Today I want to direct you to two posts over at Into The Streets of Ethiopia, the wonderful ministry who is partnering with YWAM to get formula to our orphanages in Ethiopia.
The first is a report about the large amount of formula being sent over with nine YWAM families in October:
by Becky Burns
Administrator at Adoption Ministry of YWAM Ethiopia
I had such a special treat today! One of our families returning from Ethiopia with their daughter arrived at the Portland airport (where I live) and I got to be there to welcome them home.
I wish I could explain how amazing it is to see this precious girl wrapped in her parents' arms and standing here in the U.S.. We have prayed for her for almost three years and she has been so hopeful that one day a family would choose her.
It was not easy to wait and hope for so long...
But she did hope and many prayed and God brought a family to her - a wonderful family.
Clarke, Lynn and Eyerusalem Morris
Meeting her cousin
Then it was time to go home and meet her brothers, who have been so anxious to see her!
I know you’ve heard the stories
But they all sound too good to be true
You’ve heard about a place called home
But there doesn’t seem to be one for you
So one more night you cry yourself to sleep
And drift off to a distant dream
Where love takes you in and everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in
And somewhere while you’re sleeping
Someone else is dreaming too
Counting down the days until
They hold you close and say I love you
And like the rain that falls into the sea
In a moment what has been is lost in what will be
When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
And this love will never let you go
There is nothing that could ever cause this love to lose its hold
When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in it takes you in for good
When love takes you in
The Ethiopian New Year falls at the end of the big rains. This little girl is holding a bouquet of Meskel daisies - these often cover the highlands at this time of year!
I am privileged to have so many good friends in Ethiopia! The past few days I have received New Years cards and sundry emails expressing the joy of beginning a new year, and I hear about many celebrations that are taking place.
As you may already know, Ethiopia traditionally follows the Coptic, or Julian, calendar. Most of us reading this blog are used to the Gregorian, or Western, calendar and we puzzle …. “It is just 2003 in Ethiopia?” Yes, because there is a seven year difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars.
There is a difference in months, too. In Ethiopia, there are 13 months which is why their Department of Tourism accurately boasts of thirteen months of sunshine! The thirteenth month only has 5 or 6 days in it (depending on if it is Leap Year of not). I find it difficult, if not impossible, to translate the Julian calendar to “our” calendar dates, and I have much grace with my hard working Ethiopian friends when they attempt to do so and I find they have made a calculation error.
Also, in Ethiopia the 24-hour day begins at sunrise, not midnight. Thus, their time is six hours ahead of ours. If a store opens at 10 a.m., they will tell you it opens at 4 o’clock. Clocks can really throw me off kilter. I think it is accurate to say that Ethiopia marches to a different drum beat than the rest of the world!
However, I find beauty in differences. It is amazing to find myself immersed in a culture that is ancient and has not been altered by Western influences. It can also be frustrating, but more and more I appreciate the complexities of Ethiopia’s culture. Embracing cultural differences brings me face to face with God who is faithful to all who fear Him, no matter what month it is, what year it is, or what time it is.
Monica Barlow, a missionary mom living in Gimbie, Ethiopia, has written a wonderful blog post about a fact of life for many children in Ethiopia.
Living halfway around the world from everyone that I had grown up with had been doable, because I had always had one of my family still with me, but now it was just me (and 3 babies, and 2 youngsters). I shouldn’t complain, since one of our closest friends is visiting now, but it still runs through my mind that she will need to leave soon, too.
My mind has been selfishly centering on myself - pity being my dearest friend. Then God in His infinite wisdom shifted my emphasis off of me and onto a little street boy named Galata who was visiting my home. Now HE knew loneliness. His father had died a few years back and this year his mother followed. Distant relatives arrived bringing hope of family, but only sold the house and left him destitute. Luckily, one of his parents’ servants took him into their home, but soon could not afford his daily expenses. So at six years old, he was living on the streets of Gimbie...
Here is the last update from Shea, serving at
YWAM's Mercy Development home in Addis Ababa:
This is my last week here in Ethiopia! I will be flying out next Saturday on the 11th and will arrive back in Seattle on the 12th!
Things have been going well! Samy and I finished our work at the girls' compound. We added a new volleyball court and a flag pole and also made a washing station for washing clothes. Excited to upload pictures when I get home so you all can see these things.
One of the younger boys got the chicken pox the other day so he has had it for 3 days now. The second day was the hardest for him. I prayed for him and just prayed healing over him and that God would comfort him. He is doing much better now! He is excited to get out of the house again and play with his friends!
All the other boys are in preparation for the new school year. They have gone and bought new clothes and shoes and have all recieved new workbooks and backpacks.
Looks like tomorrow I will be going to a soccer game with Wario (staff member). Ethiopia plays some other African nation so that should be a fun day! Then on Tuesday we get to have a little vacation time with all the boys and girls. We will be going to a swimming pool and will have a picnic and just enjoy each others' company before school starts up again. Then on Friday is New Years eve for Ethiopia! It's 2002 here now and will be turning to 2003 on Saturday. So the day I leave we will have a big party and celebrate the new year!
Thank you all for your continued prayers! So thankful for each one of you!
Walking humbly. Does that sound like a phrase you'd associate with adoption? For Lisa Qualls, an experienced adoptive mom, it's exactly what she would suggest to anyone who is adopting a child from a "hard place."
I would encourage my friends to give up their pride and their desire to compare. I thought I was a fairly humble person, but adopting my children has brought me to my knees when it comes to thinking highly of myself and my capabilities as a mother... To those who are considering adopting a child from a “hard place” as well as those who are already traveling this journey toward healing, I say: be ready to lay down your pride and abandon yourself to love. It will be different than you think—better in some ways and much harder in others...
To read all of Lisa's wonderful article, click over to the Empowered to Connect website here. Also, be sure to check out Lisa's blog A Bushel and A Peck. Thanks, Lisa, for all you do to encourage and equip adoptive families!
