Day One: Korah

Whew. What a day! We arrived in Addis Ababa this morning , and after a couple of hours of getting visas, going through customs, and loading tons of luggage into our tiny vans, we finally made our way to the Guest House where we are staying.

We spent some time trying to get in touch with our families (with not a lot of luck…no phone service, and little to no internet service) and tried to rest a little before we headed out to Korah.

We got to sit and talk with Sumer, an amazing woman who literally followed the Lord here last year, after SHE came on a Visiting Orphans trip just like this one and fell in love with the people of Korah. It’s been amazing to hear what Project 61 has been able to do in the months she has been here and as I listened to her, you could just sense the passion she has for these people. (Visit her blog here and read all about her amazing ministry!!)

We visited the church where 65 of the children come for an after school program. Just as in Ghana, these children just crave your love and attention. I was asked a thousand times "What is your name?" and had hands holding every part of my hands, arms, and legs, along with kisses on my cheek and hugs galore. I learned many, many names, played dozens of pattycake games, took pictures of beautiful faces and smiles, and sang songs, many of which were American bible songs they had learned from other groups who have visited. A couple of the older girls (Bethlehem and Jessita) became my fast friends....here they are blowing kisses to my camera. They taught me alot of new words and phrases, and even how to count to 10 in Amharic. I'm pretty sure I won't remember it tomorrow, but it was fun to learn!

We spent a couple of hours with the kids just playing and listening to them sing and dance. And, then we said goodbye until tomorrow. On Saturdays, they have Bible school and an all day program for the kids. So, we will be teaching our VBS lesson to them and doing some fun crafts and activities. So, it will be a fun day.

After we said goodbye, we went to visit two local homes in Korah. I really can't express what the houses looked like. They were smaller than most bathrooms in America, and they slept on the floor. The first woman had been in prostitution until Project 61 began to help her. She has FIVE children and has HIV. She was so gracious and so thankful that we came to her home and prayed over her.

The next house was a bit bigger, but still consisted of one very small room. The walls were covered in Jesus posters and, again, the mother was so hospitable. She had seats for all of us and said "thank you" many, many times. She has three children, the oldest of which has been sent to boarding school because of Project 61's sponsorship program!

I feel like this is the same thing I write all the time. It is heartbreaking to see the loss, the poverty, the illness. And, it's so easy to be overwhelmed by it. But, to see the resilience, the hope, and the joy in these children just makes it so apparent that God does not see these situations as closed doors. He is putting the perfect people in place for His children around the world. I just love watching as He uses Sumer and her team to change this place for good.

I will be back with more updates on Korah tomorrow. Hopefully Mark will be able to add some pictures to this, since I'm not able to!

We're off to bed now, so we can make up for the 24 hour sleepless marathon we're going on at this point! Thank you all for the constant prayers!! Good night from Ethiopia!