Every day that we are here in Ethiopia we can better sense how God feels about all of us. He has brought us here to let us sense the disparity of the people, and to see how God can use all of us to meet their needs and love them as He does.
We are learning that the best help is to make it possible for them to find work or start their own business to support their family and be self-sustaining, even in an area as poor as Korah. As we sat with Monte, Fekadu and Tesfay, we here the people tell us what they would like to do as work so they can support their families. One single mom wants to make injerra and sell it in a "sook" in front of her house( a 9x9 mud shack). Another mom wants to sell small bags of charcoal in a "sook" near her house. Each family we interviewed, wants to work, so A Heart for Korah (AHFK) is planning to start offering small grants to families to get them set up with a business. They will deposit a certain amount monthly in their account set up by AHFK and then repay half of the grant over a year's time and accept the other as a gift from God to them. This is micro-finance at work in Korah to help these dear folks become self-sustaining. We agree with Monte and Fekadu that this is essential to the people improving their lives. They are not a lazy people by any means; but having the simplest of businesses is very difficult without the aid of people like a AHFK. They want to take care of their families, and AHKF is God's hands extended to them.
Another wonderful ministry is Children's Heaven, which is a program that ministers to 105 girls by seeing that they attend school during the week and come their after school to do homework, get a snack and additional help in life skills as well as some play time with their friends. They come there all day Saturday for additional training, breakfast and lunch and play time. Hannah starting this ministry with the hope that she could make the difference in just one girl's life, little realizing that within 9 years, she would be saving 105 girls from a destitute life on the streets. All the girls will go on to higher education/technical training and find a respectable job. A wonderful place for the girls of the area. Many on the waiting list, but she can only accept more girls if God provides the money to purchase the property where they are now meeting. We believe God is calling us to help her by raising funds in the US to purchase this area of land.
We have done our share to bless another ministry, the former woodcarriers scarf factory, where women who used to carry HUGE piles of Eucalyptus wood on their shoulders down Entoto Mountain to Addis Ababa on a daily basis can come and weave beautiful scarves and no longer have to carry this wood. It is such a change in lifestyle for them and the work they do is magnificent. We have been there 3 times now and bought over 50 scarves to sell back in the US so that they can continue their work. Each woman receives the money for her work as each scarf is tagged with her name and when we buy it, her name is recorded and she is given the money. It is such a rewarding feeling to know that the person who does the hard work actually gets her deserved pay.
We are also encouraged by the ministry at Embracing Hope, which allows moms to work while their children attend the daycare and school there, as well as receive money for the work they do there making beautiful bead necklaces and packaging delicious coffee in burlap sacks that they have embroidered with the word "Hope" in Amharic. We have also blessed that ministry by buying over 50# of coffee to bring home to our supporters back home.
This trip has been an overwhelming experience in seeing the many ways God is working through His people from around the world to improve the lives of these dear souls here. I used to think that I as one person I could not make a difference, BUT God set me straight on that. I recognized in 2010 when I came with Kristin to get Markos that 1 person can make a difference, because my one adds to your one adds to the next one and so on. As a result of responding to God's call then to help the people of Ethiopia, Doc and I have been blessed to see the lives of some very dear people change for the good. And, thanks to your unconditional support, we can help even more. Thank you for sharing our vision.
May God bless you as you continue to pray for us and consider supporting the work we do here financially. We KNOW that God will meet each need we bring to Him.
THANK YOU!!!
We are learning that the best help is to make it possible for them to find work or start their own business to support their family and be self-sustaining, even in an area as poor as Korah. As we sat with Monte, Fekadu and Tesfay, we here the people tell us what they would like to do as work so they can support their families. One single mom wants to make injerra and sell it in a "sook" in front of her house( a 9x9 mud shack). Another mom wants to sell small bags of charcoal in a "sook" near her house. Each family we interviewed, wants to work, so A Heart for Korah (AHFK) is planning to start offering small grants to families to get them set up with a business. They will deposit a certain amount monthly in their account set up by AHFK and then repay half of the grant over a year's time and accept the other as a gift from God to them. This is micro-finance at work in Korah to help these dear folks become self-sustaining. We agree with Monte and Fekadu that this is essential to the people improving their lives. They are not a lazy people by any means; but having the simplest of businesses is very difficult without the aid of people like a AHFK. They want to take care of their families, and AHKF is God's hands extended to them.
Another wonderful ministry is Children's Heaven, which is a program that ministers to 105 girls by seeing that they attend school during the week and come their after school to do homework, get a snack and additional help in life skills as well as some play time with their friends. They come there all day Saturday for additional training, breakfast and lunch and play time. Hannah starting this ministry with the hope that she could make the difference in just one girl's life, little realizing that within 9 years, she would be saving 105 girls from a destitute life on the streets. All the girls will go on to higher education/technical training and find a respectable job. A wonderful place for the girls of the area. Many on the waiting list, but she can only accept more girls if God provides the money to purchase the property where they are now meeting. We believe God is calling us to help her by raising funds in the US to purchase this area of land.
We have done our share to bless another ministry, the former woodcarriers scarf factory, where women who used to carry HUGE piles of Eucalyptus wood on their shoulders down Entoto Mountain to Addis Ababa on a daily basis can come and weave beautiful scarves and no longer have to carry this wood. It is such a change in lifestyle for them and the work they do is magnificent. We have been there 3 times now and bought over 50 scarves to sell back in the US so that they can continue their work. Each woman receives the money for her work as each scarf is tagged with her name and when we buy it, her name is recorded and she is given the money. It is such a rewarding feeling to know that the person who does the hard work actually gets her deserved pay.
We are also encouraged by the ministry at Embracing Hope, which allows moms to work while their children attend the daycare and school there, as well as receive money for the work they do there making beautiful bead necklaces and packaging delicious coffee in burlap sacks that they have embroidered with the word "Hope" in Amharic. We have also blessed that ministry by buying over 50# of coffee to bring home to our supporters back home.
This trip has been an overwhelming experience in seeing the many ways God is working through His people from around the world to improve the lives of these dear souls here. I used to think that I as one person I could not make a difference, BUT God set me straight on that. I recognized in 2010 when I came with Kristin to get Markos that 1 person can make a difference, because my one adds to your one adds to the next one and so on. As a result of responding to God's call then to help the people of Ethiopia, Doc and I have been blessed to see the lives of some very dear people change for the good. And, thanks to your unconditional support, we can help even more. Thank you for sharing our vision.
May God bless you as you continue to pray for us and consider supporting the work we do here financially. We KNOW that God will meet each need we bring to Him.
THANK YOU!!!
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