A Life-Changing Way to Spend New Year's Eve

2013 went out with a bang here in Addis for our team. We had a day that was humbling, inspiring, difficult, and wonderful all at the same time. Our schedule for today was rearranged a few times today and we were all so thankful and could see God's hand on each change. We spent the first half of the day at a state-run orphanage called Kibebe Tsehay. This orphanage has a much lower funding base than the other, private ones And a lot more children. The nannies that work there have the hardest job I could imagine but their love for the children was overflowing. Hey- they got 30ish 2 and 3 year olds to sit at a table and wait untIl everyone was served before anyone touched their food! The facility is not ideal for the number of children they have, but it is clear they do the best they can with what they have. The bulk of our donations went to this orphanage including 200 cloth diapers, 3 suitcases of clothing, 2 suitcases full of toys, a suitcase full of blankets, and cash donations that were used to purchase approx 22 cans of formula and 30 boxes of baby cereal. Thank you so much for everything that you all donated! 

After visiting the special needs, infant, and toddler rooms we went to see the preschool and kindergarten age students in their s hook which is also on the orphanage compound. The teachers were all gone for a training so I think the substitutes let them have a little extra recess so we could play longer (sound familiar?). We spent about 2 hours laughing, playing, running, and singing with the kids. Everyone had a really great time and I can guarantee we left exhausted but the kids could have gone on for a few more hours :) They loved styling our hair and some marveled at how they could see our veins through our white skin and how our hair gets hot in the sun. After playing we had the opportunity yo serve lunch to the 2 and 3 year olds. It was wonderful to know we were giving the nannies some extra sets of hands! We will return to this orphanage tomorrow (which is now today for us!) and do some activities on joy and God's love with the older kids. Please join us in praying for the children and the nannies here. There is a lot of pain and loss the children are struggling with at very young ages and the nannies have a huge job in front of them everyday, for 12 hour shifts. Pray that they feel God's love surrounding them and lifting them up, showing them that this season will not last forever and that they are all beautifully and wonderfully made in His image, for His purpose. 

We returned to the guest home for lunch and got to enjoy so e refreshing sodas to give us a special treat before heading back out. The food has been Americanized but wonderful. Mahaleet is our chef and makes everything from scratch and by hand. We are so grateful for her and all the staff at Lulu guest house, they are taking such great care of us!

For the afternoon, we went out to Kingdom Vision International orphanage (KVI). This is a private orphanage with fewer kids and larger funding source. The director spoke to us about the vision for the orphanage which include a wholistic approach to care for the kids and training for families. The children were very happy here and well-adjusted. We spent about two hours there, delivering donations including 100 cloth diapers, 2 suitcases of clothes, a large bag of blankets, and pounds and pounds of rice, peas, lentils, and flour (staples here in Ethiopia). We will return here tomorrow afternoon for activities as well. 

For the evening, we had a traditional Ethiopian dinner of injera with a meat sauce, veggies, and lentil sauce to put on it. Jonathan was ecstatic! The entire team really loved the meal, even those new to injera ;) The guest house the did a coffee ceremony on the roof for us, fresh roasted coffee is so smooth and delicious! To close out the day, 5 of our teammates attended a new year's. eve church service at Beza International church. The pastor spoke on looking to a new season and remembering that in order to be ready for the new season God has in store for us, we have to change ourselves in a at that we are able to receive the change. It is our hope that each of you be blessed in the new year and be ready to receive the changes God has planned for you and your family! 

With love & blessings to you & yours,

Rachel

Monday

Our first full day in the AWAA Transition Home made for some wonderful experiences! We began the day by getting to know the children through games, drawing, and lots of nail painting. We were able to set up some equipment to help children with postural control and core strengthening with is extremely important for the children who often have developmental delays due to their circumstances. Snuggling, feeding, and burping the little babies was also great fun!

December Ethiopia ACT Mission Team

After a great lunch at the guest house we went back to the Transition Home and experienced a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony. These ceremonies are times for families and neighbors to gather socially. We had a great time chatting and learning more about Ethiopian culture. We also thoroughly enjoyed the delicious coffee! 

After the ceremony, we got back together with the children to teach some praise and worship songs and dances. The children also created happiness quilts to decorate their classroom and paper chains to decorate for their Christmas party. Ethiopian Christmas is celebrated on January 7th so we are able to experience an extended Christmas season while we're here! 

Tomorrow we will split up and visit two separate orphanages so we're heading to bed to get a good night's rest! 

~Ashley

Our first day!

We made it through our first night in Ethiopia, despite the sounds of the barking dogs, commotion on the street, and the 5 am Muslim call to prayer on the load speaker outside our window that kept many of us awake! Nonetheless, we were excited for our first day which started with Ethiopian coffee, something that resembled pancakes (but tasted fabulous), and an incredibly energetic and powerful worship service at Beza International Church. After lunch, we briefly visited the AWAA Transition Home and played with the kids. We are looking forward to our second day at the transition home and a full day with the kids.

Erin

Meet the Team {Kerry}

My intro:

Hi! I'm Kerry from California, where I'm a pediatric Occupational Therapist by training. I get paid to play all day with kids, it's the best job in the whole world. Daphne Weil's led with her heart when she invited me to be a part of this mission to help the children of Ethiopia. I jumped at the chance to help! I can't wait to experience all that God has in store for us in Africa!

We are here!!!!!

After a very exhausting past two days, we are finally here!!! Settling in and getting ready to sleep. Thank you all for the prayers!!! More to come...we are visiting our first orphanage tomorrow!

Meet the Team {The Masseys}

Our names are Mike & Jenn Massey and we live about 30 minutes from Los Angeles. We decided to go on this mission trip just over a month ago, and we are so excited to be a part of this team! We are over three years into the adoption process waiting for our son or daughter from Ethiopia. God is teaching us perseverance and patience and to trust in His will and timing as we wait. This is our first mission trip together, and our mothers are taking turns keeping our 4.5 year old son, Luke in CA. We can't wait to serve the children and nannies in Ethiopia and to learn more about their culture! We are so thankful for the many family members and church friends who came together to help with donations, Luke-sitting and airport trips. We are blessed to be on this journey!

Meet the Team {Erin}

My name is Erin Norton and I am a social studies teacher at Palmetto Scholars Academy in Charleston, South Carolina. This will be my first time in Africa! I am most looking forward to loving on the sweet little children and being able to give them much needed clothing and medical supplies. On this trip I will be responsible for leading worship and organizing daily devotionals. 

Meet the Team {Ashley}

My name is Ashley Clemmons and I am a 30 year old teacher from Summerville, SC. I am so excited to be going on this amazing journey with such an amazing group of people. I can hardly wait to meet the children and share the love of our Lord with them! 

Meet the Team {The Weils Family}

Welcome to our adventure. . .

We are the Weils family; Zechariah (15), Jonathan (7), Bill and Daphne. Zechariah is a 9^th grader in High School. Jonathan is a 1^st grader. Daphne is a full-time homemaker, and Bill manages a group of people who keep computer stuff running, not matter what.  All four of us are headed to Addis Ababa with the ACT Team.

It’s been amazing to see how the Lord has opened doors of opportunity and provided for us to make this trip. We have a wonderful community of people around us.  They have encouraged, given and surrounded us with prayer during the past 6 months of preparations. We take each one of you with us in our hearts and minds. Thank you!!

We are so excited to be part of this adventure!!  It is an amazing challenge for our family to grow and stretch our faith.  And, it’s the next step in our adoption journey. We are pursuing International Adoption of an Ethiopian child.  Our paperwork is complete and in Ethiopia as of February. We are one year into a three year long wait for our little girl!

This trip gives us a first opportunity to see the country, meet the people, and soak up some of the culture of Ethiopia. We want to learn and share as much as we can. We are eager to serve the orphans and the nannies who care for them. The boys are most excited to play with the children, and to see the country from which their little sister will be born.  Jonathan can’t wait to show the kids how to do “domino tumbling” and make the Creche project.  Zechariah will love on babies, and is our “in-resident” photographer.  He also will be “part pack mule”. J  Bill and I are looking forward to meeting our team members in person; and seeing all the LORD has planned for this trip.

It’s a humbling and amazing journey. . .

Meet the Team {Rachel}

My name is Rachel and I am the trip leader for this mission. God called my husband and I to become involved in global missions 5 years ago and He has been at work in miraculous ways! We have one daughter, Olivia, who will turn 11 months old while I'm away and we have been in the adoption process for our son from Ethiopia for over 3 years. God put a mission to Ethiopia on my heart 3 years ago and when AWAA announced these trips, I felt His hand pushing me to lead. I am so thankful for all of the people that have felt called to support us throughout the process- whether it be through prayer, donations of items for the kids, or financial giving. I am so excited to see how God will use the 12 of us on the team to be His hands and feet while we work with these precious children. Please continue to lift the children, our families, and us up in prayer while we are away. Wishing you and yours blessings now and always. 

Love,

Rachel