Ethiopia 2013~ OH December Team Day 1

It's all thumbs up from Morgan after a 12 hour journey from DC to Addis Ababa! This thumbs up comes after Morgan decided last minute to join our team. She threw out her fundraising request the night before the team flew out and raised over $2800 in about four hours just from her friends on social media. She grabbed a last minute ticket and within 24 hours she found herself in Ethiopia with our team. Let this be an encouragement to all of you who want to join us on an OH team to Africa! Anything is possible! 

 We enjoyed a nice flight over to the ocean and the Sahara Desert.

 When traveling to Ethiopia you fast forward in time 8 to 9 hours. We got to enjoy watching all of God's amazingness in the beautiful sunset over the clouds...

 and then got to see it rise again just as we were arriving into Addis. 

 The team arrived super excited to see what is in store for us this week! 

We have four families on this trip that are here visiting children they will be sponsoring to join their family and get their education on student visas. We had some very touching moments as we all came through the gate and were greeted by these amazing kids, eager to see their families! 

We are thrilled that the Elliott family will be bringing Zelalem home with them on this current trip. 

These special first moments will always be treasured and our team is thrilled to watch this love in action as he is scooped up by his mom, dad and sister. 

Lots of happy reunions happening in this place! The relationships that have been made through our teams truly have been inspiring and a work of God. 

I'm thrilled to be on this trip with my two daughters, Lauren and Morgan! They got to meet Asfaw and Beza for the first time...two children very close to my heart. 

 Lauren and Bissy were super excited to see each other since it has been a year and a half since Lauren was last in Ethiopia. Bissy, our OH Representative, is near and dear to many hearts on our team. 

 Kennedy was reunited with two special boys she met last summer. 

 After piling our luggage in a truck and getting things settled at the guest house we all loaded up and went to the worship hour at Beza church. It is always an amazing experience to be in the middle of Africa and have the advantage of sitting in church with people from across the world as everyone sings together, "How Great Is Our God". It just shows you how close God is to all of us, no matter where we are. 

 After church we came back to the Life Center and had a meeting to brief everyone on our week and let let the team have a moment to share with everyone a little bit more about themselves. 

 We utilize our great space in the basement to sort through our donations and get them ready for the week. 19 team members bringing 100 lbs each of donations....yep, that is a lot of donations. 1900 lbs to be exact!

 After we finished sorting and gathering some things to take with us, we headed over to the original Hope For Hopeless drop in center where they now take in new children off the streets and transform their lives through the love of God, giving them food, shelter, school and much more. I can't say enough about this amazing ministry! The love that pours out of all the children is truly a testimony to their greatness. More pictures of us with the kids to come...

 While at the drop in center, we were able to have Asfaw's grandmother and her son join Asfaw so that we could show them this special place that took Asfaw in off the streets when he was 8 years old. He lived in this drop in center for 3+ years before he then moved to their countryside orphanage. Asfaw's family is in for a visit from the countryside and it was a pleasure to get to spend some time with them. If you are not familiar with Asfaw's truly amazing story you can watch it by clicking HERE. If you are on a mobile device you can watch it by clicking HERE.  I am thrilled beyond measure that we are working toward sponsoring Asfaw to join our family on a student visa to get his education in America. 

After our visit at the drop in center we returned to the life center/guest house where we had an early dinner and gave everyone the chance to crash early if they needed to from the jet lag. 

We are all excited to get to know the awesome adoptive families staying here this week! I will be blogging more about them as well. We are loving these two little cuties as this mama is working double time! 

 Stay tuned for our awesome adventures this week in Ethiopia!

~ Kelly 

 #teamordinaryhero

Last team of 2013 on their way to Ethiopia NOW!

The last team of 2013 is off to Ethiopia today. They will return January 6, 2014. Let's introduce you to the team members. We have two complete families on this trip, as well as a few mother-daughter teams!

First is the Odegaard Family from North Dakota. Their oldest daughter, Kennedy, went on a trip with OH this last July and her family were so inspired by her stories, they decided to join her this December.

The Elliott family from Illinois.

Mother- daughter team, Michelle and Grace from Illinois. Michelle was on a trip this past summer and decided to bring her daughter back this time.

Michelle D. from Illinois has been on several OH trips. She stayed a whole month this past summer and wanted to return this December with her friends, the Elliott family.

Ashley from Utah/California is on an OH trip for the first time!

Alicia and Courtney are friends from Illinois who signed up for this adventure together.

Lauren, Kelly's oldest daughter, and Adeline from Nashville.

And Morgan, Kelly's other daughter, from Nashville, a last minute addition :)

And Kelly, with Ann from North Dakota who also went on an OH trip this past summer.

Please pray for safety and health for these team members and that they will be a blessing to everyone they meet. Continue to watch the blog for updates from Ethiopia.

Pancakes With A Purpose

 Big Thanks to everyone who came out this past Saturday to join us

at our Pancakes With A Purpose! 

We had a great time connecting with may local, Nashville area, Ordinary Heroes! 

This was a great family event, complete with Santa and his little elf. 

 Our OH volunteers prepared pancakes for over 100 people. They did a great job! 

 We loved connecting with so many adoptive families that came out to support us and eat some pancakes.

 One purpose for this pancake breakfast was to partner with Shwab Elementary, an inner city, Nashville school. We prepared 48 dinners for families in need at Shwab Elementary in the Nashville area. Each bag was complete with a special Christmas card made by all the kids who helped pack the bags. 

 The kids also made Christmas cards for children living in an orphanage in Ethiopia which will be taken over by our next team. This little cutie was adopted not too long ago, herself, from Ethiopia. She found such joy in making a card to send to the kids in Ethiopia. 

 We had our merch available for sale at great discounts. 

 These two traveled all the way from Ky to attend our event. 

 We had 48 Christmas dinner bags ready for Shwab Elementary families after our event. 

 We also had some of our OH volunteers deliver three Christmas trees to three different Shwab Elementary families. They were thrilled and they all said this was their first real Christmas tree. 

 Big thanks to our Ordinary Hero families who delivered the trees. 

 We had a great day connecting with local families, eating pancakes, visiting with Santa, doing some last minute shopping, and packing Christmas dinners for families in need. We thank you all who came out and all who gave toward the family dinners. 

Black Friday SALE!

BLACK FRIDAY SALE GOING ON NOW!! 

Don't miss out on your chance to get awesome OH gear at 40% off!

Discount taken at checkout, no coupon code required.

Be sure to check out our 3 NEW kid's shirts! Great for Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas...
Have you registered yet for our Pancakes with a Purpose? Click here to register today!

Join Us On "The Chat With Priscilla" TONIGHT, 10pm Eastern

The Chat with Priscilla "Mothering the Motherless" - Ordinary Hero from LifeWay Digital Events on Vimeo.

Priscilla Shirer interviews Ordinary Hero founder, Kelly Putty, on "mothering the motherless". 

Cra Cra Adoptive Mom! The Balance Between the Norm and the WAIT!

definition: cra cra

a shortened word meaning crazy

This is for all of you adoptive moms out there that feel like people just don't "get it". You feel like they all think you are a little bit cra cra! You have a jumble of emotions going on inside your heart and head that could explode on any given day, and the worst part is, you don't even feel like you can talk to anyone about it. Why? Because they don't get it. 

There is something powerful that takes place in the heart of a mother during the adoption process. You start out like any normal human. You pray about it, you weigh all the pros and cons, you doubt yourself about a million times, and then you decide to go for it. 

You are still normal at this point! You are excited and nervous all at the same time...

BUT STILL NORMAL. 

You start filling out the endless trail of paperwork and sending things off in the mail....

and then it slowly starts to happen....

THE WAIT! 

So what's wrong with "the waiting game"?

FOR ONE, 

IT TURNS YOU INTO A CRAZY PERSON!

And God forbid if you actually get a match, or know, or have met the child....

AND THEN YOU STILL HAVE TO WAIT!

I'm telling you from one adoptive mom to another...

THAT WAIT can down right get the best of you! 

It's like someone has taken a part of your heart and mind (the part that controls all of the normal rationalization and controllable feelings), and has placed it on the other end of the world. 

You feel like you can't think straight, or even relate well to people until you get that piece of your heart back. In reality that piece of your heart is missing because it was stolen. 

This child whom you may or may not have met yet has completely STOLEN YOUR HEART!

I'm talking, like taken it, and ripped it out, and turned it into mush!

YOU, YOURSELF, DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE 

SUCH DEEP EMOTION HAS COME FROM.

Your heart is with the child and as soon as you can just get your arms around your child, then all will be normal in the world again! You will have that functioning part of your heart back because you will have your child and your family will be complete. 

Until then....well...

I'M SORRY...BUT YOU ARE JUST A MESS! 

Your mind is consumed with all of this. 

There are days that are good and you can daydream and think of all the fun memories that are to be made and the things you will do with your child.

That makes you smile...to yourself of course. 

Then you catch yourself smiling and you look around to make sure no one is watching because it will just confirm that you are cra cra. (which they think you lost your marbles a long time ago, anyway)

Then there are days that are NOT GOOD! 

Your mind takes you to this place, imagining your child that is alone in the world. That does not have a mom or a dad and who is waiting and waiting....

WAITING FOR YOU TO COME!

You long to be with your child so bad that you feel this ache in the pit of your soul. You actually feel like your heart hurts and it may pop out at any minute! 

Well, I get it! Your heart hurts! 

It hurts!

It hurts! 

 Your heart hurts because of that piece that is missing. That piece of your heart that not only was stolen, but that you gave away. If you were to cut out a part of anything on your body it would hurt.  

Right now you have a hole in your heart...

 and it hurts. 

AND I'M SORRY! 

THE WAIT STINKS!

It causes you stress and it brings out emotions that you sometimes stop and question yourself...

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?"

Psalm 6:3 states

My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long?

Let me just tell you, dear sister, THAT is the power of a mother's heart!

THAT IS THE POWER OF GOD'S LOVE STIRRING IN A MOTHER'S HEART!

I have seen so clearly how adoption, along with the emotions, the sweat, and the tears, is such a beautiful picture of God's love for us. We are all adopted into His family. 

All of the hurt in our heart and this longing to be with our child....

THAT IS HOW GOD FEELS ABOUT YOU. 

Although the wait hurts, it hurts because God is pruning and shaping things in our lives...in our hearts! 

Through the wait he molds us and perfects us into what He has called us to be. 

His timing is perfect. We know that and we say that, but we still question it 

at times during the long wait.

Yes, you question God!! We all have at times. It's ok.

But what that does is something powerful! 

It strips us of our own strength. We get to the end of our rope! We throw up our hands and say, 

"God, I give up!" 

"I can't do this anymore!"

Then God says, "FINALLY, I HAVE YOU WHERE I WANT YOU." 

"BREATHE, MY CHILD, BECAUSE YOU CAN NOW WALK IN MY STRENGTH." 

You see, we were never meant to carry this load on our own. He has called us, so He carries us through the wait. And along that journey He shows us His heart. 

WHAT IS GOD'S HEART? WHAT IS HE TRYING TO SHOW US?

Ephesians 3:16 ~ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

So through this wait, if we discover how wide, how long, high and deep the love of Christ is, 

Isn't that the point? 

Aren't we called to be HIS HANDS AND FEET  for this child that waits for us?

So through this wait, this ache, this longing, and this love....

It is what God is intentionally showing us...

so that we "may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God". 

WHY DO WE NEED TO BE FILLED? 

Because we will pour that fullness of God out to this little child that needs us. 

So if you are  in the middle of the "waiting game", if you feel that you have gone a little "cra cra" and that you really just can't think straight anymore...

I FEEL YOUR PAIN! 

I haven't felt the "cra cra" since five years ago when we adopted our son, Nathan, from Ethiopia. 

We went through 3 different countries and 4 years before we finally brought him home. 

You talk about "cra cra", haha! 

I have been able to look at children that I come across and say, "I will find you a mother." while in my mind peacefully saying, "Because it is not me." now for four years since we started Ordinary Hero. :-) 

NOW, I MUST ADMIT.... IT'S BACK! 

I have kids that are waiting on me again! That's all I'm sayin. :-) 

I'm back to the days where my husband thinks I'm a complete psycho and I have lost my mind over these kids half the time.....

BUT

THIS TOO, SHALL PASS! :-) 

God is faithful to complete what He has started and in the meantime we must draw from Him when we find ourselves walking in our own strength. 

There is only one journey that will bring you to your child. 

The journey is all a part of the plan. 

God Bless all you cra cra adoptive mama's out there in the middle of the balance between "THE NORM" and "THE WAIT". 

I've heard three times this week from other adoptive mom's who have said, "I don't feel like I can talk to anyone else because they just don't get it." 

I just want you to know. I GET IT! :-) 

  

Join Us In Prayer For Maria and Dr. Ming Wang And His Team TOMORROW, Thursday 11/7 at 12pm central!

Blind orphan from Moldova takes long trip 

around the globe for a chance to see again.

Ordinary Hero was contacted personally by Dr Wang with a request for prayer for Maria's eye surgery. Please join us...

"Appreciated if you could pray for Maria, and also, if you could forward the Maria’s info (below and attached photos), to friends, so more people will be able to pray for Maria and for her upcoming very difficult and extremely challenging sight restoration surgery on 11/7 Thur 12pm noon (it will probably be the most difficult eye reconstructive surgery that I will ever have done as an eye surgeon), thank you so much!"

WKRN, Nashville News, Nashville Weather and Sports


(Nashville, TN, 11/1/13) It has been a little over a year since the doctors at the Wang Foundation for Sight Restoration first learned of a young, 15-year-old blind girl named Maria, who has been living in a special needs orphanage in Balti, Moldova. In the fall of 2012, Maria’s story became the inspiration and primary focus of the foundation’s annual fundraiser, the “EyeBall”. At this gala event, over 500 attendees heard Maria’s story and were touched by her photo, which was projected across the big screen. Since then, many kindhearted citizens began a project to assist Maria in obtaining her visa so that she can come to America and be seen by the foundation, which could provide the opportunity for her to receive surgical treatments with the latest sight restoration technologies that may possibly allow her to see again!

Born prematurely, weighing only 2 pounds and having no access to proper medical care, Maria became malnourished and her physical development suffered significantly from neglect, both which affected her vision most of all. Maria’s ocular history includes an advanced, blinding cataract on her right eye, chronic inflammation of both eyes, a retinal detachment on her left eye (which has left her totally blind in that eye), and partial atrophy of both optic nerves. Even though Maria has been blind most of her life, she is kind and has befriended all the children at the orphanage. They know that if they are sad or need something, they can come to Maria for help because she will smile joyfully and do her best to help them. But Maria wants to be able to see her cherished friends. At age 15, when a teen is typically excited and looking forward to a lifetime of happiness and possibilities, Maria has been forced to live in darkness and misery, and up until now has been told that she will have to remain there for the rest of her life. This is where the Wang Foundation comes in.

Established by Ming Wang, Harvard & MIT (MD, magna cum laude); PhD (laser physics), the Wang Foundation for Sight Restoration (www.wangfoundation.com) is a 501(3) non-profit charity, which to date has helped patients from over 40 states in the U.S. and 55 countries worldwide, with all sight restoration surgeries performed free-of-charge. The foundation doctors have published 7 textbooks and a paper in the world-renowned journal “Nature”, they hold several U.S. patents for new biotechnologies to restore sight, and they performed the world’s first laser-assisted artificial cornea implantation. Upon hearing Maria’s life story, these doctors decided unanimously that Maria should be their next foundation patient.

However, the road to bring Maria to the U.S. to be seen by the foundation has been a challenging one. Maria’s biological mother had to be located, and then many attempts were made to convince her to allow Maria to come to America to receive the necessary treatments. Dr. Wang himself has written many letters to consulates and embassies, asking for help in obtaining Maria’s visa. Due to the combined efforts of many caring people throughout the course of the past 12+ months, Maria finally received her visa and came to America.
 
Maria arrived at the Wang Foundation for Sight Restoration on the morning of Monday, October 21, 2013, where she underwent a full eye evaluation. Dr. Wang and his team discovered that Maria has lost 100% of her sight in the left eye (due to a retinal detachment), and 99% in the right eye (she can only see light at this time). She has to use a cane and be led around if she wants to go anywhere.

Dr. Wang has planned a complicated and high-risk cataract surgery for her right eye. The reason the procedure is so risky is because she has multiple eye diseases and issues, including a small, scarred pupil, a dense cataract, uveitis, the unknown status of lens and zonular stability, and the possibility of retinal and optic nerve diseases.

 Therefore, Dr. Wang and his team have 10 barriers to overcome, each which could cause the surgery to be a success or a failure. If even one step along the way is not successful, the team may not be able to continue to the next step, and all 10 barriers must be handled successfully in order to have a chance to restore even a portion of Maria's sight.

 The odds of this entire process being successful would be similar to a person tossing a coin in the air 10 times, but he can only do the next toss if the previous toss resulted in “heads”, and he would have to stop tossing if the previous toss resulted in “tails”. Therefore, ten “tosses”--i.e., all of them--have to result in “heads” in order for the team to complete this surgery successfully.

 So with such high risks at stake, why does Dr. Wang want to do this surgery? Because Maria is blind, and her sight has gotten progressively worse due to the continual maturing of her cataract. So if she has nothing done, she will certainly lose the 1% of sight that she currently has in that eye, and she would then be completely blind. So the foundation decided to take on this challenge, and will embark upon and travel through a very difficult journey with Maria, praying throughout the process that God will step in and bless Maria with an ultimate success and bring Maria out of darkness and into light!

 This can only happen through prayer and teamwork, so Dr. Wang thanks all of you in advance for your pray and being a part of this life-changing process for Maria!


For information about Wang Foundation for Sight Restoration and Dr. Ming Wang, MD, PhD, www.wangfoundation.com,  1801 West End Ave, Ste 1150, Nashville, TN, 37203, 615-321-8881(O), drwang@wangvisioninstitute.com

Orphan Sunday ~ Asfaw's Story

In celebration of Orphan Awareness Month and celebrating Orphan Sunday 

we are honored to share with you

Asfaw's Story! 

Thank you, Ordinary Heroes for your heart for the orphan! 

You truly are changing lives!