Working through sadness

I have been putting off this entry for a very long time. This has to be the saddest entry I have made since finding the children at Kechene in Nov. 2010. However, I have to start responding outwardly other than just inside or in just answering questions of our sponsors.

About 3 months ago, one of the sponsors for Kechene visited the children and the staff. He went to spend a week with the school in order to help the staff, pass out care packages from sponsors, and just share the gospel  with the kids in different ways. He was able to do that, but while there, the American visitors discovered things that did not add up. Something was "fishy." It turned out there was another volunteer there helping the staff with funds and with their school. This could have been an amazing partnership since the other volunteer had a HUGE heart for those kids! The children were getting their meals, uniforms, shoes, health care needs, everything that our organization had communicated with the sponsors that they were providing for. Unfortunately, there was an overlapping of funds and thus, misused. 

What did this mean for Kechene? Well, it meant there was some extra money that was not going to the kids. So, after the sponsor got back to the States, Children's Hopechest  was informed and an investigation was pursued. As goes in Ethiopia, this took a LONG LONG LONG time. Meanwhile, we waited silently, praying, and hoping that it was not true. If we shared any of this information prior to the facts, we risked a lot; sponsors quitting prematurely, rumors, etc. So, we waited.

Three months later, the investigation was complete (with audit) and the man accused, not employed by CH,  was found to have indeed misused funds. Because he was not employed by CH, the non-profit organization was not able to fire him or ask him to leave. Unfortunately, he will not leave so we had to pull out of the sponsorship program temporarily. If the authorities in ET find this man to be guilty and act on it, perhaps we will get our children back to Kechene Care Point.

Where are we at now? Sadly, the children had no food to eat at Kechene since all funds had to be stopped, so they are now back in the Kechene neighborhood with nothing for them at the school. There is no food, no teachers to teach them, and no sponsorship program. We could not keep sending money to a place where this was happening. Now, the children suffer. This makes me so so sad.

I have asked God in my prayers, "WHY?" Why does this have to happen once we had almost all the children sponsored? Why did He bring us this far with prayers, money, and the love people had for these children to have them all go back to where they came from, literally? WHY?

My teenage son tried recently to help me with this empty question. We are working this out together, but he told me to stop asking, "Why?" It is the same question that the people in Oklahoma are asking, "Why, God? Why did you send another tornado? You could make it stop, but it didn't." It is the same question that a mother asks God about her child being hit by a drunk driver. It is the same question we ask for a loved one who is sick and not being healed. Why?

I obviously can't answer this question, or any other question from a painful experience, but I think my son was onto something when he was trying to console me. I told him that I feel so helpless. Here we were going along so well, getting people to see what we saw with these children and getting them lined up to change their stories. Then, something totally out of my control comes along and puts us in a helpless situation. Our hands are tied, just helpless. He looked at me as if he was the parent and I the child and said, "...and isn't that the best place to be, mom?"

He's right. We NEED God now like we did before there was even one sponsor. I didn't get this school sponsored, God did. I didn't get the uniforms paid for, God made it happen. I didn't get shoes purchased, God brought us a little girl from Missouri and worked through her. God may have used us all as vessels, but He is the one true Savior. Yes, He could have stopped this man from stealing or had him leave the school, but something has to grow, something has to change in someone else before that happens.

"God won't protect you from what he'll perfect you with." This quote I heard in the car the other day was just what I needed as I fought back tears thinking about this helpless situation right now.  Maybe there is something we all need to learn from this. I don't know what it is for you, but for me, it's what my son may have pointed out.

I am helpless, God. Take this over. I surrender Kechene and the children to you to care for them and protect them from life. I can't do anything about it and it makes me sad, but please watch over them and take this from me. We love those kids. If it be your will that the children come back to the school, please make that happen somehow, but you've got this. AMEN.

Matthew 6:33-34  ³³ But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

                                       Kechene children playing while having a sponsor visit in Feb.

 

Kechene student so happy for the visit and care packages.

Injera served to the kids at Kechene during the Feb. visit.

Children receive much needed supplies.

One of the children getting his care package from his sponsor.

Abandoned children find rest

Imagine this headline in your local paper...

"Abandoned children find rest with a school"

Here is the article that actually happened at a care point in Ethiopia (a school that feeds twice a day and cares for the vulnerable). Can you imagine?

The Infant Boy Abandoned by his Father

 Abel Tesema (ET2110181) is the second child in the family. He has one sister. Her name is Eyerus Tesema (ET2110180). They both joined Kind Hearts School during this quarter.

 Their mother Asenaku brought them to the CarePoint and asked to enroll both of them into kindergarten. As Asenaku told their story, it was hard to believe that they have managed to survive this far.

 Asenaku was married to a man named Mulugeta and they lived together in a rented room in a private compound. Until Abel’s birth her husband supported the family by working as a daily laborer while she took care of Eyerus. When Eyerus was still young, Asenaku gave birth to Abel.

 Shortly, after the birth of Abel, Asenaku’s husband did not return home after work as he usually did. She was surprised by her husband’s abandonment only 15 days after their infant son was born. Mulugeta never came back again.

 When she recalled those days, her eyes filled with tears. It was so difficult for her being left by her husband since she was at home with an infant son and a little girl. She asked neighborhood friends for help until Abel was grown enough for her to carry him on her back. Those days were miserable for Asenaku and her little ones. It was so hard for her to feed them and support herself.

 After a while, she began working as a daily laborer in order to get a meager income for daily bread and house rent. She carried Abel on her back and left Eyerus to the care of neighborhood friends until came back from work. She was worked as cleaner and washed clothes at someone’s house.

 When Eyerus and Abel became old enough for school, she was unable to provide school materials and pay the school fee. It was beyond her capacity to bear.

 One day she heard about Kind Hearts School where her children can attend school for free. It was just like heaven for Asenaku to have this opportunity for her children. She went to the local government to get the document proving her situation that she is unable to send the children to other schools and enrolled Eyerus and Abel at Kind Hearts.

 Abel is a sweet boy and easily makes friends. He enjoys playing with older children. Now he is a model for the other younger children at Kind Hearts School.

 Dear sponsoring families, even though Abel and his sister were abandoned by their father, you have become part of their lives and are changing their future. One day Abel will tell others what the Lord did for him.

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This is very typical and the miracle of that school being there for the family is also happening every time someone sponsors a little one. You can too at Kechene. Make a difference in an entire family's life!  www.hopechest.org/community/kechene/sponsor

I would like a sponsor.

Please sponsor me.

I love letters, pictures and your encouragement. 

Thank you for this school so I can learn like my neighbors and friends.

Contact me for sponsorship. $1.13 a day can assure these children 2 meals a day, an education, their health check ups, a staff to watch over them, and a connection with a family who prays for them and cares for them from afar. gretabcg@hotmail.com

Thank you Sponsors and Friends for 2012!

Thank you everyone for your support in 2012 for reaching goals beyond what we thought was possible! With your help in 2012, we were able to get more children sponsored, a library funded at the Kechene Care Point and money raised for the "Change Their Story" Campaign. I will let the Kechene Staff summarize the year for us in the following excerpts from the most recent quarterly newsletter...


From the children at Kechene:
 Every sponsored child is grateful for the support to receive meals, education and school supplies. They want to “thank all sponsor families, community leaders and Children’s HopeChest.”  They are also thankful for the special gifts received from sponsoring families; like school uniforms and school supplies.
 In general, they are grateful for all the support that they receive. All express their feelings of gratitude to the sponsoring families, community leaders and Children’s HopeChest.

Dramatic change of a little girl’s life

Elsa Kezo (ET2101127) was born in 2006. When she reached school age, her family could not enroll her in school. They were unable to provide for her the required school uniform and school supplies. They soon heard from a neighbor about the good news of Kechene (IEICA) School. Her family immediately set out to gain information on how to enroll Elsa to send her to this CarePoint at KG level. Elsa’s mother went to the local government office and obtained the clearance document. With the document her mother gladly brought Elsa to the school and enrolled her.
 She is now an upper KG student and model for the other students in her class. She is an outstanding student. Elsa’s favorite subject is math. And her ambition is to be a doctor.

 Dear sponsoring families, connect community leaders and Children’s HopeChest, this great gift has happened through your significant contribution. She is thankful for what you have been doing for her.  

It is stories like these and many others that I read about in some of Tom Davis's books (founder and leader at Children's Hopechest) that I realize the impact and how deep it goes once a child has the support of a family from afar. "Priceless" and "Scared" are two novels written by Tom that I highly recommend that give an account of these children's lives through their stories.  

Thank you so much, on behalf of all the staff, children and families in the Kechene neighborhood in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. God is working through you to make a difference! It is not a choice but a command for us to care for the vulnerable and the orphaned. You are doing just that.

We do have 28 more children to sponsor due to more children coming to the drop off center/school. Please pass this along for friends and family to consider and visit the website 

Sponsor a child at Kechene

Library is Funded!

Soon, the children at Kechene will hear that they will be getting a corner of their school turned into a library!

This was a vision I had one day when thinking through the school's needs. I really felt God prompting this team to get those kids some books! When I brought it up to Children's Hopechest, the CH team in Ethiopia responded quickly. They were thrilled! However, there was no place to put the books. They had no shelving. They had no tables and they had no chairs, with the exception of their benches that they cram several children, shoulder to shoulder, on.

So, within a few months, we had a HUGE art sale. People from all over our area brought in their crafts, photography, paintings, jewelry, and so much more. People came to shop and we raised over $1000! The money started to grow.

Then, we received over 120 colorful and unique pieces of art from the children at Kechene. Sponsors generously donated money when they received their child's work. The money grew some more. Little by little, donation after donation via the website and our partners around the country, the money grew.

Now, we will be able to send $3700 to CH in Ethiopia at the end of Dec. Therefore, in the month of Jan., the staff at Kechene will be busy shopping for much needed reference books, some much needed new textbooks, building shelving, tables, chairs, and maybe even purchasing some books for fun!

This was a wonderful thing to get accomplished since there are no places in the Kechene neighborhood quite like this care point. Now, the children will have a place within their little school to read, explore, study, and learn! Thank you everyone for your part in this project! You make a difference one step or project at a time!

Karen's Team visits Kechene...and other updates...

 Karen's team is just returning now from a full week in Ethiopia. Karen's team was loaded down with donations and full hearts to share with over 500 children in the capital of Ethiopia and the countryside.

They had a full load of care packages they handed out .

They brought donated blankets to the children of the dump area in Addis Ababa and another care point, called Korah.

They provided a special injera meal for everyone at 2 care points.

They also brought our toothbrushes and other small supplies to Kechene.  

Karen's team visited Kechene for a short time one afternoon and was able to play with and entertain the children. 

They stopped by a fruit stand and bakery to buy some bananas and rolls for all 160 children at Kechene. They LOVED them and           enjoyed their visit very much!

More to come upon Karen's return. 

Thanks Karen and the team for your love and dedication to these children!! 

Karen and her girls with one of their sponsor daughters at Kind Hearts Care Point.

Water Purifier donated!!!

This week, we heard from Children's Hopechest that a very generous donor has asked to donate water purifiers to some of Children's Hopechest's Care Points. Kechene was one of them!!

This is an amazing thing for Kechene since, like so many households and places in the country are using water that is at its most primitive state. The water would make you and I sick, and some of the children at Kechene sick as well. Now, the filtration system will be able to make it safe for those more susceptible to disease.

I will send pictures of the system in place once this project is completed, but this is a project where no more money is necessary to see through to the end. What a blessing that is!!

This is the water system that is in place now. It consists of a large bucket up high in the air and pipes that carry the water to this trough for the children to use with the faucets. The water comes from city distribution when they can get it there. That water is not always safe to drink. Now, with a filtration system, it will be safe!!