Here is the latest update from the team in Ethiopia. I am a day behind so I will have Day 5 coming right behind this one :) This team is doing some amazing things.
OH Team Day 4
The team left Shashamane this morning to head back to Addis. We had plans to make two stops along the way, one in Zeway and one in Debrezeit. I (Delilah) sponsor a child through a food program and was thrilled to find out that he lived in Zeway, a community that is about half way between Shashamane and Addis. We were able to arrange to stop in Zeway to meet him. What an incredible experience. While the team used that time to visit the local bank and exchange their money for birr, I was able to meet a member of my family. It was an incredible experience to see his face in person and to know that he knows who I and my family are. I am eternally grateful to the team for being willing to make that stop for me. It is something I will never forget.
Our second stop was in Debrezeit, which is where we met our translator. This was actually another personal stop, but divinely planned, nonetheless. Jeremy wanted to find his daughter's birth mother to give her an update on how she was doing and share pictures and gifts with her. What an incredible thing to witness. She is the sweetest woman. She invited us (all 14 of us) into her home, which was about the size of a walk-in closet. Jeremy was able to get a lot of questions answered that he will one day be able to share with his daughter and we were able to witness what complete and overwhelming sacrifice is. Not one person lost sight of the face that Jeremy's sweet little princess would have lived in that 7x7 room had God not called them to adoption. That visit also allowed us to put our own lives into perspective, knowing that although she would not be considered wealthy, she did have a "decent" place to stay by Ethiopian standards. What a reality check.
Whilte Jeremy was meeting with her, the team spotted a few children and thought they could use some new clothes. Adriane noticed one specific little girl peering from a half-closed gate. She walked over to the little girl to say hello, and give her a bag of clothes and shoes, and the girl just grabbed Adrianne immediately and hugged her as tight as she could. The little girl, who very well may have never been noticed before, obviously appreciated Adriane's attention and care, which exemplified the Ordinary Hero initiative to change the world for one.
Finally, we went back to Addis and back to the guest house where we began sorting donations for giveaway items. David wanted to give the guys that work at the guest house a soccer ball, and that just began an outpouring. We were able to fit every employee at the guest house with gently used shoes and some, we even sent gifts home for their children. How incredible that God would allow us to serve those who are so generously serving us.
God has shown up in the details once again. And we are humbled that he would call us to any of this, but we are thrilled to be a part of those very details.
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