Ethiopia Bound

Our ministry director, Joy Casey, is getting ready to board a plane bound for Ethiopia.  She has a very full schedule while there and I know she would appreciate your prayers during her travels.  I wish you could see her suitcases - packed full of photos of adopted children home in the U.S. for their birth family members, small gifts from families waiting to meet the children they have a referral for, gifts for children in the villages of T'ede and Gutumuma, formula and orphanage needs.

She'll be there when eleven YWAM families arrive for their court dates and is really looking forward to being a part of those first meetings with parents and children!  The first building phase of our new Widows and Orphans Home in Adama is almost complete (updated pictures to come) and it will be fun to see the completion of a dream which began years ago.  

She'll also be traveling to our three orphanages located in the western part of Ethiopia.  Mark Wolbert and Jeff Burns will be arriving in Ethiopia a week after Joy does and will accompany her to Nekemte, Gimbie and Dembidollo where Jeff will get updated photos and video of the current and newest children in our Widows and Orphans Homes in those cities.  Mark will also be laying the groundwork for missions teams he'll be leading in 2011.

One of our ministry partners, Kara Portilla from Into The Streets of Ethiopia, will be joining Joy to see firsthand some of the YWAM projects her ministry supports.  Also, Mike and Dinah Monahan of Living Hope Women's Centers in Arizona will also join the team.  Dinah has started a maternity home and pregnancy center in Adama to reach out to the many young women there who become pregnant and need the love, support and guidance they offer. 

Would you please join us in praying for all of these who will be serving alongside our Ethiopia staff?  Please pray for:

• Wisdom
• Safety in travel - especially for travels to the western region
• YWAM's new street ministry in Addis Ababa - funding is needed
• All families to 'pass court'
• The Holy Spirit's leading so that all He has planned is accomplished

I hope to be updating the blog with reports from Ethiopia so stay tuned!