Hawii Has A Mommy

 

 
Hawii was one of the abandoned children placed in our Mana Gammachuu orphanage when she was very little.
 

Abozenech is a divorced mother of one son who lives in another country.  She had lots of room in her heart for a sweet little girl.
 

She adopted Hawii and is overjoyed to be parenting her.
 

Abozenech owns a cow and sells milk for her livelihood. The cow stays in the compound where she and Hawii live. Both mother and daughter are happily enjoying family life together.
 
Thank you Lord!

God’s Wonderful Plan of Adoption

 

Sena was born in the hospital in Shashemene but his mother abandoned him right after giving birth.  The police searched for the mother but could not find her. 
 

Sena came to our Mana Gammachuu orphanage and lived up to his name – Blessing! 
 

Tekelu and Senyit had two daughters but have always wanted a son... so little Sena is truly a gift from God for this family who adopted him. Grandma lives with them and cares for Sena while his mom and dad are at work. Tekelu is the finance manager at the medical college and Senyit is a secretary.
 

What a wonderful plan God had for this boy who was abandoned... a family who loves him greatly!

"If we don't have food, we just sleep..."

by Joy Casey in Ethiopia
 

Meet Worke (Work-aye). She is 34-years-old and came to the church with her two little boys. Their smiles and obvious tenderness toward their mama immediately won my heart. Birhanu is 8-years-old and in the second grade and Maru is 4-years-old. The boys have a 10-year-old sister, Birtukan, who couldn’t be with us because she was still in school (fourth grade).
 
Worke had to flee the Amhara region in northern Ethiopia to escape an abusive husband. She is safe from him but is in a terrible position making choices between a roof over their head or food in their stomachs. The one thing she won’t compromise on is schooling for the children.
 
Worke is employed as a low-paying daily laborer in construction or goes house to house seeking a job as a servant. Her rent is $20/month and her typical monthly income is $15.50. There are many evenings when all they have to eat is boiled maize (corn) or, in her words, “If we don’t have food, we just sleep.” Her lack of nutrition and the toll construction takes on her body has caused her to have health issues.
 
She tearfully shared her fear that she will die before she can get her children raised. I think a solution for her fears is to get this family food, don’t you? Would you consider “adopting” Worke and her three children for $50 a month to ensure they have plenty to eat every day?
 

Today I listened to a story told to me by a mother of three children who herself was an orphan and never had a chance to go to school. She is determined her children will go to school!
 
Tigist Gibe is 30-years-old and is HIV+. She has sores and rashes all over her legs secondary to HIV and brings home around $1.25 a day from begging. She needs money for nutritious food to prevent her from dying like her husband from AIDS. The antiretroviral medication only works with consistent, nutritious food. She, Addis, her 7-year-old girl who is in kindergarten, and 2-year-old Hawii (girl) live under a plastic tarp lean-to on the compound of a friend. Tigist is a wisp of a woman and her children are very small for their age … possibly due to poor nutrition combined with their genetic make-up.
 
Would you "adopt" this family for just $50 a month? They need a safe place to live and FOOD will make all the difference in the world to their health. It is also our goal to break the cycle of begging and eventually empower Tigist through employment. She can live an active, healthy life and be a wonderful role model for her girls. Let’s lend a hand and make it happen!

You can adopt Worke or Tigist or another at-risk family at:

adoptionministry127.com

When in Ethiopia…

by Joy Casey in Ethiopia
 
Food is not only a necessity of life but our social lives are centered around food.  It is no different in Ethiopia.  Hospitality and honor are shown through the coffee ceremony and I love that beautiful tradition. 
 
Today Jeff Burns and I are in Gimbie.  Gimbie is “out there” and is not cosmopolitan and the restaurants are certainly not accustomed to catering to “ferengi” (foreigners).  So, when in the countryside of Ethiopia, eat as the locals eat. 
 
For breakfast, we were served dabo (bread) with our eggs.  Along with dabo came honey. 


 
Along with the honey came bees! 



For lunch, we walked to a little place that has the reputation of having good meat.  It is all they serve.  And it is fresh!  
 


It is cut up before our very eyes, spices are added and then it is taken out back and cooked. 
 


It is VERY tasty. 
 


Since all they serve is meat, this restaurant would be good for those on the Atkins diet plan. 
 

 


As we sat on our benches chewing hunks of meat and laughing with our friends as well as the new acquaintances sitting next to us, our view was of the police station across the street.   
 


At dinnertime, we had many more choices.  
 


Life is good!

Families on the Brink of Collapse

by Joy Casey in Ethiopia
written on 10-20-15
 

Partnering with churches for orphan prevention is the succinct tag line of our ministry. I had the incredible privilege of spending a little bit of time with some of the leaders of one of our strongest church partners in Ethiopia, Nefas Silk Meseret Kristos Church.
 

This local church has a leadership team of men and women that do the work of the ministry to families, marriages, children, youth, evangelism and discipleship. They have a dedicated group of women who gather together to pray every week, and Adoption Ministry 1:27 is an integral part of their ministry package. One of the pastors read Acts 6:1-4:

But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food.  So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program.  And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility.  Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”

Evangelist Tamarit said that since Adoption Ministry 1:27 linked arms with their fellowship, the burden of caring for the poor was taken from their shoulders, freeing them up to teach, evangelize and disciple new converts. He thanked me and was so appreciative of the good work AM 1:27 has done among their widows. He went on to say they used to be inundated with complaints and needs and serious problems, but now the widows’ needs are being met through food distribution, our case manager prays with them and problem-solves, and mission teams serve them with practical helps. AM 1:27 helped 16 of their poorest children cover all their school needs this fall. He could not stop thanking me and Adoption Ministry 1:27 for lifting the burden of the poor and expressed immense gratitude for our partnership.
 
The practical work of helping the poor… is something you can do!
The next several hours were spent adding twelve families to our program. Three of the situations I classified as high priority and one was critical. She had no food. None. She had become so desperate she considered putting her baby in an orphanage so he could eat and maybe be adopted by a mother who could give him what she couldn’t. I assured her that would not be necessary and that we would get her food and gradually help her find her way to stability. Our case manager was given 700 birr ($35) to buy her food for a month and she replied with the words, “Beweta Yteka!” or, “Thank you! Let God replace what you spent on me.” I hope I can find someone to “adopt” her and by doing so reinforce the truth that God sees and uses His people to be His hands and feet.
 
Another situation is a 14-year-old boy who lost both his parents, recently his grandfather died, and is now living in the abusive home of his uncle. He needs to get out of that situation immediately. We will find a good home for him within his church family, but most are poor and we need a sponsor for him.

There is a single lady who is paralyzed on her right side. She was living with an elderly lady but the old lady moved to the Orthodox Church to die and this 23-year-old has nowhere to live, no way to earn money, no family support, and is scared to death of her future.

How about a mother of three who was forced to marry her husband when she was 13. He recently deserted her and the children and they are on the brink of collapse.
 
I am calling out to my circle of friends to help me find sponsors for these families! $50 a month will alleviate hunger for one family… imagine that! If you have already adopted a family, please advocate for these desperate people and galvanize your friends and family to step forward, go to our web site, and click on I WANT TO ADOPT A FAMILY and have the immense privilege of bringing relief to the Lord Jesus Himself (read Matthew 25:34-46 if you don’t believe me).

Empty Hearts Now Full

Muna has experienced a lot of heartache... after her husband died, she also lost their only son when he died of heart problems. Muna was incredibly sad and lonely.
 

Sengi was found abandoned in Shashemene and though she was loved on by the nannies, she didn't have her her own family.
 

Now that Muna has adopted her, this mother and daughter are both full of joy! Muna works in administration at a local hospital and cherishes her beautiful daughter. These smiles speak volumes!

Outstanding Kids… Amazing Family

by Joy Casey in Ethiopia
 

Today I visited two children who, technically, are full orphans. Their father died of AIDS seven years ago and their mother very recently died of HIV complications. Ben* is 14 and Betty* is 12. They greeted me in perfect English and Ben, who is in the eighth grade, said he loves studying chemistry and biology. Wonder what the future holds for this bright young man? Betty is #1 in her fifth grade class and has taken the award for being first in her whole school two years in a row. I wanted to see them to express my sadness at hearing about their mother’s death and to bring them a picture I had of her. I also wanted to meet their new family and to see where they lived.
 
Fikrte and her husband, Tenaye, were friends of the children’s parents and when their mother suddenly died they did not hesitate to envelope Ben and Betty with love and comfort. There was no question as to where they would live. Fikrte and Tenaye have 2 ½-year-old Emmanuel and adding these two children to their family seemed natural and easy. It was quite obvious that Ben and Betty felt comfortable in their surroundings and Emmanuel is soaking up all the attention from his new brother and sister. Ben, Betty and their mother were part of our AM 1:27 program and that same support will follow them to help Fikrte and Tenaye feed and clothe two more children and see that they lack for nothing, especially educationally.
 
Full orphans, yes. But God provided a second family for them full of joy and love, a family who loves the Lord and counts it a privilege to raise these pretty incredible kids. I was so happy to see good come from a very tragic situation.
*not their real names