Collision

Where Stories Collide

That is the motto for Storyteller Missions, and I can tell you, there's been a lot of colliding today!  There has been so much deep emotion and so much connection, and all of the team members are a little (or more than a little) overwhelmed.

The verse that I think of is "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."  Psalm 34:18.  We are seeing and even experiencing brokenness, but we are also witnessing the nearness and provision of God.

We spent our day in Korah, a very poor part of the city adjacent to the garbage dump.  We visited several ministries that are empowering and serving, focusing on people's value and offering them opportunity to help themselves.  It was inspiring!  So many lessons for us to take home.

Some details from Ben's perspective...

Today was a very busy day. This morning we helped feed the kids and some of the moms in Korah through the organization "Hope for Korah". All the people who come get a cup of tea and a berta pancake (a bread full of nutrition). It was very fun to serve and interact with the kids. After that we went and had pop with the elders [older men who have significant deformities from leprosy]. They were very nice and one even sang us a song. I thought that the song was very good. The translator told us the song was about how the Lord is good and puts us in the place meant for us. We went to a place where they were teaching moms to be self sufficient and start their own artisan businesses. I thought it was incredible how the ladies could make beads out of paper and glue. I thought it was nice that the organization didn't give them money but helped them make it themselves. There was a very similar thing we also saw that gave women the chance to make bags and other cloth products to be sold so they can raise their children. You can tell that they are very proud of their work.

Now from Jadyn...

If anyone were to ask me how today went, I would say that I left my heart at Korah. I truly love interacting with all ages- from baby to elder. Today I was able to interact with every age. There were two organizations, "Hope For Korah" and "Carry 117"- coming from Isaiah 1:17. "Hope for Korah" truly impacted me, (please go follow them both on facebook and check out their websites). They both have a hand up mentality rather than a hand out, trying to help these significantly poor families who most are without fathers and caring for multiple children all while trying to attend to daily needs. "Hope for Korah" is much larger, and was truly inspiring and overwhelming all at the same time. These families are really striving to work and earn money. The products we all purchased today were products that were made by the women in the compounds and the money raised goes to their bank accounts to help build their future and develop skills to go out on their own. They forever have my heart, what beautiful programs and mindsets these people have all while incorporating our "Good Good Father" into their ministry.

 

Compassion

COMPASSION
a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.  

Not just a word.  Not just an organization that releases children from poverty through child sponsorship.  We lived compassion today.

Natanim
Simon
Yonas
Yosef
Erimyas
Hiwot
Nardos
Eyob
Dagmawit
Lelisea
Robel
Gemeda

12 beautiful children and their guests gave us the opportunity to follow Jesus' example. "And He took the children in His arms, placed His hands on them and blessed them."  

For us that took the form of learning about Compassion's work at a child center, visiting Natanim's home (all 11 of our team fit inside, but barely), hugging, giving gifts, riding rides at an Ethiopian amusement park, eating lunch at a rooftop restaurant and playing at a mall arcade.  All the while, we had the very moving experience of connecting with a child and communicating how special and loved they are and watching them sparkle and shine as they received our love.  Each member of our team was deeply impacted.  We all now have a new understanding of 
Compassion.

Here's Matt's experience...
Before this trip, and probably today, I was skeptical of Compassion-type organizations. My only real exposure to Compassion was from occasionally receiving a pamphlet with a few sad looking kids from around the world who were in need of sponsorship. Sponsoring a child involves a monthly donation of a set amount with the option to exchange letters with your child. This all looks great on paper I thought, but what really happens to the money donated? How in the world does one specific child halfway across the world really get this money? It all seemed rather sketchy. You have this poor, sad child in need and I am just expected to send a check in the mail every month and somehow the problem is solved? No way. I wasn't falling for that. 

Well, today changed my mind and my heart. Little did I know that to sponsor a child was far more involved than just sending a monthly donation. When a child receives a sponsorship it opens up so many opportunities for them. It allows them to get an education, receive medical care, stay with their family and most importantly hear about Jesus. I saw first hand today one of Compassions' project sites today and met the leader who explained just how much it means to the children to receive sponsorship. We also had the opportunity to visit the home of one of the little girls who is sponsored. Later in the day we actually got to meet Yonas, a 17 year old young man who my fiancé Bethany and I just started to sponsor a couple months ago. I realized then that he was more than just a picture in a pamphlet.  He is a very sweet, kind and fun loving child who was so grateful to meet us and so thankful and appreciative after only a couple short months of sponsorship. After today I can say that I am now a believer in Compassion and am really looking forward to continuing my relationship with Yonas. I can tell you firsthand that you will be just as blessed as the child you sponsor.

**We have so many photos to share but are having difficulties with the wifi...hope to be posting lots of pictures soon!!

Sunday

How appropriate that our first full day here is a day of worship.  We are filled with love for our Savior and gratitude for this opportunity to serve Him by serving others.  

We joined the International Evangelical Church in Addis Ababa today, and we were reminded in song and sermon of the goodness and kindness of our God.  We sang "Good, Good Father," together with believers from many lands as this church is a church home for many missionaries as well as some of the local community.  As I pondered the goodness of our Father, I thought of it in the light of what Alison had shared during devotions.  The truth of the Gospel is true for us and also for every single mother in Ethiopia.  He loves us the same.   We are praying that we can experience and explore and share that love this week.  

The sermon was about how an encounter with Jesus can disorient us.  We can certainly identify with disorientation after our 36 hour journey and interruption in not just our normal daily routines, but also our eating and sleeping schedule and our experience of so many new things.  We want to be disoriented so we can re-orient to God's work and allow Him to use us as catalysts for His work this week.

We had lunch at a restaurant and learned some more about Ethiopian culture at a museum at the university.  33 soccer balls have been inflated, 22 45-50 lb bags of donations have been emptied and sorted, and we are getting ready to meet 12 Compassion-sponsored children tomorrow.  We are so thankful for your prayers and your love!  

Our prayer for you, borrowed from Paul...

we "pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Let us also introduce you to our team:

Team Leader Alison and her son Will from Ohio

Leah and her son Ben from Ohio

Jadyn from Ohio

Chas and Hannah, a father/daughter duo from Kentucky

Shannon and Mitchell from Massachusetts

and engaged couple, Bethany and Matt from Arizona

Off We Go

We are finishing up packing and making plans for everything to run smoothly at home while we are away!  Our team of eleven will all officially meet for the first time Friday morning at the Boston airport!

We are all excited about the journey ahead...much to learn and experience!  Short term missions many times have a goal to go and accomplish a task.  Our goal is a little different...it is to be with the people of Ethiopia...to learn more about them and their culture...to show them love and kindness.  Yes, this is an orphan ministry...but our primary goal is to see how we can help support families to prevent a child from becoming a poverty orphan.  An orphanage is not where a child belongs.  A child belongs with a family.  Unfortunately we live in a broken world.  We are traveling to Ethiopia knowing that we can't fix things.  We are going so that we can learn and so that we can show love.  Our prayer is that we can do more help than harm...as we know that there is a very fine line between the two.  On this trip we will be spending a lot of our time with ministries that are working hard to keep families together.  They are supporting families right where they are so that another child is not orphaned due to poverty.  We want to learn how to help better.  We want to tell their stories so that friends and family at home can see ways that they can help. 

 But what about the children already living in an orphanage?  These innocent lives that have been stripped from everything familiar?  It is surely no fault of their own that they are in this position.  We will visit them.  We will try to connect, even if only for a short time.  We pray that God will multiply our hugs and smiles and will help them to feel His love through us.  We will try to help meet their most basic needs thanks to so many generous friends and family.  

Please join us in praying for the amazing people we will meet.  Pray for unity, safety and good health for the team!  

 We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. 

Proverbs 16:9