Mission Trip "Changed 2011" Part 10

BreAnna's Journal from Sunday, Jan. 23 :

-“How was Ethiopia?” A few more hours and I will be answering that question. How do you answer that question??? How do you explain to people that it was incredible but horrible; heart-wrenching but joy-giving? I will remember Ethiopia for the people. I will remember the Christians at Beza International Church that are excited to see God work. I will remember our drivers and translators…our protectors. They were always there for us, smiling, full of the joy of Jesus. I will remember the people who lead the ministries going on there. Their stories humbled me. Americans, in general, would look at them and call them crazy. They have absolutely nothing as far as materials go, but they had Jesus. These people “get it”… they get that true living begins when you give all you have for something bigger than yourself. And I will remember the street kids. I pray that each night as I go to bed that I will remember the kids who live on the streets. Children are starving and dying in Ethiopia, we can’t ignore the cries of those who have nothing. If we ignore these children we don’t really obey the Bible. I will not forget the ones in Ethiopia who cannot speak for themselves. The babies and toddlers who have stopped crying, stopped responding to people because no one is there for them. You read the stories, you watch the documentaries, you know the facts; but it takes personal involvement to “get it”. When you walk into a room filled with metal cribs and little babies crying and getting no response, and other babies lying there who don’t show any emotion, you cannot but hurt. When you spend 20 minutes playing peek-a-boo with a little baby and wonder if anyone ever has, or will, do that with him again-you hurt. You remember and you advocate. You become “one of those people” who cries when you tell stories about the plight of the orphans. You become “one of those people” who others don’t really “get”. And I will remember the beggars. I will remember their persistence in asking for money, their desperate pleas. No matter if giving to them may have enabled the “beggar epidemic”; you can’t forget their looks of despair.

In closing, I will remember the Ethiopian people. Although some of the poorest people on earth, they were also some of the happiest. I have much to learn from the people of Ethiopia. I will remember.

Mission Trip "Changed 2011" Part 9

BreAnna's Journal from Saturday, Jan. 22 :

AM: We had the opportunity to hang out with Ephrem and his “soccer kids”. Ephrem has a soccer ministry to street kids. The day did not go exactly how we planned it. The area where they play soccer on Saturdays was packed with people because of a concert. Add a huge group of camera totting Americans with free t-shirts for soccer kids, and chaos ensues! We had “money” written all over us and the kids knew it. The soccer kids were okay, but the hundreds of other kids were out of control. I was told 3 times that my backpack had gotten unzipped…thankfully nothing was stolen. I was mobbed, begged of, and asked to be somebody’s girlfriend. J I’m not mad at the kids. This is their life, their reality; they have to steal and beg to survive in their world. They don’t have shoes, they are hungry, they sleep on the streets…they have no hope. I can’t be mad at them, but I CAN be mad at myself. Yes, these kids need to learn to be honorable, respectful people. They need to work hard and do all they can, but no one is teaching them how, or why, to do these things. I am frustrated at myself for not really caring about their plight. I hate who I appeared to be to them…uncaring, rude and selfish. What would Jesus have done? I don’t know, but I wish I did know. After a couple of hours watching the kids play soccer, we headed to Youth for Christ, a program for the soccer kids. All the kids who played soccer kept asking me for my tennis shoes. I knew I couldn’t give them away because it would start a huge riot, but I still felt super wrong keeping them. These kids have nothing. Most of them are orphans. Most of them sleep on the streets. Most of them still need to come to Jesus. I told them that if I come again I will bring shoes, but it felt like a shallow promise. I want to really make an impact in their lives. I’m praying that God shows me how, and that I will be obedient.

PM: We spent the afternoon packing, and then we went to Ephrim and his wife’s house for dinner. (This is a different Ephrim than the soccer Ephrem) Guess what we had? You guessed it, injera! I decided it was a good thing I liked injera because we ate a lot of it, and all the sauces that went with it were pretty spicy. I asked Ephrim if they had injera for every meal and he said “Yes”. I asked him if he ever gets tired of it and he said “He didn’t. All the Ethiopians like it and never get tired of it”. Ephrim and his wife were so generous, they had to borrow chairs and buy plates so that we all could come. We were squished in there, but it was worth it. They gave so much to us.

-We headed to the airport after dinner. Peter and Elza , along with all our translators and drivers came along. It was sad to say goodbye to them. Each one of them has become so dear to me.

-So now I am 5 hours from being home and returning to life as I used to know it. I don’t want it to be over. Ethiopia left a very real impression on my heart. In some ways I’m glad I’m going to be home; I’m not sure how much more my heart could be broken. You know how when you are taking in a ton of factual information you say you’ve had “brain overload”? Well, I’ve had emotion overload. I can’t take in any more, and yet, leaving is very emotional for me as well. I am not the same person even though it’s only been 10 days since I left. I will NOT let these past 10 days become a spiritual scrapbook…just something impressive to tell other people about. I WILL let Ethiopia affect my life, my passions, my goals and dreams. I will let Ethiopia “ruin” my future and my present. I will let what God taught me in Ethiopia change me, and in turn, to go back and change Ethiopia. Ethiopia changed my life.

Mission Trip "Changed 2011" Part 8

BreAnna's Journal from Friday, Jan. 21 :

AM: Ethiopia has changed me. I came knowing I would be changed, but having gone to Nepal and Mexico and having seen poverty there, I didn’t think I would be super affected by the poverty. I had no clue that I would be more affected than I have ever been in my entire life. My heart is so burdened that my physical body hurts. Tears come to my eyes whenever I think of the orphanage yesterday and the little girl at Woliso. I am thankful that I came… I needed Ethiopia more than it needed me.

-Today was different than I expected…I’m sure God had a reason for that. Dad and I went to Hannah’s Hope, which is the orphanage that Faith was at before dad and mom brought her home. The kids there are so loved and well taken care of; a huge difference from the government orphanage. It was still hard to see the older kids, I’m not sure that all of them will get adopted. Those kids need a family today. They so wanted love from us.

-Later we headed back to CFI. It was family day. The parents/guardians came for a meal and to meet us and see what the kids had been learning/doing this week. We gave each of the children a doll and a necklace for the doll that was made of colored beads using “the wordless book” approach to sharing the Gospel. The leaders of CFI were very encouraged that many of the mothers/guardians, including the Muslim women, seemed to listen and understand as the Gospel was shared this way. The kids at CFI will be in my heart forever.

PM: We didn’t get to go to Korah (the city dump area where many people live and survive off of the garbage) today because the night before there was a big incident and some were seriously injured, so they closed Korah to all outsiders for a few weeks.I really wanted that experience of going there.

Mission Trip "Changed 2011" Part 7

BreAnna's Journal from Thursday, Jan. 20 :

AM: I woke up missing that little girl at Woliso. My arms seem empty without her in them. It’s hard for me to think about what her life will hold. I need God’s strength to continue having a broken heart.

-I honestly don’t think I can even describe this day. My heart hurts. I have never felt this broken before. The things I have seen today have blown my mind; they have left me angry and an emotional wreck. When I see what I’ve seen today I don’t understand how God can let it all happen? The better question is “HOW CAN I LET IT HAPPEN????”

-This morning we went to CFI again. I can’t believe tomorrow is our last day with them. I’ve gotten attached to their smiles and love. I told the Bible story today. Our leader asked me to do this morning, about 10 minutes before we left, and I was a bit apprehensive about it, but decided to get out of my comfort zone. The translators are amazing! I love how you say a sentence and then the translator says 5 sentences. J We set up a basketball hoop for the kids today, and they loved it. We also got a chance to take the kids down to a field area to play soccer and “duck, duck, goose”.

PM: We took the other basketball hoop out to Kechene. The women there cooked up some amazing popcorn and coffee… I’m going to miss their coffee... I love Ethiopian coffee.

Going out to Kechene is hard though, because it is an especially poor part of town. The beggars and disabled there are legitimate, the stench… a reality, and the hopelessness of that area- overwhelming. My brain and my heart don’t even know what to do with what I see there.

-PM: I am not sure I can write the next part. We had extra donations and decided to stop at the government orphanage, Kebe Tsehai. What I thought would be a quick stop to drop off our stuff, turned out to be a life-changing moment; a moment way harder than anything I have ever seen. The orphanage was fine as far as the building went, but the kids were sleeping in bunk beds all scrunched up together… 2 or 3 to a bed. Some of the beds didn’t even have a mattress, just a board and a thin blanket. The kids gave me hollow stares. Their huge eyes were void of hope or emotion. You could tell they had spent a life void of love and care. They had filthy clothes full of holes; their hair was a mess, their faces dirty. They had no one to give them attention. And just when it couldn’t get harder, it did. We were allowed to go into the nursery. I step into the nursery and the first room had 6 metal cribs with about 12 newborn babies in them. Some of the babies were days old. Half of them were crying. There were 2 nurses taking care of two of the neediest babies. Some of the babies were really small. I could envision Faith in one of the cribs. There was one baby that was about 11 days old and had been abandoned at night outside the hospital. I mean, I’ve heard the stories, but to see the baby, to touch him….how can you walk away? And then, when it couldn’t get harder, it did, again. I more apprehensively opened the door into the next room and my heart instantly shattered. In about 14 cribs lay 33 babies ranging from about 1 month to 14 months. Some of them lay listlessly. Some were bright and alert. Some were malnourished and sick. Half of them were crying. Many were trying to eat a bottle that was laid in the crib with them. That scene was so wrong. You just want to pick up every one of those babies and promise them a home, a future, an embrace. You want to rock them and love them. You ache to give them a family. I spent about 20 minutes with 2 babies making them smile and laugh, offering a little human touch; and then I left. It hurt so bad it didn’t hurt, if that even makes sense? I wanted to start screaming for people to feed them and hold them and take them home. Where are the Christians???? Where have I been???

There was another building with a few of the older kids and then 2 rooms of handicapped kids lying in beds, trapped by their own disabilities. You hope these kids get adopted, but most of them won’t. I hate this and I have no more words for it. How do I go home and go back to “normal” life? What I’ve seen has changed me so much that I am not going to relate to people back home. I had a gut feeling that would happen, and I dreaded it. I’m so thankful for this trip, I am so blessed, but it’s hard thinking about my friends and trying to explain THIS to them.

EVENING: We spent the evening with a missionary family from CA. Their story encouraged me. They are normal people who love Jesus. Once again God reminded me that I have a lot to learn. Afterwards, back at the Guest House, we debriefed as a team.

It has been beautiful to watch God break hearts, and hear all that God has taught each person on the team, but the sharing that touched me most was from one of our translators named Dawitt. He said “My high, for the day, is seeing how each of you has loved my people and my country. I have never seen anyone so touched about what is going on here. We tend to forget that we do need change and we get numb to what we have seen our whole lives. You all have reminded me that there is hope for my country. Thank you for coming all this way to love us.”

Mission Trip "Changed 2011" Part 6

BreAnna's Journal from Wednesday, Jan. 19 :

AM: Today we took a nice, long drive out to Woliso and the orphanage there. We arrive, and these kids get super excited. Then the older boys get together and sing... let me tell you, those kids are talented! They sang for us, and then we played and hung out with them. I got to hold a 4 month old baby for a while. He was so cute… fairly alert, just very skinny, which is hard to see in a baby. I also got to help make injera…well, I got to pour it out on the stove, and it turned out quite well! I did some jump-roping, kicking a ball around, etc. It was fun to see the kids get excited about the basketball hoop we gave them.

The highlight of my day was when I picked up a tiny, little girl who was maybe 2 ½ years old. I started rocking back and forth with her and in 2 minutes she was zonked out. I held her for about an hour before we had to leave. There is emptiness in my arms where she laid, and a section in my heart that she took. What I would do to bring her home and give her a family! I hate the injustice in life. Instead of loving a little girl forever, I drove off.

We headed back to the Guest House. The drive was incredible. Round mud huts with grass roofs, naked children, rich-shaws, donkeys, round haystacks, women with bundles…it was all how we picture Africa in the U.S.

-PM: We went to a cultural dinner. I loved it. Peter and Elza, and the other drivers, explained the food and dancing to us. It was a wonderful time getting to know each other.

Mission Trip "Changed 2011" Part 5

BreAnna's Journal from Tuesday, Jan. 18 :

“A Father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, He leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.” Psalm 68: 5-6

-That is a beautiful promise and comfort when I’m here in Ethiopia. God cares. God sees. God will bring justice.

-AM: We headed back over to CFI this AM. It was nice to be able to return to the kids and build friendships. It will be hard to leave them on Saturday. It was especially touching today because we had the opportunity to give shoes to all the kids. I was among 4 people who were privileged to hand-pick the shoes and fit them perfectly to each child. They were SO excited. Their faces would light up and their smiles were ear-to-ear. I love how content the kids are with small things. It’s humbling to me.

-PM: We headed off to Kechene (Kah-Chen-A'). Kechene is an extremely poor part of town; within the town a man named Nicodemus and his wife have started a drop-in center like CFI. This area is MUCH poorer than anything I’ve been in before…after a while it is all relative, the poverty is hard to grasp. The school has about 130 kids. The teachers were so great; you could tell they really loved the children. They sang “Father Abraham” for us, and then we played with them for a few hours…and it was rough. I mean, they were SO desiring attention and wanted us to give them money and candy. I can’t get mad at them. They HAVE to be like that to survive. I hated the fact that I was a rich American coming in for a couple of hours and then leaving without giving them anything to help. (Our team did bring totes of donations for the leaders to distribute/use) I know giving them anything I had right then would have been bad because it would start a mob and it wouldn’t really help in the long-run; but you still end up hating yourself for it. There was a girl there who was glued to my side and she would kiss me and hug me and play with my hair. Oh, she had a headful of lice, but I’m sure I’ll be fine, right? I’m not really concerned about getting lice or malaria. They can be dealt with and either one would be worth what I’ve experienced here.

-Later PM: After Kechene we drove forever up to Bole Bulbula, a village with a church. Daniel leads a ministry there for orphans and for widows. He is helping the widows learn a trade and support themselves. He is all about bringing Jesus to the people. Once again, I am just super humbled by the leaders here. They have nothing themselves, yet they have a vision for Jesus and work hard to achieve it. We played with the kids after Daniel shared about the ministry…it’s true, kids are kids wherever you go!

Mission Trip "Changed 2011" Part 4b

BreAnna's Journal from Monday PM, Jan. 17 :

-This afternoon we hopped in the vans to head to Onesimus. It’s an outreach to street kids. They say that the city views these kids as useless, but Onesimus views them as useful and valuable in God’s eyes. These kids were so poor, so destitute, it was unbelievable. It really did break my heart. I talked to one boy for a long time. He said that I am his sister because we both believe in Jesus, and “I am such a good friend to him”; yet tonight…while I sleep in a house in a warm, soft bed, he sleeps on the streets. If there ever was an appropriate reason to cuss, that would be it….and I think God understands that I am cursing the injustice in the world, I am cussing at satan, sin, and my complacency. These children are valued by God…they are beautiful and important to Him…and I curse the one, satan, who loves to see them suffer in an unjust world. I curse myself for not caring. Shame on me. Nega, the founder/leader of Onesimus was so great. He told us his hopes for the future, how he ministers to the street children, the attempts for re-uniting families, and about the halfway homes which are homes for children who have absolutely no one they know alive and no ideas where they came from. Nega is an incredible man of faith... all the Christians who have ministries here are…they started these ministries before they had resources, and they barely have anything at all now. Yet they have this huge vision for the future. I was completely humbled. I don’t even have faith when I DO have resources.

-PM: Today was so wonderful and fun and God-filled, but it was very hard for me on so many levels. First of all, this morning one of the leaders shared about a leper and how no one loved him, etc. I was reminded of Nepal, where I spent almost an entire summer, and had the opportunity to minister to lepers. Today I kept thinking “Shame on me. Shame on me for forgetting/ignoring those people who God called me to love and care for, and I’m not now.” “Shame on me” is my phrase for today. I am ashamed of my material wealth. I am ashamed at how little I give. I am ashamed at my complacency, and I am just overwhelmed with the magnitude of poverty. Touching these people brings it home.

I can picture my little sister Faith walking the streets like the rest of these children. She could be here, barely surviving. There are 4.5 million in Ethiopia like her.

- God is changing our whole team, I can see it. He’s taking complacent, selfish people and showing them that they need to have a bigger perspective. He is showing us that we are called to more than where we are at right now. The Bible says “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions”. Have I read those words by Jesus before? Do I believe them? I say I do, but my lifestyle doesn’t. Rather than storing up possessions here on earth, I want to store up treasure that last forever. I can trust that God will give me all I need, although His definition of need is different than mine! I want to be ready for Jesus to return. He could come today. “Do I believe the reward found in Jesus is worth the risk of following Him?” (Quote from Radical) Jesus is worth giving it all up for!