to the hospital, but more importantly how would he pay? He obviously was not wealthy. People probably die like this all the time here. Reality check.

I can’t tell you how many times so far I’ve said to myself, “I wish Nathan were here.” It would have been so wonderful for him to share in this experience with me. I miss him and the girls already. For the past seven Nathan and I haven’t been apart very much, and the girls have been my constant daily focus for the past six years. I kept feeling like I was missing something on the plane ride here. I’m not used to being alone, and it is definitely taking some getting used to. You don’t realize how much of your identity is tied to your role as a wife and a mother until you step out of that role. This trip will surely stretch me in ways I did not image. My prayer is just that I can be a blessing to all the people I come I contact with. I want people to know that they are loved and know that there are people who are deeply fond of them even if they live on the other side of the world. But most of all, I want them to know that Jesus Christ loves them and is deeply fond of them, and he definitely does not live on the other side of the world. He is here, right here.

Day One: Addis Ababa, Ehiopia

2009-06-23T06:10:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at about 4pm. The flight was great. No problems as all. Once we arrived, we breezed through customs and met the guys that came to pick us up. We piled our luggage on top, piled in 2 cars and headed to the Ethiopian Guest.

The Guest Home is so nice, significantly nicer than I expected and the people that work here are wonderful! We actually eve have internet access, but it is SO slow. Since we lost a day because of our flight delay we have changed up our schedule a bit. We were supposed to be going to Kidmia in Wosillo today, but it looks like we will be heading out there Wednesday evening, spending the night there and staying there all day Thursday.

I have one really cool story from today...

As we drove to the Guest Home, a few of us noticed a man on the side of the road that had collapsed. Some people were around him trying to help him walk. It was really a sad site. Once we arrived at the Guest Home, we starting brining our bags upstairs, meeting together, taking pictures, etc. Shortly after, we noticed the sick man was across the street with about 4 other men around him. I could see from the balcony that they were trying to give him water. He tried to walk, but immediately collapsed again. He was obviously extremely sick.

The guys decided to head out there to pray for him. One of the guys on our team, Dave, is actually a surgeon. A few minutes later they showed back up at the Guest Home carrying the sick man. Amanda and I went outside to check out what was going on. Nathan, another guy on our team, told Amanda that they actually knew the sick kid. He was the bus driver’s aid and assisted them during their entire trip last year. Can you believe that? Out of the millions of people in Ethiopia, the random sick guy happened to not be random at all. He knew exactly who we were. It was even more miraculous because he doesn’t work for the bus driver any more so had absolutely no reason to be anywhere near the Guest Home. Dave thought he probably had appendicitis and had been sick for a while. He was in terrible pain and had a very high fever. Amanda gave the staff here at the Guest Home some money to make sure he got the necessary treatment he needed and a few members of the staff drove him to the hospital.

Normally his man would have just died on the street. Although the hospitals here are not very good, we’re hoping and praying he will recover. Maybe the reason our plane was delayed was so that we would be here at the exact moment that he was across the street. If we would have arrived last night, we would not have been here to help him. We would have been out doing other things.

I’ll try to update some pictures later, but the internet here is EXTREMELY show. Everyone is well, but very tired. It’s 8:45pm and we’re all preparing for bed.

Tomorrow we head to the AWA Transitional Home and then to play soccer with street kids. Wednesday will be a very full day. Hopefully I’ll be able to update again tomorrow.

Blessings to all.

Stuck In the Washington/Dulles Airport

2009-06-20T23:23:00.000-07:00

Keep in mind that I'm writing this with an ambien in my body so forgive any and all typos. :)

As we got on the plane, things looked like they were going right on scheduled. Shortly after the emergency procedure video we got word something was wrong. We were told initially that there were some technical problems that the technician was working on. Nobody gave us any more info for about 2 hours. At about hour 3, the pilot gone on the phone and said the repairs were taking much longer than they had anticipated and he was sorry. That was all we heard. They started serving us dinner, putting on a, etc. Right before hour 5, I decided we were in this for the long haul, and took my ambien. I had been holding off because I wasn't sure what was going to happen. About 30 minutes after I took it, they announced the flight was cancelled and we wouldn't leave til Monday. You can see the videos below for more info about what happened next.

Another Random Video

2009-06-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

We just met the rest of our group here in the Dulles Airport and had a quick dinner together. In about 1 1/2 hours we leave for Addis Ababa! Africa, HERE WE COME!

Here's another random video. Sorry these are kind of choppy. I'm not doing any editing. Just putting them online just as they are. Much love!

We're Headed Out!

2009-06-20T10:46:00.001-07:00

We're currently sitting in the Nashville Airport waiting to board our flight to Washington D.C. Here's a quick video snip-it of the travels so far. The only problem we've had thus far is Amanda putting her toiletries in her carry on. The security people almost arrested her as a terrorist, but she quickly convinced them otherwise. Ok, well that was a bit of an exaggeration. Amanda, being the fearless leader that she is, took care of the problem and was escorted by security to put the treasured toiletries in a checked bag. All is well.

What Are We Doing?

2009-06-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if I'll have reliable internet access while in Africa, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to text from my phone. I'm planning to twitter about twice a day. I've added a twitter feed to the top right-hand side of my blog so you can keep up to date on what we're doing there. It will constantly update itself.

Africa Itinerary

2009-06-04T18:56:00.000-07:00

Less than 3 weeks before I leave!! I'm getting so excited! Here is the itinerary for my trip!

Oh, I have OFFICIALLY raised all my support! Buh-Bam. Thank you GOD!

ETHIOPIA:

June 20th: Dinner upon arrival

June 21st: AHOPE HIV Orphanage 9:00 am , Kid's Care Orphanage 2:30 pm

June 22nd: Kidmia

June 23rd: America World Transitional Home

June 24th: Mother Teressa Orphanage & Compassionate Family Intern.

June 25th: Soccer Ministry to Street Kids

June 26th Departing from Ethiopia to travel to Uganda at 11:30

UGANDA

Jinji
June 26: Arrive: 1:30 PM in Entebbe, UG
Airport pick-up and transport to Jinji & Amazima Ministries

June 27: Canaan Children's Home or Amazima

June 28: Canaan Children's Home or Amazima

June 29: 9 AM Meet Compassion little girls. 2:30 PM Amani Baby Cottage

Luwerro
June 30: Transport to Kasana/Kiwoko - New Hope Uganda

Entebbe
July 1: Spend half day at Bethany in Kampala on the way to Entebbe

July 2:Spend day in Entebbe, schedule TBD
Airport transfer
Depart: 5:15 PM for Addis
Spend night Airport Guest Home

Please pray for my group while we are gone. I'm sure we will need it!

A member of our team as created a 24 hour Prayer Chain. Can you sign up for a slot (or 2 or 3)? Just click on the link and fill in the slot/s that work for you. Make sure to click Save & Close under the File menu before you exit. Thanks a million!

Africa Prayer Chain

Please Join Me in Boycotting this Movie

2009-06-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

On July 24, Warner Bros. is releasing a horror/slasher film titled "Orphan" (http://orphan-movie.warnerbros.com). I've watched the trailer several times (horrific, I know). But the trailer is so heartbreaking. Just the message in the trailer gives misinformation about adoption, reinforcing the very myth that adoptive communities try to hard to eradicate; that all older adoptees are troubled.

Personally, I can't believe Warner Bros., Dark Castle Entertinment, and Appian Way had the nerve to make this movie. How many hundreds of thousands of adopted children will see this trailer on national television and hear an adoptee say "it must be hard to love an adopted child as much as you own". How many attachment disordered children will be sent back to therapy because they get ideas from the young girl's actions? How many families could be sent into turmoil because of one movie?

The emotional impact and damage to adopted children is far too great a risk. However, "Without having seen the movie or read the script, it is hard to know if the entire movie is sending a ghastly adoption message, but the trailer certainly leads us to believe it is. This feeds the notion that older adoptees are very troubled and you should beware…. that’s not an image any of us want the general public to have of our kids. It plays into people’s deepest fears." (Examiner.com)

A Few Things You Can Do to Help Spread the Word

boycott the movie
tweet about this on Twitter
sign the petition here
spread the word to others and ask them to also boycott the movie
post a warning about the movie ON YOUR BLOG
contact the distributors (Warner Brothers), the producer (Dark Castle Entertainment), and the developer of the material (Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way, who is also co-producing the film) and express your concern about the negative impact of the film on the cause of adoption
join this Facebook community

I'm a Bit Short-Buy a T-Shirt

2009-05-28T06:56:00.000-07:00

So I thought I had raised all my money, but it appears I'm about $330 short. Oops! Help me raise this last little bit by purchasing a T-Shirt.

Each shirt says "LOVE" in Luganda & Amharic, the two national languages of Uganda and Ethiopia. The women's and child's t-shirts have the design with the sign language spelling love. The men's design is the black and green one. All profits go to support orphan work as even the company who designed the t-shirts sends all their proceeds to help orphans.

The women's sizes come in S, M,L, & XL and are a feminine cut. All t-shirts are high quality cotton. The children's sizes are S,M,L and are more of a boxy cut.

The men's sizes are M, L, XL and run a little big.

They are $20 for one shirt, but this cost handles shipping as well. You can order with the "Buy Now" button to the right.

A Little Update

2009-04-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of news to share with those of you out there. I think it's best to end with the good news, so let's start with the bad news.

Maybe I shouldn't call it "bad news." I know God is a Redeemer and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). As I've seen with many struggles over the past year, my life has been nothing but enriched from a spiritual perspective. I'm not saying it's easy...quite the opposite actually. I've had my fair share of tears, stress, etc, etc. However, I trying my best to learn daily that when "bad" things happen & things feel completely out of my control, God still has control. Things may not turn out how I would have planned them, but I've decided to take God at His word. He knows much better than I do. And He has the power to redeem situations that are the result of fallen humanity.

With all that said, here is what is going on. We moved this past weekend. Everything went great. We were so excited to be closing one chapter in our life and opening a new one. This new chapter seemed to be paved with rest. Rest from the past year of craziness. We were supposed to be closing on our house tomorrow. To make a long story very short, I got a call from our realtor yesterday that the people that were buying our house backed out. What a shock! When we originally put our house on the market, we received 4 offers. The people we went with wanted our house so badly that they offered us over our asking price. So now, hear were are, already moved out, and having to start over at square one. Our, now vacant, house goes back on the market on Monday.

Please pray that we get buyers quickly and can close quickly. We would love to be able to enjoy the summer and not have to deal with any house drama.

Now for the good news. We moved into the apartment, and, so far, are loving it. It's definitely small, but that means less cleaning! Hooray! Ellie said it best, "This apartment is so fun...even though it's really puny." I love that kid. I've just been pretending I'm at a beach condo and can't wait to be at the pool all summer. Our plan is to be here until we are out of debt. We are kickin' it Dave Ramsey style.

Also, we found great loving homes for both our cats. I pray the cats will adjust quickly and the new families will enjoy them as much as we have.

And last, but certainly not least...I have raised ALL my money for the Africa trip!! I can't believe it! Thanks to each and every one of you who prayed and donated.

Almost There!

2009-04-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

I'm almost there!

I only need 10 more people to donate $39 and join my $39 x 77 Fundraising Campaign. I can't believe I am so close to meeting my goal. Would you consider joining?

Just a little over 2 months before I leave!

Amazing!!

2009-04-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

God is truly amazing!!

Yesterday I received more than enough money to cover the amount that was due today for my Africa trip! In fact, I only have $550 more to raise. I can't believe it!

I sent a fex ex package to Visiting Orphans with much more money than I had anticipated sending. God is so good and truly does do miracles!

If you'd like to make a donation to help with the $550 left to raise, you can use the Chip In link on the right side of the blog to do so or mail your donation to me at:

Mindy Spradlin
204 Cavalcade Circle
Franklin, TN 37069
*You can make your check out to Visiting Orphans.

Update on the happenings in my life:
Many of you know we are selling our house in order to get out of debt. After looking at SEVERAL rental houses, townhomes, etc, I think we have settled on moving into an apartment. I was SUPER opposed to this at first, my mindset has definitely changed. We are wanting to rent something as inexpensive as we can. Our goal was to stay under $1,000, not be in a sketchy area, stay in Franklin if possible, be in a good school district, and have at least 1000 square feet. Most of the rental homes we looked at under $1,000 did not fit at least one of those criteria.

Long story short, I really like the Alara Farms Apartments in Cool Springs. We are going to get a 1,200 square foot, 2 bedroom, 2 bath, apartment with great pool, fabulous fitness center, WONDERFUL school, great location, for $875/month. You can really beat that!

The down side, we won't have a yard and we will probably have to get rid of our beloved cats. This is actually really sad. Not so much for me, but more for the girls. They LOVE their cats. They are basically their children. The apartment allows cats, but for 2 pets, it is a $450 non-refundable pet fee. Nathan made the comment that we just can't justify spending $450 on our cats when we are really trying to get out of debt. Plus it's an extra $15/month in rent for them. That's not really the big deal. It's mostly the up-front cost. At first, I tried to convince him we should keep the cats, but I think he is probably right. $450 is a lot of money. Anyway, we're haven't totally made a decision on this, but will in the next few days. As crazy as it sounds, we're both trying to seek the Lord on this. We want to keep the girls' lives as stable as we can, but don't want to be irresponsible with our money. I'll keep you updated.

Anyway, thank you, thank you, thank you, to those who have donated and those who have been praying. Maye you all be blessed exceedingly this week!

Fundraising Update

2009-03-31T11:55:00.000-07:00

To date, I have raised just about 1/2 of the $3,000 that I need to raise in order to be able to go to Africa in June. Thank you SO very much to all who have donated. I have been extremely blessed by each and every one of you.

I still need about 40 people to participate in my $39 x 77 Fundraising Campaign. I ask you to consider being one of the 77 and donating $39. I assure you, it will be money well spent. You can find out all about the $39 x 77 Fundraising Campaign HERE.

Although the deadline for the total amount due is June 1st, I need about 70% of the money in by April 2nd (IN 2 DAYS!) to cover some immediate costs. If you would like to be one of the 77, please follow the donation instructions on the $39 x 77 blog post.

Thank you so very much!

Looking for a House...Please Read

2009-03-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

Ok...This has nothing to do with Africa, but thought it might help to post this here...

I wanted to let you know that Nathan and I are looking for a place to live starting near the end of April. We are selling our house and will most likely be closing on April 30th. We are aggressively trying to pay off debt. That is our #1 goal for the next year.

Can you help us get the word out? Do you by chance know anyone that is going to be out of town for the next 6 months to a year that would like someone to house sit for them? This nice family of 4 is up for it. I know it is a long shot, but God is big. We figured you never know until you ask, and there may be someone out there needing someone to sit on there house for a while. :) Oh, and for school purposes, it needs to be in Williamson County. Beyond that, we are not picky at all. Tiny or huge, condo or house, big yard or no yard, we are ready for anything.'l We'll even take care of pets and plants!

Additionally, if you are aware of a very inexpensive rental that will be available at the end of April, let us know. Again, needs to be in Williamson County (except Fairview), in a safe location, and very inexpensive. Even a carriage house or guest house would be fine. Our kids are young so we can squeeze into something smallish. We are trying to get out of debt in 1-2 years. It's an ambitious goal, but one we really want to do. We're hoping once we do this, it will be done once and for all and we will never have to do it again. :) Thanks guys!

P.S. We can also barter tree work for rent. Lots and lots of tree work!

Please help us get the word out!!

Heartbreaking Orphan Statistics

2009-03-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

Every 15 SECONDS, another child becomes an AIDS orphan in Africa.

Every DAY 5,760 more children become orphans.

Every YEAR 2,102,400 more children become orphans (in Africa alone).

There are 143,000,000* orphans in the world today. The population of orphans theoretically makes up the 7th largest nation in the world.

Orphans in the world today spend an average of 10 years in an orphanage or foster home.

Every YEAR 14,050,000 children grow up as orphans and AGE OUT of the system.

Every DAY 38,493 children AGE OUT.

Every 2.2 SECONDS, another orphan child AGES OUT with no family to belong to and no place to call home.

Many of these children accept job offers that ultimately result in their being sold as slaves. Millions of girls are sex slaves today, simply because they were unfortunate enough to grow up as orphans.

*Reliable statistics are difficult to find, even the sources often list only estimates, and street children are rarely included. But even if these figures are exaggerated by double, it is still an unacceptable tragedy that over a Million children would still become orphans every year, and every year 7 Million children would still grow to adulthood as orphans with no one to belong to and no place to call home. They are totally vulnerable and easily fall prey to predators and slave recruiters.

(Data provided by UNICEF)

Don't let these numbers and statistics just be "numbers." These are CHILDREN. Real, live, human beings. Just like you. Just like me. Just like your children. Just like my children.

For a moment I image my children, my beautiful Ellie and Libby, without a mommy or daddy. I imagine them growing up with no one to lay in bed with them when they have a bad dream. No one to see them blow out the candles year after year. No one to journey through with them and walk alongside of them through the challenges of life. Tears are streaming down my face.

It just isn't right. God, give us wisdom to know what to do, to know how to act, and courage to be obedient to what you tell us.

Are YOU one of the 77?...$39 x 77

2009-03-25T20:00:00.000-07:00

I started my fundraising efforts on March 16th. I needed to raise $3,000. I was curious to know how much money needed to come in each day to make my goal by the due date on June 1st. From March 16th to June 1st was a total of 77 days. I did some calculations and figured out that I needed $39 each day to make the goal of $3,000. That's it...77 people to donate $39. That seemed so doable to me!

Will you consider partnering with me? Will YOU be one of the 77?

*Scroll down to see how to donate.

In case you missed it, here are some of the specific organizations we will be working with and activities we will be doing while in Africa:

Ethiopia

Kids Kare Orphanage

Ahope AIDS Orphanage

AWAA Transitional Home

Kidmia Homes

~Spending time with street kids

~Possibly visiting a leper colony

~Possibly working at the Mother Theresa Orphanage

~Possibly at an orphanage out in a more rural area

Uganda

New Hope Uganda
Amani Baby Cottage
Canaan Children's Home
Amazima Ministries

I feel as though God has specifically called me to care for the fatherless and more specifically to Africa. I am eagerly awaiting the opportunity to love and serve His glorious children and those who care for them.

I ask you to consider donating $39 to fund this trip.

Two Ways to Donate:

1. Via This Blog

This is very easy. Just click on the "Chip-In" link on the right side bar near the top. Your donation will be processed through paypal.

2. By Check

Make your check out to: Visiting Orphans

Mail to:

Mindy Spradlin

204 Cavalcade Circle

Franklin, TN 37069

*Your check will be tax-deductible.

And the Winner Is...

2009-03-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

To find out the winner of our $350 Portrait Photography Package from Erica Erck Photography, watch the little video.

A Great Team Meeting...and Updates!

2009-03-23T19:00:00.001-07:00

I just got done with a great team meeting with some of the others that will be heading to Africa with me this summer. What a great group of people! This week I hosted the meeting at my house and we had about 10 in attendance with another several joining us on the computer via Skype. There are 18 members of our team from all different ages and walks of life. How wonderful!

Amanda Lawrence from American World Adoption and her husband Simon are leading the trip. They are doing such a fabulous job managing it all. Amanda filled us in on several new details of what we will be doing in Uganda. We had been waiting for a few weeks to get these details so it was really exciting. The first part of our trip will be in Ethiopia and the second part will be in Uganda. We will be in Uganda from June 26-July 3. Here are couple of organizations that we will be assisting while there. You can click on them to visit their websites.

New Hope Uganda

Amani Baby Cottage

Canaan Children's Home

Amazima Ministries

Each of these organizations looks to be doing amazing things for the people of Uganda, and I feel honored and humbled to be able to walk alongside of them and serve them in any way I can.

Fundraising Update: I have raised $1,044 so far. That leaves $1,956 left to raise with $1,056 needing to come in by April 2nd. I humbly ask you to consider donating. I currently am running 2 fundraising campaigns. Click on the links below to see the specifics of each one.

Raffle for an AMAZING Portrait Photography Package (ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT!)

$39 x 77 -Will you be one of the 77?

Prayer Pray...

that our team would continue to grow and bond together.

that the Lord would provide all the necessary money that I need to fundraise.

that my relationship with the Lord would grow to a deeper intimacy unlike anything I have ever know.

that Nathan and I would sell our house quickly and easily.

that the Lord would provide the perfect place for us to live once our house sells.

that the Lord would protect Nathan as he works each day.

that I would not get overwhelmed in the midst of the current level of craziness that is abounding in our lives.

Thank you all very much!

P.S. The picture on the blog post is of a little boy at the Amani Baby Cottage. How precious is he??

Our 1st Raffle!!

2009-03-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

Today begins our first raffle! So exciting!

How would you like a Portrait Photography Package worth $350 for only $15??

Erica Erck Photography has generously donated a photography package worth $350. Erica Erck is one of the most renowned baby, child, and family photographers in all of Middle Tennessee. Her photography is just amazing! Check out her website here.

The Prize Package Includes:

A Lifestyle Portrait Session (Worth $150)

5 x 5 Book (Worth $125)

A $75 Print Credit

(See all specifics below)

This can all be yours for a $15 donation to my trip to Africa. 100% of the raffle money will go to Visiting Orphans to cover the cost of my trip to Ethiopia and Uganda to work and care for orphans there.

How to Enter & Info about the Raffle:

Use the "Chip In" link on the right hand side of this blog to make your donation and purchase your ticket.
For each $15 you donate, you will get 1 entry.
You can enter as many times as you would like.
Each entry will be put into a hat and the winner will be drawn from the hat at the close of the raffle. The drawing will be videotaped and the drawing and announcement will be shown on this blog.
The raffle begins on March 21st and ends on March 25th at 6pm.
The Price Package can be redeemed anytime after July. (Erica is on maternity leave from May-July).
Winner must contact Erica & redeem package before December 31, 2009.

Members of the Hyatt & Spradlin families are not allowed to enter.

Specifics of Prize Package

Lifestyle Portrait Session:

*An unhurried shoot on a Mon-Thurs morning lasting up to two hours

*Location of choice at Erica's studio, outdoors, or at your home

*Digital images fully retouched as needed and delivered online at a secure proofing gallery in a combination of color, black & white, and antique

*Unlimited groupings of people, poses, and clothing changes

5 x 5 Hardbound Book:

There are six material options including a black fabric or three different leathers in black, tan, or red, or a custom designed photo art cover. Each book is created from your vertical or horizontal images, and includes up to 20 images per book, with additional pages available for $2.00/image. Larger books are available for an additional fee.

$75 Print Credit

(Luster, metallic, art paper edited, retouched prints)

What God Says about Orphans...

2009-03-18T19:46:00.001-07:00

Thinking of donating to the cause of orphans? Read a few of God's promises and thoughts about the orphans & poor below. Fascinating!

Prov. 19:17. He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed.

Psalm 113: 7-8. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap: He makes them sit with princes, with the princes of His people.

Prov. 31:8. Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.

Deu 24:18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.

Deu 10:21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow.

Ps. 82:3 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

Jam 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

*If you would like to donate to my trip to Africa to care for some of the FATHERLESS of this world, please see the previous post for how to do this.

Will You Join the Journey?

2009-03-17T06:45:00.001-07:00

I want to humbly ask each of you to join in my journey to Ethiopia & Uganda. This is not something I can accomplish by myself. It is going to take God, me, and YOU. It takes many to accomplish God's will. Some are the hands, some the feet, and some the eyes. There are many different roles. Here are the ways you can join in:

1. Prayer

There are specific prayer needs that I will be posting on this blog through the next few months. I would be extremely grateful if you would join me in praying for them. When a group of 20 people join together to go across the world to a foreign land to show the love of Christ, there are bound to be numerous challenges. Satan is not going to like what is going on and is going to do everything in his power to put a stop to it.

2. Financial Support

I need to raise a total of $3,000. I'm trying to have all this money in by June 1st. However, and this is where I need my faith to really kick in, I have to have the total amount of my airfare in by April 2nd. The airfare alone cost approx. $2,100. I have raised about $400 this week so I have 2 weeks to raise the additional $1,700. I humbly ask you to consider making a donation.

On Sunday I started a Facebook fundraising campaign that I will run on this blog as well. It is called $39 x 77. You can see the link here. When I started the campaign, I had 77 days left to fundraise. I figured out how much money I would need to have each day to reach the goal of $3,000. The daily total is ONLY $39. That seems so doable! I need 77 people to donate $39 to cover all 77 days. You can choose to cover 1, 2, 3, or more days. Also, any donation, no matter how large or small, is greatly appreciated. Will you be one of the 77? On the Facebook page, you can see how many days are covered so far. Again, I need $1,700 by April 2nd. Please prayerfully consider partnering with me in caring for and loving on God's beloved children in Africa.

You can donate in 1 of 2 ways:

1. Donate Online by using the "Chip-In" link on the right-hand side of this blog. Your donation will be processed through paypal.

2. Donate by Mail

Send Your Check (made out to Visiting Orphans) to me at:

Mindy Spradlin

204 Cavalcade Circle

Franklin, TN 37069

*Your donation by mail is tax deductible.

Thank you in advance for all your support. Each of you, some I have never even met, are very much appreciated!

*And once again, please subscribe to this blog using the subscription box at the top right-hand side of the blog. That way you will receive an email each time I post an update.*

I'm heading to Africa!

2009-03-15T19:53:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone out there is blogland. I created this blog in order to document my very first, but hopefully not my last, journey to Africa. I will be heading to Ethiopia and Uganda on June 20th and returning on July 4th. I can't even tell you how excited I am! Our primary goal while in Africa is orphan care. In the coming weeks I will know a lot more about the specific of what we will be doing. I'll share the itinerary with you when I get it. For know I know that we will be going to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia and working in 1 or more orphanages. In Uganda will be working with Katie from Amazima Ministries. The organization that is setting up the trip is called Visiting Orphans.

I met my team for the first time last Monday. It was such a joy! I love being with people who are passionate about sometime very important to me...orphan ministry. The Bible is so specific about the fact that Christians are called to take care of orphans. I have been involved with the Orphan Ministry at my church, Grace Chapel, and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Years ago I went to Romania & China to work with orphans. It absolutely changed my life.

There are orphans all over the world, including right here in America. You may be wondering why I chose to go to Africa. I honestly don't have a very specific answer except that I know, without a doubt in my mind, that God has called me to go. It is not a very convenient time for me to be planning a trip to the other side of the world. We have had an extremely stressful year. We have been through job loss and are putting our house on the market on Tuesday and I am currently working about 3 part-time jobs in addition to planning my next consignment sale for my company Little Sprouts. God is so faithful though. He has provided our every need and I have learned to recognize what is really important. It has been a painful journey, but one I would not change. The lessons I have learned are more valuable than gold! After Nathan lost his job, he started his business back up. After a VERY slow winter season, his phone is starting to ring. Praise God! All that to say, in the midst of being mommy, working, and everything else going on, it is difficult to fit in fundraising, team meetings, planning, and all the intricacies that goes in to preparing for this trip. But I trust in One much great than me. It lifts a great weight off to know that I don't have to figure it all out. God has very clearly and specifically called me to go. I chose to be obedient, and I know He will work out all the details. And did I mention that I am SOOO excited?!

Please pray for me as I begin this journey.

Make sure to subscribe to my blog so you can get an update each time a write a new blog post.