CFI, Shoes, and New Dolls
This is the first blog post of many chronicling my trip to Ethiopia. I am going to basically go through my pictures and show the best ones and tell the stories behind them. Probably in no particular order because it was an amazing week, with amazing people, in an amazing country and honestly, I am still trying to process the many things I saw. I felt raw and exposed the entire week seeing and experiencing the things we had the opportunity to experience and still feel this way at times.
First some background information on Ethiopia. The capital city is Addis Ababa, which is where we spent everyday except Wednesday. In Addis, 55% of the population living in the slums. 16% of Ethiopians are living on less than $1/day and 42% of children, ages 5 and under, are underweight. There are estimated to be around 4.6 million children in Ethiopia who are orphaned, either without one or both parents. All of Ethiopia suffers from poverty and poor sanitation.
The team consisted of 23 wonderful people, who where willing to do whatever it took to spread the love of Jesus. There is a Ronnie Freeman song that says "The only thing that's good in me is Jesus, the only thing that's good in me is Jesus, I know me well enough to know, No matter what this life may show, the only thing that's good in me is Jesus." This trip isn't about anything that we did, it is all about Jesus. That is the only reason to go on a trip like this, to share about Jesus and bring Him glory. I hope through these posts, you see that everything we tried to do was focused on Christ and His love for the orphan. Because without Him, nothing is possible.
On Sunday, after an awesome worship service and unpacking into the Ethiopia Guest Home, we headed over to Peter Abera's house, the founder of CFI- Compassion Family International. CFI has no affiliation with Compassion International and is privately funded. Peter started CFI because he saw a need for the children of Addis Ababa. Children in Ethiopia are required to go to public school, but must pay for uniforms, which most can not afford. Peter educates these students, feeds them breakfast and lunch and teaches them biblical principles to guide their lives. He is making a difference in the students and families he serves. When the students are ready for public school, he provides the uniform as well as lunch for them.
We spent four mornings at CFI. Each day consisted of a bible story, craft and lots of play time. The kids love when a group comes to visit and play! Even though we could not understand what they said to us, play is universal and every team member enjoyed playing with the kiddos! The first day we served them breakfast and started to get to know them. They have two classrooms on the compound, this is one of them.
We brought a parachute for them to play with and to say they loved it would be an understatement!! They had so much fun, their smiles so bright. One of their favorite things to do was to lift it over their head and scream. These kids don't have much, but they sure have joy! We also brought bubbles to play with, stickers (which ended up on their foreheads), balls, jump ropes and stamps.
My mom taught the bible story the first two days, Breann taught one day and then I spoke on the last day to the families. This interpreter (Meata, I think) was so awesome. He is the guard and teacher at the school. He has such a love for the kids and I could tell the kids felt the same way about him.
Here are all the kids from the morning class. It is hard to tell how many boys or girls there are because pink and blue don't mean anything, they just wear what they have. There was one little boy that was wearing a romper, unbuttoned as his shirt. It made me so sad to see him wearing that, but he didn't mind because at least he had a shirt.
Stephanie had her hair braided one day, as did most of the ladies in the group. I was hoping she would come home with a full head of braids and beads, but it never panned out:)
One of my most favorite things we did was handing out new shoes to the kids. The roads in Addis are rocky and dusty, meaning that shoes get torn up quickly. Most kids wore sandals, leaving their toes and feet exposed to whatever they might step on. We brought closed toes, solid shoes for each child. The pride these kids had after getting fitted with a new pair of shoes and socks showed. The gleamed as they showed the teachers their new shoes. They would run back and forth fast, trying out the new shoes. Lots of kids where jumping and smiling!!
This little girl could hardly keep her eyes off her shoes during story time!! How often do I take for granted my shoes, discarding them when they are barely worn or getting a new pair because I want a new style? A simple new pair of shoes for these kids is a blessing, as is a new pair of shoes for us!
I love this picture, I guess because I grew to love these kids:)
On Friday, CFI celebrated family day!! It was a very special day for them and they invited their parents/guardians to come celebrate with us. This meant that parents would have the opportunity to eat a good meal and observe their children at school. It was so great to get to meet the parents of these special kids. Hope for His Children, the organization that put on the trip, had three basketball goals made for different places during our trip. The money was raised during a memorial service for Dr. Timmons father, who was a great basketball coach in Indiana. Since soccer is the primary sport in Ethiopia, a basketball goal is a treat. One was donated to CFI and it was "unveiled" at family day on Friday. The kids enjoyed it. You can see in the picture that they decorated for us:)
Each child made a card for one of the team members and presented it to us as a thank you. This is the little girl who made mine, something I will treasure forever!
Neil was such a great sport all week... willing to get bite, bleed on and laughed at. This might be the biter, whose name means love, but I can't confirm it:)
Since it is a celebration, everyone dresses in their finest clothes. This little girl was so little and precious.
One special thing about Friday was giving each child a new doll. These dolls where made by the WMU in Salem. Each doll told the story of salvation through the beads around the neck. It was great fun for me to be able to share the plan of salvation to the children and their parents during that morning. It was mad chaos once the dolls came out, but the Lord provided just enough for each child to have one! Praise the Lord for His provision!!
All the kids just loved the dolls so much.
Two of the girls and their mother's. CFI is not only changing the lives of the kids they serve, but they are also getting to know the parents and their needs and serving them as well. It was encouraging to see so many parents show up for the event.
Seeing this precious child play with her doll was the highlight of my day. This happened on Friday, and I will admit I was feeling a bit sad and overwhelmed by the events we had seen. However, seeing this girl play with her doll shed a fresh light on the fact that God has a plan for these children. Even though the government may discard them, Jesus doesn't. Jesus loves children and He loves these children. He has their future in His hands, just like you and I. He knows how many hairs are on her head, He knows her fears and her needs, He knows and He loves.
The kids, the workers and their parents.
I was so blessed to be able to spend time at CFI. I will not soon forget these children and their dedicated school teachers. Peter and his wife Elizabeth are true inspirations. The work that is occurring in that small compound on a unnamed street in Addis is going to change the world!
First some background information on Ethiopia. The capital city is Addis Ababa, which is where we spent everyday except Wednesday. In Addis, 55% of the population living in the slums. 16% of Ethiopians are living on less than $1/day and 42% of children, ages 5 and under, are underweight. There are estimated to be around 4.6 million children in Ethiopia who are orphaned, either without one or both parents. All of Ethiopia suffers from poverty and poor sanitation.
The team consisted of 23 wonderful people, who where willing to do whatever it took to spread the love of Jesus. There is a Ronnie Freeman song that says "The only thing that's good in me is Jesus, the only thing that's good in me is Jesus, I know me well enough to know, No matter what this life may show, the only thing that's good in me is Jesus." This trip isn't about anything that we did, it is all about Jesus. That is the only reason to go on a trip like this, to share about Jesus and bring Him glory. I hope through these posts, you see that everything we tried to do was focused on Christ and His love for the orphan. Because without Him, nothing is possible.
On Sunday, after an awesome worship service and unpacking into the Ethiopia Guest Home, we headed over to Peter Abera's house, the founder of CFI- Compassion Family International. CFI has no affiliation with Compassion International and is privately funded. Peter started CFI because he saw a need for the children of Addis Ababa. Children in Ethiopia are required to go to public school, but must pay for uniforms, which most can not afford. Peter educates these students, feeds them breakfast and lunch and teaches them biblical principles to guide their lives. He is making a difference in the students and families he serves. When the students are ready for public school, he provides the uniform as well as lunch for them.
We spent four mornings at CFI. Each day consisted of a bible story, craft and lots of play time. The kids love when a group comes to visit and play! Even though we could not understand what they said to us, play is universal and every team member enjoyed playing with the kiddos! The first day we served them breakfast and started to get to know them. They have two classrooms on the compound, this is one of them.
We brought a parachute for them to play with and to say they loved it would be an understatement!! They had so much fun, their smiles so bright. One of their favorite things to do was to lift it over their head and scream. These kids don't have much, but they sure have joy! We also brought bubbles to play with, stickers (which ended up on their foreheads), balls, jump ropes and stamps.
My mom taught the bible story the first two days, Breann taught one day and then I spoke on the last day to the families. This interpreter (Meata, I think) was so awesome. He is the guard and teacher at the school. He has such a love for the kids and I could tell the kids felt the same way about him.
Here are all the kids from the morning class. It is hard to tell how many boys or girls there are because pink and blue don't mean anything, they just wear what they have. There was one little boy that was wearing a romper, unbuttoned as his shirt. It made me so sad to see him wearing that, but he didn't mind because at least he had a shirt.
Stephanie had her hair braided one day, as did most of the ladies in the group. I was hoping she would come home with a full head of braids and beads, but it never panned out:)
One of my most favorite things we did was handing out new shoes to the kids. The roads in Addis are rocky and dusty, meaning that shoes get torn up quickly. Most kids wore sandals, leaving their toes and feet exposed to whatever they might step on. We brought closed toes, solid shoes for each child. The pride these kids had after getting fitted with a new pair of shoes and socks showed. The gleamed as they showed the teachers their new shoes. They would run back and forth fast, trying out the new shoes. Lots of kids where jumping and smiling!!
This little girl could hardly keep her eyes off her shoes during story time!! How often do I take for granted my shoes, discarding them when they are barely worn or getting a new pair because I want a new style? A simple new pair of shoes for these kids is a blessing, as is a new pair of shoes for us!
I love this picture, I guess because I grew to love these kids:)
On Friday, CFI celebrated family day!! It was a very special day for them and they invited their parents/guardians to come celebrate with us. This meant that parents would have the opportunity to eat a good meal and observe their children at school. It was so great to get to meet the parents of these special kids. Hope for His Children, the organization that put on the trip, had three basketball goals made for different places during our trip. The money was raised during a memorial service for Dr. Timmons father, who was a great basketball coach in Indiana. Since soccer is the primary sport in Ethiopia, a basketball goal is a treat. One was donated to CFI and it was "unveiled" at family day on Friday. The kids enjoyed it. You can see in the picture that they decorated for us:)
Each child made a card for one of the team members and presented it to us as a thank you. This is the little girl who made mine, something I will treasure forever!
Neil was such a great sport all week... willing to get bite, bleed on and laughed at. This might be the biter, whose name means love, but I can't confirm it:)
Since it is a celebration, everyone dresses in their finest clothes. This little girl was so little and precious.
One special thing about Friday was giving each child a new doll. These dolls where made by the WMU in Salem. Each doll told the story of salvation through the beads around the neck. It was great fun for me to be able to share the plan of salvation to the children and their parents during that morning. It was mad chaos once the dolls came out, but the Lord provided just enough for each child to have one! Praise the Lord for His provision!!
All the kids just loved the dolls so much.
Two of the girls and their mother's. CFI is not only changing the lives of the kids they serve, but they are also getting to know the parents and their needs and serving them as well. It was encouraging to see so many parents show up for the event.
Seeing this precious child play with her doll was the highlight of my day. This happened on Friday, and I will admit I was feeling a bit sad and overwhelmed by the events we had seen. However, seeing this girl play with her doll shed a fresh light on the fact that God has a plan for these children. Even though the government may discard them, Jesus doesn't. Jesus loves children and He loves these children. He has their future in His hands, just like you and I. He knows how many hairs are on her head, He knows her fears and her needs, He knows and He loves.
The kids, the workers and their parents.
I was so blessed to be able to spend time at CFI. I will not soon forget these children and their dedicated school teachers. Peter and his wife Elizabeth are true inspirations. The work that is occurring in that small compound on a unnamed street in Addis is going to change the world! 
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