Day 3 in Ethiopia - by Caleb David and Kara Diffie

It's a long post, but you'll want to read it all...from both of our perspectives, you'll get a good idea of our experiences. I can really tell you the best way to really understand is to join us on one of these trips, it's something that each of our team members have said a few times today. We can do our best to communicate these stories, challenges and joy - but we all agree, you really need to consider joining us very soon.

Day 3 in Ethiopia – 12/29/10

Trying to figure out where to even begin. I’m writing this on the day after and the past two days have been so full, so intense and so incredible. I really can’t put into words what it’s like to be here face to face with God. Every place we go, I am humbled, honored and speechless of His grace and redemption in spite of what seems to be hopeless and insurmountable.

We met up with my dear friend Pochi and the pastor of Covenant Church and founders of Covenant Orphanages. Before I go any further, I have to acknowledge Pastor Joe Sorce, the leadership of New Beginnings Church in Brick, NJ and our dear friends Mark and Lyndie Sorce (who were with us in October) for catching the vision and purpose of these trips. Without them and the sacrificial and faith filled giving, today would not have even happened. Thank you does not even seem to scratch the surface, but know that you have touched lives for eternity more than you or I will ever, ever know.

On our agenda today was to go to Ambo (about two hours outside the city) to visit a group of families that most people would never think about visiting. Most of these families consist of women that at one point or still are prostitutes. Now, the picture you may see in your mind is one of a seductive harlot. That’s not what we are talking about, we are talking about individuals who have no other options because of their past or even more so because of where they live. If they wanted to have a few morsels of food for their families, they have had to stoop to this level. But who am I to judge, I can’t even wrap my brain around the desperation they must feel.

Our drive took longer than expected and it seemed that we were behind “schedule”. The more often I come to Africa, the more I realize that it’s not at all about our plan or timing. So, this time I found it easier to resist the urge to speed things up and check things off my “to do” list. Our guides went to the market to purchase almost $500 worth of teff, the staple Ethiopian grain used to make injera. While the store was getting this all packed up and ready to deliver, we ate lunch. After lunch, we drove to the local government administration offices and were welcomed by officials and staff from the Ministry of Women’s and Children’s Affairs.

January 7th is Ethiopian Christmas and even the poorest of families try to celebrate this holy holiday with dignity. Let me define dignity for you: to simply have a special meal as a family with a chicken as the center. We were told that chickens are just so expensive – 50 birr each, barely over $3…it blew our Western minds. We waited in the van for the teff to be delivered and soon enough, we saw it all…700 kilos arriving on donkey back. It was a beautiful sight to behold. They began dividing up the teff into 50 pound bags, so we were able to feed 14 families for an entire month!!! In addition, we were able to give them extra funds to buy chicken and other supplies for their Christmas. Each family had to sign agreement and documentation forms for receiving the funds and they would be used correctly. Everyone was so thankful and we had a chance to share a few words with them and explain where the funds came from, how much they were loved and most importantly the reason that we were the channel – because Jesus loves them. One of the matriarchs of the community got up and shared a heart felt, moving thanks to our group and to the church that made this gift a reality.

The most intense part of the day was when we got to go visit a woman named Alem. Kara did a great job posting about that experience, but as any of our team will tell you there is no real way to describe the emotion, anointing and intensity of that home visit in words.


Day 3 by Kara Diffie

Who am I that you would see me and love me? Today I was reading a verse in Psalms that talks of the Lord stooping down to make us great. It stopped me in my tracks and made me think, without God, I am nothing. I can strive and try and try harder and strive some more, but regardless of my effort, if God is not involved I am nothing! So, in my nothingness, He sees me and is moved with compassion and love to make me into something new, something beautiful, something great.

Today was the most beautiful morning! The sun shone brightly on us as we loaded the van. We were joined by two very lovely people - a pastor and the most amazing woman named Pochi. She and the pastor run two organizations that take in children off the streets and instill not just life skills, but the truth of who God is and how much He loves them. Pochi has a way of seeing with more than just her eyes. She has insight into people’s lives and works accordingly.
Our first mission today was to deliver 700 kilos of teff (a grain used to make one of the staples in Ethiopian food) to families in the town of Ambo, Ethiopia. It was over an hour and a half van ride to this village. Along the way we saw so many things that not only fascinated us as Americans, it left us in awe of how much we as Americans live in abundance, even after cutbacks, layoffs and inflation. We saw 3 year olds watching herds of cattle and homes built on piles of trash. We saw huts of clay with thatched roofs and horse drawn buggies with horses so emaciated that it was surprising they could walk, let alone pull a buggy.

When we at last reached our destination we watched as donkeys hauled in our 700 kilos of grain. Slowly, women and children made their way to the courtyard where we were separating the bags of grain for each family. Each of these families have something in common, at some point the women have had to prostitute themselves to put food on the proverbial table. There is a grace and beauty to women of this country. When they smile, their entire faces light up and you can see the appreciation they have for us being there. A few words were said, pictures were taken and the children who accompanied their mothers found our cameras to be a fascinating new toy. They would ask to take pictures then run across the courtyard to snap a photo. Being pleased with their picture, they would run back to show us what they had done. It was scary to let go of the camera, but nice to have a way to connect with the kids.

We were also privileged to get an invitation into the home of a woman whose story was so moving and inspirational, that tears were the only way to express the feelings as she shared her life with us. Her name was Alem and while the hardness she'd experienced in her young life had made its mark on her face, she still held the beauty and grace of someone of great strength. She had opened her home to us and at the same time, opened herself up to ridicule from the people in this village. She showed us to her 10x8 room that held a mattress with a tablecloth on it, a shelf with a few cooking utensils, and a small bench in it. As we sat down we asked about the photos we saw on a shelf of her children. With great pride, she passed around the pictures of 2 of her 3 children that had been adopted by a family in America. The pictures of her babies were so beautiful and they had her smile.

She proceeded to tell us of her life. And my heart was stirred when she started to break down and could no longer share. Pochi was translating and finished the story. It was a story of harsh realities, of fear, of tragedy. She had conquered so many obstacles only to face more. She was forced into a relationship at age 12 and had her first child at 15. Eventually her husband beat her and she ran a way. After another relationship and then a marriage of convenience she contracted HIV. After discovering her medical condition was contracted from her husband, she confronted him and the man left her. She was left sick and with child. The pregnancy turned out to be a tubular pregnancy and because she was HIV positive she was left to die.

After 11 months and 15 days of being pregnant, laying in a hallway on a stretcher begging for death because the pain was so great, Alem fell off her stretcher and her baby miraculously popped out. The nurses came to help her. Assuming the child was dead they gathered it up and disposed of it into the trash. Alem however saw the hand of her baby moving. She called out to the nurse that her baby was alive. The little boy turned out to be healthy and HIV negative.

As she told her story, I thought to myself "how can God allow such things to happen?" But the truth is, we live in a fallen world where sin and death and destruction run rampant. God has made a way for us to escape through the grace and mercy and love that are unconditional. Though trials come, though life beats us down, God stoops down and makes us great. He turns those things that are meant to destroy us into the things that make us strong and move people to action.

We loaded back up in the van and drove to Pochi's organization and orphanage. The children there are so beautiful and content. It was obvious this place was a refuge. It held the feeling of home not an institution. Even as we walked you could see that these children knew they were loved. They served us coffee and smiled at us from across the room. Their home is beautiful and has a lovely garden full of colorful flowers and blossoms that made me feel like I'd found a small piece heaven right there in their back yard! As the children kicked a soccer ball back and forth, we were shown around the home. Pochi took us from room to room and showed us the bunk beds that this home hoped to donate to a few poor families in the neighborhood. Money had been raised for this home to build new bunk beds and buy new mattresses for the children. This was such a blessing and you could see the excitement in their eyes at the news of bigger and better beds. Buying beds is a bit more complicated than you might imagine as the beds have to be able to take much wear, be larger and have to be custom made as the beds needed for this home are very unique and can’t just be purchased in any store. They operate with such dignity and integrity and we are excited to see the pictures that they will give us as soon as the beds are ready. They also LOVED the sheets that we gave them and will be using them as soon as the new beds arrive.

After hugs all around we loaded back into the van and made our way home. I am so grateful to be a part of such beautiful stories. May this little bit of the story stir your heart to do something, to come see for yourself, to do something for the Kingdom of God!
To the King!
For the Kingdom!

PICS OF THE DAY:

December team - Day 2 Update from Ethiopia, by Kara Diffie and Caleb David

Day 2 by Kara Diffie

I've found myself being opened to truth these past few days. Being physically drained, emotionally stretched, and spiritually awakened to new things that God has for me. How often do I thank the Lord for His unfailing grace in my life? Even if it was 100 times a day, it would still not be enough.
James 1 speaks of taking trials and counting them as joy because it is the testing/growing/molding of our faith. I fully believe that trips like this one do 2 things; it makes one so aware of the insignifcance of my trials and it provides many opportunities for the testing, growing and molding of our faith.
This morning I was awakened by the crowing of several roosters who I believe were having a crowing contest. We also were serenated by the wails of a man who was giving the call to prayer over a loud speaker. As I lay in my bed, I looked out the window at the bustle of life in Addis Abba, Ethiopia. This day would be one full of new experiences and adventures.
All 5 of us on this trip enjoyed a lovely heart shaped waffle and a cup of coffee for breakfast, then we packed up our backpacks with water, cameras and hand sanitizer and headed outside. As we waited for our van to arrive we decided to continue on our mission to take awkward "senior pictures". Some of us were posed with flowers, some with soccer balls. It was a lovely overcast morning and we all basked in the glory of the weather and each others company.
Our first mission was in a village by the name of Dahley. We met up with a missionary who had been working with some children who live in the countryside. We followed him down the bumpy roads. The scenes around us are a mix of beauty and wretchedness. The flowers and mountains and eucalyptus trees are just a small piece of glory of God we got to see today. But mixed in with these small beauties, poverty and hopelessness runs rampant.
As we pull into the small country village, children run along side the van with huge smiles and excitment to meet us. As soon as we get out of the van each child instantly grabs ahold of our hands. Logical thinking, I shuddered at the snotty noses and dirty hands that reach for my hand. But when you look into their big beautiful eyes you see the desperate need to be loved and the hope that you will except the love they give freely.
We helped the missionary paint a library and a house and organized books that were donated to the village library. We walked to a creek to wash the paint off our hands and I was almost breathless at the view that was before me. The hills stretched up before us and the tips were glazed with a fog that gave a look of majesty and mystery.
After we did some work and played with the kids that followed us everywhere, an authentic Ethiopian meal was prepared for us. We sat on benches in a mud hut that we had just painted and set our bags on the dirt floor. Our meal was served and we had the adventure of eating with our hands. Every bite was full of a new flavor. While we ate, the children ate with us. This meal was a bountiful feast in their eyes. And seeing their faces and the contentment on them while they ate was the best part of the meal.
We finished our meal and then watched as green coffee beans were washed, roasted, ground then brewed right in front of us. It was such delicious coffee and it was served with popcorn that was popped right in front of us on a fire. It was a beautiful ceremony that boasted the warmth and friendliness of these people.
We finally departed and went to collect the two suitcases that had been lost in our travels. One of which held my clothes. They had found one bag. It was unfortunately the one that held the donations of clothes and not my own bag. I felt such disappointment that I had to bite my lip and try not to cry. As we drove, I prayed " Dear Lord, change my heart to be like yours. Let my life be only to honor you. And may my joy not be based on clothes, rather on truth that has set me free and given me life."
We made it back to the guest home and all the team encouraged me and offered what they had to me. It was lovely to feel the comraderie amongst our group. I still needed some tennis shoes, so Caleb took me to find some. It was quite the adventure but at last we succeeded. Let me just say, I apparently have monster huge feet because we had a terrible time finding a shoe in my size. So I had some shoes then got some coffee and it was good.
This team is small, but I feel that we are able to be just as effective in reaching the lost, hurting and destitute. I pray each of us is pulled out of our comfort zone, that we are moved to compassion, and that new dreams are planted while we serve.
To the King!


Day 2 in Ethiopia – Dahley 12/28/10 (Caleb's post)

After a good night’s rest at the guest home and a great breakfast (and coffee, of course!), we met up with Tom Baer and followed him out to the community of Dahley. Tom and his wife, Sally are missionaries here and they ended up here after their family adopted from Ethiopia in 2008. If I recall correctly, Sally traveled to pick up their daughter and told Tom he needed to visit Ethiopia…he was able to do so January of 2009 and by June of that same year they had sold their home and moved their whole family to Ethiopia to serve full time. Their story and what their ministry has already accomplished is amazing, inspired each of us to walk in total surrender and obedience to what God calls us to do.

As we pulled into Dahley, we had our first travel adventure. Our van got stuck on a large dirt dump in the road. We weren’t quite “high-centered” but we all jumped out and got to push it off the dirt mound and carry on. We got to the area where the Baers have set up their ministry headquarters for outreach and got a tour of their projects and learned more about the work they are doing, as several of the kids of the community walked with us and held our hands. They run an after school program for about 22 kids, serve food to these kids, have discipleship time with them and also are working on a library.

Our project of the day was to paint the library, it was about 3 small rooms and with kids hanging around us, the Baers in country staff and the ET Guest Home staff helping – we painted, laughed and got to know each other. We were able to accomplish this task fairly quickly and asked for another project. We tackled the living room of the home of their guard/staff while listening to music on the iPad and got that done in what seemed like a matter of minutes. We finished the painting and Tom told us that we were going to go down to the river to wash our hands…this area is about 45 minutes outside of the city and is beautiful, peaceful and the smell of eucalyptus is in the air and we walked through fields down to the river. The kids of course joined us and we taught each other words in English and Amharic.

We got back up to one of the houses and the cook had prepared a wonderful vegetarian Ethiopian meal for our team and for the children. We got to share this incredible experience with them all as we sat around talking, sharing, listening to Amharic kids songs and laughing…ah yes, and eating! We ended the time in the community with a coffee ceremony and popcorn. From there we drove to the Baer’s former home where another ministry had donated about 500 pounds of books for their library (access to English books for reading is not very easy here). We sorted and organized hundreds and hundreds of books and got these ready for the next team (I believe, a Visiting Orphans team) will be here to finish up the library project. We got to pray for Tom, their family and staff before we left.

We had a full day out in Dahley and we loved it, then we headed back to the city and guest home to clean up for our nightly team dinner and debriefing. After we made it back from dinner, I had a wonderful surprise in that the pastor from Grace Baptist Church in Kombolcha (9-10 hours north of the capital) was here in town and I got to meet with him and Peter Abera and catch up on the projects that they have worked on.

The pastor gave us a detailed account and pictures on how they distributed over 250 pairs of shoes our teams and partners sent on our October trip. I was also honored to present him with some more funds from Hillsong Church in NC (Pastor Rob and Candy Tennant) for shoes. We listened closely again to his vision and asked for a detailed account of projects that they need in order of priority and budgets so that we can see how we can help in the future as the Lord leads. He is such a humble man and the only was that I can describe him is simply that when he hugs you, you feel the electric, intense love of God coursing through his veins.

PICS OF THE DAY:

December Team - Day 1 Update from Ethiopia!

12/27/10

Our team of 5 made it to Addis Ababa this morning and are thrilled to be here. We're staying in one of the AMAZING guest homes (www.ethiopiaguesthome.com) and already are having a blast. We were all delayed getting into Addis according to our flight schedules, but thankfully the recent snow storms in Europe had cleared and our delay was minor. We've been traveling for almost 36 hours straight and after a quick lunch at the Lime Tree, we headed back to the guest home to get settled and take a quick nap. We then loaded up and went out for coffee, a little shopping and dinner. We discussed the plans for tomorrow, which will be going to work with some missionaries, the Baers, in a community called Dahley. We are expecting to help them with a painting project and also help prepare and feed some of the less fortunate kids in that area. While I blog, the girls are upstairs sorting our donation suitcases to see what we've got and do a final inventory. Well, we have had one minor set back as one of the donation suitcases and Kara's suitcase haven't made it here yet. We're in touch with the airport and airlines and we believe it will be in tomorrow morning.


We have decided to have a team theme, just for extra fun, on this trip and the them is...drum roll.....senior pictures! What?! Yeah, that's right - each of our team will be posing in the typical, cheesy, senior photo styles randomly throughout the trip and will try to post them so you can laugh at/with us! We even have our guide/host Zi Haddis joining in. Enjoy the dorkiness. (***We will post them later - uploading pics is taking too long tonight***)












Anyway, we're very excited to see what tomorrow brings and how God will use each of us, it's a new ministry contact so it will be fun! Thanks for your prayers!

Caleb

Wow, A Challenge to the Church from Bono...Please Watch!

I just got done watching this video and it has moved me, it resounds so deeply that I had to share this with you all as well. Let it move you to action on your own or join One Child Campaign to serve the least of these. I see a generation rising up to take it's place...with selfless faith.

A GREAT VIDEO by Ethiopia Guest Home - A Must Watch!

Our family and One Child Campaign is thrilled to be partnered up with the Ethiopia Guest Home! They have been the bridge between our vision being a concept and it becoming a reality to bring Compassion and Justice to the Orphan - these few minutes will give you insight into what they are all about and what we are all about! You will see places that our teams have been and we are amazed at the impact this family, business and ministry is having in Ethiopia - join us on one of our Orphan Awareness trips soon, this is where we will stay and serve, and see what your role can be in bringing hope, health and healing to the orphans in Ethiopia. We are now accepting applications for our March and July trips - www.onechildcampaign.com Please watch this whole video, it's incredible!

Ethiopia Guest Home - More Than a Place to Stay from Session 7 Media on Vimeo.

Thrilled to Announce - The Giving Experiment of 2011!

One Child Campaign and Brent Taylor have combined efforts to launch “The Giving Experiment”. It’s a simple experiment to see how many people from all over the world will be inspired to give with this simple call to action. The goal is that we reach: One Million people to give One Buck to help orphans, widows and the destitute. Be part of the movement, join The Giving Experiment FB Group, donate and spread the word…

www.thegivingexperiment.org

We are relying on our friends, family, contacts, One Child Facebook group, partners and supporters to help us get the word out on this experiment. It's a little unusual, but that's what we love about it - it ties into our vision, one person can affect way more than we could ever imagine. Simply by helping us spread the word and reaching a million people, each of them donating a buck - will cause a ripple effect in the lives of thousands of orphans. It's simple and we can all do it, donations can be given online at www.thegivingexperiment.org or via snail mail at:

P.O. Box 702441
Tulsa, OK 74170

Our hope and prayer is that this "experiment" will generate an incredible buzz and create some amazing momentum while bringing the ultimate goal of raising awareness for the cause of the orphan.

Love to you all,
Caleb and Becca

***IMPORTANT UPDATE***
We are not sure why the giving link isn't working but we are looking into it! Thank you to those who have already let us know...you can give via the donate button on our blog at http://theofficialonechildcampaign.blogspot.com/ or we also thought it would be amazing to have our P.O. Box 702441 Tulsa, OK 74170 FLOODED with envelopes from all over the nation/world with $1 bills (or any donation amount people feel to give) - so we say, let's make everyone notice and get the plight of the orphan on the forefront of everyone's mind. Thank you again!!!!

December: Duct Tape Bracelets for Orphans - by Eythan Bush

It took me a little while to post this blog by our nephew, Eythan, but you'll love it! He worked hard to write this and it's coming from a pure heart!

Thanksgiving makes me think about the orphans. That we spend time with our families and they don't have one. Did you know that if 7% of a Church would adopt or Sponsor one orphan (ya! 7% of a Church that is not very much) It would eliminate the or orphan crisis in the world (ya the world!). They need your help to survive they eat dirt to quench there hunger pans and sometimes they drink there own urine when they're thursty. We are there only hope so sponsor or adopt it's your choice. One child campaign has a trip at the end of Dec. My uncle Caleb and I are doing a toy drive and if you want to help us email us at eythan@onechildcampaign.com or Caleb@onechildcampaign.com. We need new or gently used toy's like
truck's, cars, inflatable balls, small stuffed animals or Dolls. We even need sheet sets (twin or full size) and other money to take to Ethiopia in Dec.

I've been making duck tape braclets to help my family raise money for our adoption. But for the month of December All the braclets I sell, I will give the money to the toy drive and supplies for this trip. Braclets are 5.00 each and include shipping. You can donate for these on our website or email us for more information. Thank you for your support!