Monday, June 15, 2015

Simply Meeting Needs


I don’t give a second thought about the bed I sleep on each night - unless I know I’m going to spend the night somewhere that might be too noisy, not dark enough, too hot or cold and might not have a firm mattress or just the right kind of pillow.  Let’s not even talk about camping in a sleeping bag. 

The reality is that many of the families sponsored in our Adoption Ministry 1:27 program sleep just like so many other people in Ethiopia do: on the ground.   They might have a tarp or blanket spread out on the dirt floor and, if they’re lucky, they have an old piece of foam to share with however many parents and children and grandparents live there.  Beds and bedding are the needs mentioned most often by our case managers when they send us updates on these families.

So it’s not hard to imagine what a BIG blessing it is to receive a new bed frame, mattress, sheets, a blanket and a soft pillow. 

Tewabech is an elderly widow who suffers from back pain.  As you can see in the photo below, she had been sleeping on a very rickety metal bed frame with a poor excuse for a mattress.


This dear woman is so grateful for the monthly help she receives from the family who ‘adopted’ her for regular food to eat.  But it was obvious to our case manager that she needed a better bed.

Thanks to a donation via our Gift Catalog, we were able to purchase a new bedframe, mattress and bedding for Tewabech!

BB-0002 bed1

Her beautiful smile says it all!

BB-0002 bed2


Endayehu lives with her four children in a one room house made of sticks and mud, covered with tarps to keep out the weather.   Most everyone slept on the ground… until recently.  

BB-0009 bed
When we shared the need, Endayehu’s sponsor sent extra money with her monthly support for new bedding and we were able to provide a bed frame and mattress because of a donation to our Gift Catalog.  She is overjoyed and sends her thanks to Aleta!

Astatke and her children are extremely grateful that they will no longer sleep on the floor, thanks to money donated through our Gift Catalog for a bedframe and mattress!

BB-0024 bed


Alamitu is able to feed her children three good meals each day and send them to school, thanks to the faithful monthly support her sponsor sends.  This dedicated mother works in a shoe factory, which provides a very small income, so she was incredibly blessed to receive new bedding and some much-needed clothing and shoes for her children.

MK 0035 Alemitu Markos

MK 0035 Alemitu Markos (2)

Aster’s sponsors, Eric and Sabrina, have truly taken both Aster and her three children under their wing, providing not only basic monthly support but helping with their need for extra food, a solar light and clothes for school.  Her teen-aged girls recently got to go with the case manager to pick out new shoes and clothes to replace very worn and ill-fitting items, all thanks to a family in the U.S. who they’ve never met… amazing! 

BB-0012 clothes1




I love a quote by Kristen Welch
We change the world
when we simply
meet the needs of another.

Our YWAM Gift Catalog is a wonderful way for you to provide a variety of very basic necessities for those we serve in Ethiopia.  We are so grateful for your partnership in this ministry… and so are the many recipients like the ones you read about above.  THANK YOU!!

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