Ethiopia October 2011 | Day 14

Last day in Addis

As usual we had our devotional time knowing it was going to be the last one. One of our team members shared her personal devotional and also David gave a word. It’s not going to be a goodbye with the Jaja community or with Solomon and Sunait but it’s going to be a “So long”. We may not see each other again in Addis or New York but we know for sure that we will see each other in heaven with Jesus.

We dedicated the morning to prayer and sharing things we had in our hearts. We gave words of encouragement to Solomon and Sunait who are giving themselves to the Jaja community. We prayed that God will continue to bless them and provide for the community. It’s such an example to us seeing what they are doing with such giving hearts.

In the afternoon, we had time to pack before  leaving in the evening. Even as we leave, a part of our hearts are staying here with the kids. We will remember their beautiful smiles and we will keep them in our prayers. It has been an honor to be here and serve. The group is united more than ever and we are so blessed. It’s going to be a long journey flying to New York but we are praying that God will give us favor and trust He will.

Ethiopia October 2011 | Day 13

For our last full day here in Ethiopia we started out by gathering together as a team. We prepared some stuff for our departure tomorrow and had some really nice bonding time with the team and with Solomon and Sunait. We ate lunch and met with some of the kids to play soccer with them. Boy are they good! It was nice to see the team come together and put our best foot forth because none of us are talented in this particular sport. And all the children, the ones playing and the ones watching, seemed to have a really good time. It was a lot of fun.

Afterwards we had our last time with the children of the Jaja community. They were so sweet and continuously hugged us and held our hands. We got to say a few last minute blessings and words of encouragement to them before leaving. It was hard for us to leave and hard for them to let us go as well. They even followed the van as we pulled out and waved goodbye. We left knowing that we have a new family here and them with us and that God did a beautiful work here and we know that He will continue to do so.

We had our last dinner here together tonight. Nobody was quick to leave and we just had some time to reflect and to appreciate the bond that we know we have together as a team. The packing started tonight and we look forward to the half of day we have here tomorrow for prayer.

Ethiopia October 2011 | Day 12

We met this morning for devotions as usual and refocused our mind yet again on the Lord for the day to come. After breakfast we went to an orphanage to visit the children there. They were so precious. We got to see infants and toddlers, many of the kids were already adopted and waiting to be picked up, praise God. The staff there were so loving and kind towards the kids. The team was able to pick the kids up and just spend some time loving on them and singing to them or playing with them. We got out the puppet and the kids loved him. It was a Christian based orphanage and we all sang worship songs together. There was a couple there from Idaho to adopt a little girl, and as we sang they knew the songs and sang with us. Even the ladies from the staff sang, it was a really beautiful time.

We had the privilege of donating a meal to the children and moms of the Jaja community. The woman in the community who normally does all the cooking for the children went to the market and had prepared it, she is a tremendous blessing to that community. The team went to the compound to prepare the drinks and to get candy bags ready to give to the kids. They had their traditional meal which is a treat because they don’t have it too often and we were blessed to be able to serve it to them. Everyone had smiles on their faces and we know that they got to see the love of God today.

There is a boy from the community who has received a scholarship to go to college. He is the first one out of that community to go. He spoke and we presented him with a gift, we know that the kids in the community are looking up to him and we thank God for the example he is giving to them. The young boy stated in front of everyone that he has what he has only because the Lord has blessed him. It is a heartwarming story. The kids got to have dinner and juice and afterward they ate cookies and they got goodie bags with candy and pencils and pens for school. It is amazing the work that God is doing in that place and we thank Him for that. Before leaving we lifted up the community in prayer and we trust and believe this is just the beginning.

- Valentina and Cathleen

Ethiopia October 2011 | Day 11

This morning our leader David, had a chance to share the devotional with us. When we feel weary, weak and without strength we can pour out everything to God and He shall renew our strength. Some of us from the team are not feeling too well so we prayed for healing so that we can do what God has called us to do here in Ethiopia. After breakfast, we went to the Lion Zoo and spent a couple of hours there. Because of the hot weather the lions were resting however, we had a funny encounter with a monkey who wanted to eat peanuts!

Late in the afternoon we went to Solomon’s home and met his wife and two children. His wife Sherry, offered us cookies and soda and we had a chance to get together. After a while, Solomon asked us to spend some time in prayer. We had the opportunity to pray for his family, his wife, his children and the neighborhood. We prayed for protection over Solomon’s family and we could feel God’s presence in the room. Between each prayer we sang worship songs and the time went by very fast.

- Cathleen and Valentina

Ethiopia October 2011 | Day 10

Prayer Time

After a day of rest, we had a chance to buy our last souvenirs this morning. We had lunch in a very nice restaurant on the seventh floor. The view was amazing and you could see the city surrounded by mountains. Late in the afternoon we drove around the city and went to different areas and prayed for various things. We prayed for high prostitution areas, places where there are night clubs and where people worship other gods. We know that God has a special love for Ethiopian people. We may not see the result in one or two days but we know that God heard our prayers, we cried out to Him and we will answer abundantly. When we ask in His name we receive even more than what we have asked for.

- Cathleen and Valentina

Ethiopia October 2011 | Day 9

A Day of Rest

Today we had a much needed day of rest. We met this morning after breakfast and had devotional time together. We learned about serving and loving others even in the little things. We had lunch at the hotel and really enjoyed our time. We are becoming very close and are really bonding and thank God for that. The rest of the afternoon was spent in personal time with the Lord.

Solomon and Sunait picked us up to take us to dinner. We went to a very nice restaurant in the heart of Addis. We had a good time and we are looking forward to tomorrow. We are feeling refreshed and ready for the rest of the week.

- Cathleen and Valentina

Ethiopia October 2011 | Day 8

- Valentina & Cathleen

Ethiopia October 2011 | Day 7

SUNDAY SCHOOL

We went to the school with the children today to teach them. We got the kids together and we prepared a couple of songs to sing to them. They learned some choreography and danced with us. The children were split into two groups based on their ages. The smaller children did arts and crafts and made butterflies. They were taught that Jesus transforms them into new creatures like caterpillars into new butterflies. And, they learned an example from the Bible about how Saul was changed into the new Paul. The older children made their own wordless and picture less books. Each color has a different representation of who God is and what His promise tells us. While the women were waiting for the kids we had the opportunity to reach out to them. We taught them their worth in Christ and encouraged them to meet with each other as a support system, because as women we deal with a lot of the same issues. We know that the Lord touched their hearts because a woman started to cry when we explained that Jesus stands closer than a brother and He is their best friend. Just before the children were leaving for a break we let them play with bubbles. They were ecstatic! Even the mothers were overjoyed and joined in the fun.

After taking lunch as we drove up the dusty road we saw close to 60 kids all waiting outside smiling and clapping that we were pulling up. They greeted us when we stepped out of the van by holding our hands and hugging us. Each of the children had a smile on their face. Much different from the morning when they first walked in with straight faces. They had prepared a couple of songs to sing to us and a wonderful drama that they presented to us. A few of the children came and prayed or said a scripture. There is a boy from the Jaja community who will be the first one to go to study engineering at a college. He presented a speech and gave thanks to God in it.

We got to do the puppet show for them. It was the first time that they had ever seen a puppet. The children had a great time watching it. We were able to explain that Jesus takes away the bad in our hearts and puts love and compassion in its place giving us new hearts, which was the title of the show. Then we performed our skit for them. At the end we asked them if they understood the meaning and a few of the kids were able to share their interpretation of it. At the end of the day a total of about 12 kids asked Jesus to take over their hearts and make them new in Him. It was a long day but very fulfilling and we are watching God do a work in the community.

- Cathleen and Valentina

Ethiopia October 2011 | Day 6

This morning after breakfast we went to the compound again where the Sunday school will be. We brought things with us to decorate it for the children. We decorated the two classrooms. We put up letters which spelled “Jesus Loves You” in both English and Amharic, we also put up streamers and tomorrow we will put up balloons. We are working on a puppet show so we also made cardboard signs for it. It was a group effort and we believe the children will really enjoy it. We had a great time of fellowship and can’t wait until tomorrow when the kids will come and see it. We have prepared bags of candy which we will give to them as a surprise.

We had a little time at the hotel before we left to go to a traditional Ethiopian dinner! We all enjoyed ourselves and we had the opportunity to see traditional dances. Tomorrow we will meet back at the Sunday school and spend time with the kids.

- Cathleen and Valentina

Ethiopia October 2011 | Day 5

Today we met and went to a compound that Solomon just rented out for the children. Times Square Church helps support the ministry that Solomon leads, and with those proceeds he was able to rent it. It is going to be a Sunday school for the children of the Jaja community. It is very nice and colorful for the kids, it is even equipped with what will be a kitchen and it has a bathroom and running water. A nice change from home which has no clean water supply near by and only three holes dug in the ground used as bathrooms for 250 people.

Then we were able to pray with Solomon and his two coworkers. We prayed for the community and continued provision. We also prayed about God giving them new land in an area that has a nice river and good land for crops. Afterwards, we went to lunch and on the way there Solomon got a phone call from the mayor. Four months ago Solomon contacted him in regards to him donating the community this land. He had not heard anything from him since and just began to pray about it again. Directly after our prayer meeting the major said that not only would he give the community the land that Solomon had asked, he actually offered him more land! Praise God! We even had a member of the team receive a message from the Lord last night for these people. It was Isaiah 41:17-20 which talks about the Lord providing a new land with a river to drink from and that God will provide for them. Another team member had a vision about what the land would look like, even before the prayer. God was preparing our hearts for what He was about to do.

We met with the kids just before their feeding time back at the community. We were able to serve them meals which are provided by the Child Cry ministry. It was an honor to help serve them and it was heartwarming to see the fruits of the labor. They were so appreciative and every child had a smile on their face. Tomorrow we get to go back and decorate the Sunday school for the children and they will see it on Saturday.

- Cathleen and Valentina