Children

Bonding over a game of marbles and over coloring books.  Kicking soccer balls, blowing bubbles. Smiling and laughing.  Holding babies.  Hugging children, clapping hands.  That is how we spent our time at Miskeye orphanage Friday morning.  There were only about 25 children, so we got to spend more one-on-one time.  We gave the children notes from people at our churches, and asked them to write a message for us to take back.  One 8 year old boy wrote in Amharic, "I don't know how to write very well."  Jadyn encouraged him to draw a picture, so he did that too.  He loved playing "don't let the ball touch the ground."  An older boy spoke and wrote good English.  He wrote "God will never let you down" on his card.  Such amazing faith!

Yet another great experience with children was at Life Through EDU (stands for education) on Saturday afternoon.  This program was started by an Ethiopian in partnership with an adoptive family from Indiana.  The ministry provides food and educational support for 19 children.  To read their stories, go to www.lifethruedu.org.  The support comes from individual sponsors in the US; Alison is sponsoring 3 of the children, and she was able to meet them!   We served as the mailman, bringing letters and pictures and stickers from the sponsors.  You should have seen the children's faces as their names were called to come up and receive their mail!  Such joy!  Mitchell led a fun and funny time of playing with a big parachute-so many giggles!  Ben entertained with his loon call, and engineered the assembly of "buzzer button" toys for each of the children.  Mitchell got up close and personal putting on soccer ball tattoos.  Chas' beard was a big hit, as usual.  Several girls got great delight from braiding Jadyn's and Bethany's hair.  It has been so encouraging to us to see the way children are being helped, especially as we are overwhelmed by seeing the great need.   There are lots of options for joining in the effort and making a difference, and we can speak from this week's experience-it is definitely more blessed to give than to receive!

"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"  Acts 20:35