Touching lives and being touched

Matt, the husband here again. Sorry to disappoint. It's almost unfair that I have to be Greta's hands for this blog because I can't type. It must be payback for all of the college and Veterinary School papers she typed for me. Anyway, here it goes.

By the grace of God tonight, Greta and I had a Skype date. I cannot begin to tell you how utterly awesome it was to hear her voice and see her beautiful face. The end of her trip cannot get here quickly enough for me. From the pain of being apart from her and being completely powerless to protect her, I have found a gift from God in her trip. Being apart and missing her so much has given me ultimate clarity in my love for her. Our marriage, love, and friendship will be so positively affected by this...I cannot wait to experience it. For those that haven't had the painful blessing of this gift, I may sound crazy. But for those that have, you know what I mean. I'll quit the "sappy" talk now, but I am not ashamed of the love I have for my wife.

Greta wanted me to tell you that some of your money has gone to fix the only vehicle, an older truck, that Kind Hearts has. The truck was sitting there and she asked the director why. It needed $600 of repairs to get it to run again, an astronomical amount in Ethiopia and they did not have it. That truck is used to go to market to get supplies, food, take children for medical care, etc.. The team discussed it and the truck will be repaired. Now, caretakers can drive the miles for food and supplies instead of walking and sick children will not have to walk or be carried those same miles to see a doctor.

Other money has gone to buy food - fruits, veggies, water, goats for meat - for both Kind Hearts and Trees of Glory orphanages. Fresh foods like these are a rarity for these kids. She said they were so excited and thankful it was amazing.

At both of the orphanages, when the team shows up, the kids just swarm them and and ask them if they are their "parents." Humbling. Greta and some others took some puppets and did some shows for the kids (Bible stories, etc.). She said many of the kids were scared or mystified by the puppets at first- many had never seen one before, but soon warmed up and enjoyed and learned from the shows. Mostly, they were so amazed to see so many people showing interest in them. The kids thoroughly cherished the gift packs from their sponsor families. When they received them, they squeezed them tight to their chests looking like they were holding the most precious item in the world.

Another thing they got to do was make bead necklaces from supplies sent by one of you. She said the kids spent a couple hours making them and they so enjoyed it. Their fine motor skills are not as developed as kids here (fine motor skills are one of the things taught in pre-school here in the States). They would concentrate so hard to get the beads on the necklaces and were so proud of their finished products. They immediately wore them and shared their creations with each other. What pride was in their eyes!

The group has also been painting rooms in the orphanages to brighten up the monotony of grays and browns. Construction projects are also going on. Money sent to Hopechest from before the trip for these projects was used to purchase the building supplies locally. I saw a picture of some of the guys working. I was stunned to see the "building supplies." I envisioned nice lumber, drywall, etc.. Oh no. The "lumber" looked like debarked trees. There was no drywall. It's like building a log cabin by hand. Notching the "lumber" at joints, chiseling off rough spots. When the guys pulled out some power tools (cordless - no electricity), the locals were awestruck by what they saw. More humbling.

Today, Thursday, the group goes to the Fistula Hospital to bring soaps, lotions, and the scarves and prayer cards made by so many of you. I cannot wait to see the pictures and hear the stories about how these women, abandoned and shunned by society over there because of their condition, react when they receive these gifts of love and symbols of caring from you all here in the Midwest. Just knowing that they are loved will be priceless to them. And gifts to have, from you and made by your hands, for when they are healed and can go back to some sense of normality in their lives. I cannot express how grateful Greta is to all of you who helped make this possible. God bless you!

Also tomorrow, Greta and Karen will make a primary visit to Kechene Orphanage (the unsponsored one) to assess its needs, meet with its leaders, meet the kids and gather information on them so they can be sponsored. She is scared by what she'll see. This orphanage has kids, I believe, between 3-7 years old. Currently they receive about 1-2 meals PER WEEK! Let that sink in.

I've probably forgotten to mention many other things, but I am tired now as it is late. She said to tell you that right now, money is spent on immediate, desperate needs. After all of the locations have been visited and needs prioritized, decisions for the rest of the money will be made and distributed. Every dollar will go 100% to the kids and people there to better their lives by meeting needs and helping them to become self-sufficient, the ultimate goal.

One last comment. I saw a picture of the bathroom at one of the orphanages. A 6x6 cement pad with 3 tin walls, a tin roof, and about an 8x8 inch hole in the middle of the floor. Oh what we take for granted here.

Enough. Keep up your prayers for Greta (and the team). Their days are long and exhausting. Please, please pray for their safe return and for needs to be met, lives changed, and God to be glorified in this small corner of the world. Changing one life and one heart at a time...