I have wanted to post for days, but it has been extremely difficult to get internet connection. Last Saturday I arrived in Addis to the most amazing welcome… big hugs, warm smiles, a dozen roses, my dear friend and driver from last year’s trip and five of the leaders from Great Hope Church. I had no idea they would ALL be there. I felt truly loved and blessed!! It was like coming home…
Great Hope Church leaders wearing their Canada shirts
This feeling grew as we began driving onto the rocky, broken streets of Korah. So much looks the same and yet so much has changed. The extreme poverty continues to take my breath away and tugs deeply on my heart, but what God has been doing in Great Hope Church has been amazing. Since last April a small shelter has been built and they are able to reach out to their community in ways that have not been possible in the past. I will post more on those shortly.
In these first few days, the most touching moment has been reuniting with Beylanesh ... it was amazing! Oh my goodness!! Absolutely incredible - her whole family was so excited and happy to see me. There were so many hugs and kisses... and her home is so much more than what I expected... I was thrilled... she has two beds, a big bright window with lots of light and all of the photographs I have sent her are hanging on her walls. It was very obvious how much my relationship meant to her. I could go on and on… there is just no comparison to where she was living one year ago...I was thrilled!
To read more about the hope and joy of this reunion ...
When first meeting Beylanesh I had prayed, that she would be
moved out of the blackness of the hovel she was living in…
I had no idea, until I walked into her home
how God had answered my prayers!!
how God had answered my prayers!!
Her new home is large and spacious
Our photos lined her walls
Beylanesh’s daughter blew me away... she never stopped smiling!!! As soon as I walked in the door she ran up to me, so excited, hugging and kissing me...This is the same little girl that last year, had the most haunting, sad eyes and never smiled once... Actually it wasn't the same little girl... it was a completely transformed little girl! It is unbelievable what God has done in their lives, they do not look like the same family we met last April! Their countenances are full of hope and I am even more convinced of the importance of family sponsorship and the impact it can make on a family.
Little Tedegaw’s eyes sparkled!
A stark contrast from last year when he lay under a pile of rags;
burning with fever and eyes swollen shut…
A stark contrast from last year when he lay under a pile of rags;
burning with fever and eyes swollen shut…
What a joy to see their faces
as they opened their new backpacks and clothes!
Warlko was beside himself with all the excitement!
When I walked into that home, his face shone with hope
and the very first thing he told me was that next year
he will be going to school!
and the very first thing he told me was that next year
he will be going to school!
FINALLY it’s Brookie’s turn…
Changing out of the dress we sent her last year...
As many of you know, Beylanesh has recently come home from being in the hospital for many, many weeks. I have finally learned the details and she can contine to use your prayers... Last April when I first met Beylanesh she had an open wound on her calf, which had been there for a long time. It continued to remain open for well over a year and never healed, becoming so infected that she became very ill. The leaders from Great Hope church brought her to the hospital, where she was admitted and had surgery, grafting skin from her upper leg to encourage closure on her wound. She has been home for a few weeks, but when I took a look at her bandages yesterday, the wound was obviously still weeping. Please pray for her healing.
During our visit we were able to explore some of Beylanesh's dreams... she would really love to make baskets. This is something that she used to do and enjoyed... and woud very much like to do again. So this will be the next step in her sponsorship, moving her into a place of more self-empowerment.
If you would like to sponsor a family from Korah and bring hope to this broken community, stay tuned... I have been completing home visits alongside the Great Hope Leaders, meeting with some of their most critical families and making assessments. I will have numbers of families needing sponsors and more details coming soon.
To learn more about the circumstances Beylanesh and her children were living under when I first met them one year ago, read the following posts and look at their faces. You will be amazed at what Family Sponsorship can do! Please read The Most Poignant Moment...and Beylanesh - A Family Sponsorship Story
Read how you can make a difference in the life of a family:
Four Korah Families Need Sponsors
How amazing! The photo of Beylanesh with her arms around you, and you reaching out to her daughter brought tears to my eyes. You are doing so much good in Korah! Simply amazing!
ReplyDeleteKeep the stories coming!!!!!
Claire
Dear Eve, I am absolutely blown away by the changes in the life of Beylanesh and her family. Her eyes are so full of life. Her smile is so wide. Her face even looks different. She has the look of hope and even of joy! And then, there's her new home...WOW! Talk about bright! I can still remember the pitch black shack that we visited last year where this dear family lived. How could they not feel downcast, when their every moment of their life was lived in darkness. Thank you Eve for your unwavering faithfulness and compassion for Beylanesh and her family. They are a testimony to God's hope, love and perfect plan. You, my dear friend, are also a testimony to God's incredible plans for Korah and its families - as you have reached out far beyond yourself with the feet, hands and heart of a servant.
ReplyDeleteWOW!!!!! Eve - I am moved to tears as I read this post and look at all your photos - tears of joy and disbelief!!! You are right - Baylanesh and her family don't even look like the same people!!! This is incredible - to see the joy in their faces - what an incredible moment it must have been for you when you first saw them all again - what a re-union!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is sooooo beautiful - I'm speechless really.....
Praise God from whom all blessings flow! My heart overflows at your words and the smile on Tedegaw's face .... priceless!
ReplyDeletePsalm 40: I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit,out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.
God bless and if you see this before you leave Korah, give them all a hug from a sister in Christ who prays for them all the way in BC, Canada!
~ Anita ~
This is so amazing Eve!! What great blessing to share, and multiply SO incredibly it in sharing!! Those photos - and SMILES - are absolutely beautiful!! A great encouragement to keep praying - how much more will Christ come in answer?? Blessings to you and to all the beautiful people of Korah!!
ReplyDeleteWow; these photos tell it all; I am reminded of how beautiful are the feet of them who bring good news....hoping Dave's beautiful feet have also arrived safely.
ReplyDeleteJust wanting to encourage you, give you all a big HUGE hug and tell you that you both are very special and blessed to be a blessing in Korah right now!
Remember that in Jesus name it all matters; every cup of water, every kind work, every listening ear, every word of encouragement. Treat each person as if they would be raised up to be used of tremendous influence in Korah and Ethiopia. You never know whom God will raise up to lead; in God's kingdom through the ages he usually turns things upside down and uses "the least of these". Keep the short and the long term vision before you. Praying for love, mercy, joy, justice and renewal to reign down on Korah and Ethiopia.
Ask questions and continue to encourage and applaud the will and strength of these amazing people whenever and wherever you can.
Be of good faith and strong heart. Know we are holding you up in our hearts and prayers....Love Joanne and John
Wow! Just seeing her and her families eyes I can see that there has been a massive turn around in their life... Sweet...
ReplyDeleteIt is so amazing to see what we choose not to see or acknowledge. Thank you Eve for what you are doing. I know that you have created a miracle with everyone you have touched.. God Bless You ..
ReplyDelete