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
Praying and trusting God for you all and that your goals and purpose of going will be more than fulfilled to the glory of God and the blessing of children who need the love of families. Isaiah 41:10 is a great promise to lay hold on. Pastor Warren.
ReplyDeletePrayer: Bless this Team with compassion as they go day by day. Lord, keep them safe. May they reach and touch those You send along their path, in and by and thru the Love of Christ. May they see Jesus in every kindness shown them.
ReplyDeletePrayer: Bless this Team with compassion as they go day by day. Lord, keep them safe. May they reach and touch those You send along their path, in and by and thru the Love of Christ. May they see Jesus in every kindness shown them.
ReplyDeleteKeeping you all in my thoughts and prayers!
ReplyDelete