Another video...

Hi, All.  I will be planning a sharing session about the trip on December 9th.  More information to come for those interested in hearing about the trip in person.

In the meantime, here is another video created by one of my teammates!  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhDaZUDK5Ks&feature=share

A Special Video...

One of the women in our group put together this video from our trip... enjoy!

http://animoto.com/play/Rb2qwud5Hlhqm0ctVqFzcw

Church and A Day With the Women

11/11/12

We started out the day with an African church service, which included a wedding.  What a treat for each of us!  I have a video I will try to share later.

While in this African church, I couldn’t help but look around and see the humility and total dependence on God in this place.  The simplicity of their lives and total reliance on the Lord is something I have never seen or felt myself in the states.  I don’t even think I can explain in words the emotion in the moments of watching the people worship… uninhibited and humble.  God is in His rightful place, and His hand appears to be all over!

Later that afternoon, we begun pouring into the women who used to work in prostitution.  When we first saw the women, I was reminded of the same look the children gave us.  Very serious, yet very hopeful and somewhat expectant.  The moment you looked into their deep dark eyes and offered a smile, you received in return the most joyful of smiles.  Beautiful, honest smiles!

Throughout our time together we talked about how we are free in Christ.    Like the chrysalis stage of a butterfly, sometimes we feel trapped.  We might be feeling shame or guilt, hurt, loss, or loneliness.  Maybe we are stuck at a place of not being able to forgive someone who has wronged us.  Whatever the situation, God doesn’t want us stuck here.  He wants us to emerge like a butterfly, becoming who He wants us to be, who He has created us to be… to fulfill the purpose He has planned for us.

We reminded the women they are royalty like Queen Esther.  They are daughters of the most high king.  So it was only fitting they should make crowns.  With some Burger King crowns, glue sticks, glitter, glitter glue pens, and gems, the women created their crowns.  Watching these women in excitement as they learned how to use glue sticks and squeeze the glitter pens was humbling.  I wonder if I would have shared the same excitement creating a Burger King crown with a couple of simple supplies.  When they finished, they wore their crowns like daughters of the king!

On this day we also left them with a gift.  My dear mother in law, Joyce, sewed 130 purple scarves and prayed for each of the women we would minister to.  What a glorious gift for these women to remind them of the royal daughters they are!  They wore them around their necks and wrapped them in various ways on their heads.  Here are some pictures of the beautiful women of Hosanna!

Meeting the Orphans and Some Home Visits

What an amazing morning!

11.09.12

We spent a couple of hours with the first 150 of 300 children we would be seeing here in Hosanna.  Greeted by the children saying, “Welcome. Welcome. Welcome.” was simply amazing.   I wish you could hear their sweet accents as they spoke the English words! We were all taken back with the love we received from all of these children. 

Words cannot express the awesomeness of God in that place.

Children singing praises to God, so happy and joyful with so little! 

Jesus Loves Me, This Little Light of Mine, and I Will Make You Fishers of Men were among the songs we taught them.

Here is one of the songs they sang and taught us.

 Download

Another amazing morning!

11.10.12

Back in August our church started a sponsorship program with Hope Chest and the children we have been spending time with.  Our family is sponsoring a young girl named Emebet.  And today, Hannah and I met her!!!  We tried not to overwhelm her with too many kisses, but it was difficult to keep from hugging her!  (We will send pictures when we get home.)

We were able to spend another morning with the children at the school.  They just look at you waiting for you to hold out your arms or offer a smile.  When you do, they joyfully accept!  They crawl into your arms excitedly and grin from ear to ear!  Even the older boys and girls LOVED being hugged and loved!  What a gift to be able to be with them!

Later that afternoon, we visited the pastor's sister.  She knows our team leader and had requested prayer from her and our group.  Days before she had fallen off the ladder.  She lifted her bandage to our discomfort to show us her wound.  Her head had a deep gash and eight stitches.   Our team was able to pray a healing prayer with her.  I have never been a part of something like this.  So powerful calling on the name of Jesus to heal this woman.  It was like an account from one of the gospels when the disciples went out healing people in Jesus' name.  

Three days later this woman visited us at our women's retreat.  The stitches gone.  The gash gone.  Barely visible was the scar.  I remember being in our group singing How Great is Our God and singing it with a whole new declaration.  I always thought I believed in miracles...  the power of God, but I am not sure I truly did.  I realized in that moment I have not truly surrendered my all to Him.  I have limited in my thoughts of what God does and His awesome and mighty power.  

I pray I will never forget what God has shown me on this journey!

We then met friends of our leader, Marybeth.  The family met us with such hospitality, humility, and a love for our Lord.  In this moment, I saw in the people of Ethiopia something I have not possessed.  A genuine faith that somehow seems different than my own.  Their faith is their life.  Their ways are simple.  They have so little as far as material possessions yet their ability to depend on God is overwhelming and inspiring!

And they share the love and joy of Jesus with everyone they encounter!

True lights in this world!

Addis Ababa...

Because of our long journey and delay, today (11/7) we rest and visit the city of Addis Ababa.

On 11/08/12 we visited families in Addis.  We talked and prayed with them and left them with a small bag of food which would feed their family for one month.

One room, dirt floors, and metal walls.  This is what the homes we visited consisted of.  Some had pictures of Jesus posted, others nothing.  No bathrooms inside.  A long walk to use the restroom in a hole in the ground.  Sadness.  Hopelessness.  Sickness.  Poverty.  And yet in the midst of this, you could see the joy in those who truly know Jesus.  

I met a young woman who captured my heart named Emebet.  She was sold to a man to be a housekeeper in Addis.  While she was there, he infected her with HIV.  He then passed away, and she was left on her own.  She lives on $2.50 per month selling beautifully embroidered cloth.  The space in which she lives is smaller than the other homes we visited.  In fact, it was smaller than most of our bathrooms.  When my group asked if we could pray with her, I reached out my hands to hers.  She hesitated as if she was protecting me from her disease.  

I wish I could go back to her.  Say more, do more.  Hug and love her more!  Tell her how beautiful she is.  I feel stronger now than I did on that day... I feel God has changed my faith and I would do things differently.   But I am comforted knowing Jesus can say and do more than I ever can.

Not Without a Little Adventure!

11/07/12

As we sit on the plane heading for Ethiopia, we decided to do a little blogging (to give you the play by play) while we are still awake.

(2:45 came a little too quickly this morning!)

Currently we are somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean… close to the Bay of Biscay.

Temperature: - 81 F  (I am glad we are inside.)

Altitude: 37000

Ground Speed: 498 mph

Local Time:  10:24pm

Estimated Time of Arrival: 1:29 am

Back home Time: 3:24pm

But let’s back up a little.  Let me introduce you to our team back at the Minneapolis airport.   We were the ladies in the matching pink T-shirts.  In fact, Hannah and some of our team were named “the singing pinks” by the wonderful gentleman who took our boarding passes.  You see, Hannah has a checklist of “to do” things from her friends… one of which was sing at the airport.  She invited the group to sing with her and to her surprise, she had several happy participants! 

We then had our first pit stop in Toronto.  As we were entering customs, they made the final call for our connecting flight.  Hannah and I were the last to get through customs and when we entered the terminal, everyone was gone.  I mean gone… vanished, disappeared, invisible, nowhere in sight!  They were of course running to make sure our plane was held.  There was only a small yet significant problem… we didn’t know which gate we were supposed to go to.   We thought we heard “left” so that’s the way we headed… and eventually after RUNNING on those moving walkway thingys… we caught up to our crew at our gate!

Lots of red cheeks and heavy breathing!

Then... an unexpected stop in Rome for some equipment changes?

And we arrive in Africa safely at 10:30 am on November 7^th.  Unfortunately without our 22 checked suitcases.  Suitcases packed full of gifts for the orphans and women!

God must have different plans for us.

Hey everyone! Hannah here and it has been such an adventure already.  As my mom said we about missed everyone at one of our flights.  Boy I got my workout in for a few days. I can’t believe we are actually on the fifteen-hour plane ride on our way over to Ethiopia.  It’s been so amazing already and I can’t wait for Africa!

Keep praying for safety and wisdom as we arrive in the hours to come. 

Love and miss you all!

Prayer Requests...

Thanks to all you prayer warriors!

Please continue praying...

For safety and good health,

obedience to God's leading,

unity as a team,
our lives to be changed,
lives to be changed in Africa,
and for Ben, Grace, and Ry back home!

It's About That Time...

Can you believe it is almost GO time?  In less than 5 hours we will be heading to the airport!  It is hard to believe the time is here!  We have been planning and moving full speed ahead as we have prepared for our departure and the things we will do in Africa... and now it is time.

The funny thing is, as WE prepare for Africa... GOD may be up to something totally different!
Isn't that the way He works?!  And His way is always best!

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.

"As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Isaiah 55:8-9

We cannot wait to share what He does!

Blessings!!!

Blessings...

I want to thank you all, who over the past several weeks, have called, sent emails, or spoken to me personally with your generous words of encouragement and support!  I am overwhelmed with gratitude and cannot thank you enough for the continued prayers for Hannah, myself, and our team!

I have the most amazing family and friends!

You are such blessings in my life!

I do want to introduce you to two amazing groups of people...

Godly Girls (4th and 5th grade girls)

Relevant (Freshmen girls)

These two groups meet in our home twice a month to discuss issues "relevant" to their lives and what God has to say about these issues.  Yesterday I was blessed so deeply by their desire to serve the orphans we will be visiting in Ethiopia.  Instead of talking about themselves and their desires, they helped me create gift packages for the orphans.
When it was time for them to leave, they didn't want to because we hadn't finished the packages.  

They wanted to stay to pack up things for those less fortunate than them.

What hearts of service... simply beautiful!

Ladies, you do so bless my life!  

Please enjoy some pictures.

Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Help the oppressed.
Defend the cause of orphans.
Fight for the rights of widows.
Isaiah 1:17