Some of my favorites

An amazing group - all former prostitutes now experiencing freedom

Lunch with the street boys, Ambo

Women at Risk, Nazarett

Ellen at Little A HOPE, ironically hearing a HOPE t-shirt not HO

Kachene, Addis Ababa

My little man in Ambo who lived on the streets
an amazingly talented little boy.

Compassion Kids, Ambo

Tons of wet kisses

Watching a muddy volleyball game, Compassion kids, Ambo

Women at Risk - Nazaret, Ethiopia

Ambo cont.

We spent Wednesday with the Street Boys once again. On Wednesday’s we
hang out with them in the morning teaching them English, having a
Bible lesson and playing sports. These kids are incredibly athletic.
After the morning we feed them lunch. On the days we hang out with
them we also feed them dinner. This is very important to the ministry
because by having the kids hang out with us all day they are not able
to work. For these kids they work each day so they can eat. They
have no rent, no bills to pay just to eat. When they cannot work a
day they cannot eat that night. So it is very important that when we
hang out with them all day we feed them as well.

It has been amazing to see how God has broken down some barriers while
we have been here. Remember me saying how the Street Boys are viewed
as “toxic”. We had to seek special permission to have the street boys
on the church/school property. The elders of the church reluctantly
agreed. However, we were told to not allow any of the compassion
children and the street boys to mix with each other. We were also
told that the church was off limits for the boys to enter. The first
couple of days that we were with the street boys there were elders
sitting around the compound watching what we were doing and making
sure the street boys weren’t crossing their boundaries. It was
amazing to see God break down these walls. By the third time of
hanging out with the boys one elder began playing volleyball with us
and the boys. This was absolutely unheard of before. By the forth
day there were more elders joining in. The elders even gave us
permission to have our “Christmas in July” celebration in the church
with the boys. God is breaking down walls in amazing ways and is
doing it fast. It was awesome to be able to see some of the fruits of
our labor so quickly.
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Thursday we hung out with the street boy for what was my last time
with them. When we arrived we saw one of the boys laying on the
ground with tears coming from his eyes. I had remembered this boy
limping the day before but he never brought any attention to it. The
boy is very quiet and would rarely talk. When he did talk he was
always looking down at the ground even to other Ethiopians. After
some time we were able to find out from him that he stepped on a nail
the previous day. This boy in particular like many of the street boys
has no shoes. Therefore, stepping on a nail can be a big problem.
His foot had been wrapped but he was in a lot of pain. My biggest
concern was that this boy needed a tetanus shot. So, I went and got
permission to take this boy to a clinic. Once we were told that the
clinic would cost 10 birr …. $1 there was obviously no question in our
minds. A teammate of mine (Eric), myself, a translator (Samson) and
another street boy piled in the bus to find the clinic. The boys
pants were ripped up the side of his leg and filled with holes. They
were literally hanging on by a thread. He was dirty, smelly, had no
shoes and his feet were covered in mud. We found a clinic and were
quickly told that the doctors was not there and they had no tetanus
shots. We loaded the bus once again and were off to find another
clinic. We walked off the main road to the clinic. The boy was in so
much pain he couldn’t walk so Eric picked him up and carried him. The
boy was probably 15-17 years old. As we approached the clinic we saw
tons of people in lines everywhere. There seemed to be no rhyme or
reason to the process. One thing was certain we were definitely the
sight to see. There was not one person there that did not have their
eyes fixed on us. Anywhere we go in town we are always being starred
at and talked about. We are definitely the only white people that
hang out in the town. The stares were magnified at the clinic because
we were two white people at the clinic and we were carrying a
Ethiopian boy in our arms…. A Ethiopian Street boy at that. We were
told to find join a line and it would probably be all day to see the
doctor. It was very frustrating because while we were told that it
would be all day we were sitting on a bench outside while 7-10 nurses
stood and starred at us. I was concerned that we would sit there for
hours and they would not have what we needed. We finally got a nurse
to talk with us and he said we need to go to the pharmacy to see if
they even had the shot available. Silly me, I thought the Doctor
would give the shot at the clinic. So we were off to the pharmacy.
Finally after our trek all around town the pharmacy had the shot we
needed. We told them what happened and what we needed so they agreed
to go ahead and give him the shot with out a prescription. I asked
for them to also give us something for the pain and to wrap the wound.
When I looked at the box of pain killers they had given us it said it
was for muscle and joint pain. I refused it and asked them to give us
something different. Instead they gave us aspirin. It was so
frustrating. I had to remember that the most important thing was for
him to get the shot. The total bill was 23 birr …. $2.30.…
unbelievable. Yet this is normally not an option for most of the
people. I was thankful that we were there when it happened so that we
could take him to the clinic. However, I was frustrated with the
process, the lack of quality care, the stares and the politics. I had
to remember that even the small amount of care that we were able to
get for the boy would have been impossible if we hadn’t taken him. It
is a sobering reminder of the reality of these boys lives on a daily
basis.

Street Boys - Ambo

The remainder of our week was spent with boys who live on the street. Again cultural relevance is important. In America we do not have any population that resembles the street boys. The boys are not like homeless people that you may see on the streets of large U.S. cities. These boys range from all ages beginning at about. Each one of them have a story. There are many reasons why these boys live on the streets. The have been orphaned by the death of their parents, they have been kicked out of their homes because their family is too poor to care for them or they have fled their homes to be spared of physical and sexual abuse that is occurring in their homes. The only common denominator is that these boys live on the streets and as terrible as life on the streets is for them it is better than their other options. As a result these boys have become their own family. They take care of each other, live together, work together and try to survive together.

We fed the boys, taught the boys English, played games with them, taught them how to play kickball and had a bible study with them. I really struggled the day we had the bible study with them. It is so hard to reconcile these worlds and how they all work together. One of the girls on our team did a great job telling the story of Phillip and an Ethiopian man. The hard part came later. When explaining the work that Christ has done on our behalf so that you may no longer have seperation between you and God. She explained that sin seperates us from God and that some examples of sin are stealing, lying, cheating, etc. I looked at these boys in the face and all I could think of was I wonder what they are thinking. What are these boys supposed to do. They probably have to steal and cheat just to eat at night... to help them survive. How does this work? I am not doubting God's providence, absolute truth or the ability to radically change a persons heart BUT what does it look like for these boys. Is it realistic for these boys to leave this lifestyle. Can they even comprehend what it would be to be a follower of Jesus? I have no idea. All I know is I have to keep praying. It is not up to me to understand or comprehend. God does not have to explain Himself to me but I would love for it to make sense. It was a good but hard day. It was hard to reconcile these worlds and it probably always will be. It is not right for these kids to be on the street. It is not ok. It is not ok that maybe the only meal that they will have this week is the one that we fed them. It is not ok that fights broke out between boys over scraps of food that remained on the plates. It is not ok that older boys were threatening the younger boys to give them his food. It is not ok that a little boy was crying so hard that he could barely eat his food. It is not ok that I had to grab the older boys by the arm and push them away and stand to protect the younger boy so he could eat a meal. It is not ok. We live in a fallen and sinful world and it is not ok. It is hard, it does not make sense, it is not fair and there is nothing that I can do to fix it. All I can do is pray for these boys and share with them the truth that God has redeemed His children. That may not be enough for this world but it is enough for eternity. I have to remember that we were not made for this world. We were made for something greater. These boys were not made for this world. I pray that they will someday know that they were made for something greater.

Compassion International Children - Ambo

The majority of our week was spent with about 200 children ranging from 1 yr to 15 yrs old. These children are all sponsored by Compassion International. The compound is in the center of their “neighborhood”. On the compound is a Church, two old school rooms and 5 new class rooms which the Mocha Club helped to build this past year. These children are rough… they find strength in their numbers. We are definitely out numbered by the children. The first morning with the children was absolute chaos It was hard, frustrating, overwhelming and tiring. We took a short break for lunch and our team fell apart. The thought of being with these kids for three weeks sent us all over the edge. We all wanted to quit and not go back. However, God was so gracious. Morning and afternoon was like day and night. It was such a great times with the kids. We got them under control and where able to actually enjoy spending time with them. We split the groups up between boys and girls and then by age group. The kids spent about an hour and a half in the classroom learning English which they loved. The other hour and a half was spent playing games. I was in charge of games. It is very difficult to teach children games when you cannot even speak the same language. I had an interpreter in and out but for the most part I was on my own. By the end of the week we were able to understand each other fairly well and they were listening much better. I have to admit that one of the reasons they listened better was because of the stick that I held in my hand all day. Now before you gasp in fear and disappointment let me explain a bit. One thing I have learned is how much important cultural relevance is when another culture especially Africa. What works in America does not work in Africa. What is practiced, accepted and encouraged in Africa is not in America. So… in Africa kids behave and respond when you have a stick in your hand. Often just the threat is enough but other times a hit on the desk in a class room was required by a translator. It is weird because it is not just a fear thing. It is just what works. So, I quickly found a stick. This is Africa.

Addis to Ambo

This past week we have been in a small town called Ambo. It is about 2.5 hours outside of Addis Ababa. Ambo is our “home” for the month. We are here during the weeks and then travel to Addis Ababa for the weekends. I love the drive to and from Ambo. It is through the country side and you see a pure Africa. The air is clean and fresh. The grass is green and then fields are being plowed by two cattle bound together by a yoke and a man following behind. There is no AC in the bus of course so we ride through the country side with the windows open. There are huts along with way with women laying out laundry in the grass to dry. Kids are playing in the rocks and the mud puddles. Cattle, donkeys and goats are often in the middle of the road. Boys no older than 7 are shepherding animals along the side of the road. Besides the few cars and buses on the main paved road there are none. When looking out of the window you will not see any trucks, cars, tractors, construction equipment, industrial plants just peace. It is an amazing sight. It is a great time to sit, think, be quiet, reflect, struggle, pray, worship. I love the drive to and from Ambo.

Day 4 Nazaret- Women at Risk

Nazaret is kind of a transition town. Lots of hustle and bustle. People traveling thru. Lots of noise, pollution and people. Apparently, there are lots of Prostitutes as well. The number we have been given is about 5,000 women usually between the ages of 16-25. These woman have left home because of abuse, poverty, being kicked out of there home. Rarely have these women chosen to pursue prostitution bec they want to live that lifestyle of are enticed by money.

We have been in Nazaret all week and have spent our days with 11 women and their children at a rehabilitation center for women that are trying to leave behind a life of prostitution. I say women loosely. The women here are as young as 16. One of them does not even look 10 years older than their daughter. Each morning we went and met the women for bible study. We spent the time with a devotion, singing and testimonies. They sang songs for us and it was a great time of worship together. Even though we could not understand what they were singing is was wonderful just hearing and seeing them praise God. We sang a couple of songs for them and Americans (esp white Americans) just don’t have the rhythm and soul that they have. It was very weak compared to their songs! I have some awesome video that I can’t wait to upload. After singing we had a devotion. Everyday except one the staff from the center gave the devotion. The other day they asked one of us to speak so after awkward silence I volunteered. It went well. It was challenging at times bec you have to wait on the translators but other than that it went well. After devotions we had 2 members of our team and 2 of the women give their testimony. It was such an amazing and special time hearing their stories. They were so open and vulnerable with their lives and their past. They each shared stories of the death of mothers and fathers, physical and sexual abuse, rejection, poverty, abortions, being possessed by evil spirits, war, and not being able to keep their children. All of them eventually ending up living a life of prostitution in an effort to flee their unbearable life. They would live in the back of bars and work the bars in the evenings. Over time each of these women had made their way to the rehabilitation center. For some it was their first time there and for others they had tried to leave the life of prostitution many times before. Tragically the choices that each of them has made has will ultimately lead to death. At least 2 of 11 shared that they are HIV positive and I am sure that there are many others that are infected. Both of the women have children… one is negative and the other is HIV positive. Each of these women must go thru the 12 step program which includes counseling. They are given a monthly budget and are able to pay for rent with that money. They come to the center and have bible studies, group therapy, individual counseling, day care, cooking classes, arts and crafts, and learning other household and daily skills that they were never taught.

This center has been a life blood for these women. Women who have become outcast from society, rejected by their families, left with no resources or ability to provide for themselves now have hope. Women who had no where to go, no where to teach them life skills, no one to love and accept them and most importantly no one to share with them the love, grace and forgiveness of Christ. These women have been given an amazing gift thru the women that work at the center. They have been taught that Christ has offered forgiveness, acceptance and righteousness. They now have hope. Life. A future. I heard women bear their souls and tell virtual strangers the most intimate details of their lives. I watched as their eyes filled up with pain, sadness and embarrassment. I listened as they told us that they once believed that God did not love them or that they were being punished. I saw them cry as they told us about their doctor giving them the news that they are HIV positive. I cried with them as they explained that their baby is also HIV positive. But it did not stop there…. My heart rejoiced as they explained the forgiveness and love that they have received from their Savior. I prayed over them as they shared that the tears they are crying are not from the pain of the past but the hope for their future. I praised God as they shared that they have been given a new life… that they are now a new creation.

This past week was an unbelievable week. I was so honored to hear their stories and to be encouraged by their faith. They are humble and broken women who are seeking after the Lord. They rely on Him desperately to give them grace and strength to continue to change their lives. As hard as it was to hear these painful stories there was also something so freeing about being with these women. There is freedom in the utter desperation for something greater than themselves. There pleas to be forgiven and restored. I see these women and do not have pity on them but actually envy them. I so envy their brokenness, humility, love, desperation, love, acceptance, joy, freedom, hope and ability to rejoice and give praise like nothing I have ever seen before. I am so thankful for these women. I am thankful that while my life circumstances have not been the same as these women God has saved me from a life of utter desperation. Thank you for praying for my time with these women and their children. I can’t wait to be able to share with you pictures and video of my time with them. It is amazing how God uses those who are seen as the lowest of the low to bring blessing and hope to so many. God is at work within these women and the town of Nazaret. Thank you for being a part of the work that He is doing. Please continue to pray for these women as they have a long and difficult journey ahead of them.