Showing posts with label orphans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label orphans. Show all posts
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Welcome, Solomon!
As Christians, we can go along our day-to-day life believing that God is present and working in the world around us, but never really SEEING him. It could be because we are too busy to notice, or too skeptical to accept. Have you ever said, "I wish God would put up a big, flashing billboard!" ? Not a real billboard - but something we just couldn't miss! Well, Solomon's story is one of those big, flashing billboards! God is here, God is at work! He has orchestrated details and situations too amazing to be coincidental. The whole Mestas story for the past 7 years, since their first adoption, has been that way. And Eileen & Jerry have been shouting, "Do you SEE GOD?" Read Eileen's blog and see for yourself.
James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Ephesians 1:4-6 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Do You See God?
My friend, Eileen, is one of my heroes. She is a mom of 9 children - 3 biological, 5 legally adopted, and 1 heart-adopted. Her heart-adopted son, Solomon, is an Ethiopian teen who was orphaned and sent to live in the Kolfe Orphanage in Addis Ababa at age 7. In November 2007, Eileen, her husband, and daughter were in Addis to bring home their 3 adopted babies. They visited Kolfe Orphanage one day, and were delighted by the polite, attentive boys who gave them a tour of their home. One 16-year-old boy in particular stuck out to Eileen, and she gave him her email address when she left, encouraging him to write. He did, and that started an email relationship that blossomed into Solomon becoming a heart-adopted member of the family! For the last 2 1/2 years, Eileen has been in pursuit of either a way for Solomon to make a living in Ethiopia or a way to bring Solomon here. Several months ago, Eileen made an appointment to talk with the president of the Christian college here in town. She explained how she met this young man, how he had come to know the Lord and His love through their correspondence and had applied himself to his studies, graduating top in his class last fall. The college president decided to give Solomon a full scholarship to come study for the ministry, and issued him a student visa. The last hurdle was for the American Embassy in Ethiopia to approve the visa. This was a BIG hurdle. Orphans are not considered good candidates for such things, and are routinely denied. All the paperwork was assembled. Solomon had his interview at the Embassy and they said.... we'll call you in a few weeks to let you know. WHAT?
That doesn't happen. Pray pray pray pray pray.
Today the call came that Solomon's visa was approved, and he arrives in Raleigh on Wednesday!!!
There is going to be a PARTY at the airport. Pictures will be coming.
Do you see God? How else does this happen?
www.jobsdaughters.blogspot.com
That doesn't happen. Pray pray pray pray pray.
Today the call came that Solomon's visa was approved, and he arrives in Raleigh on Wednesday!!!
There is going to be a PARTY at the airport. Pictures will be coming.
Do you see God? How else does this happen?
www.jobsdaughters.blogspot.com
Monday, November 9, 2009
Homeschool Teen Meeting
Saturday night was a Lighthouse teen and parent meeting. Since I neglected to update my personal calendar before scheduling this meeting, my own daughter was away at a pre-season homeschool basketball tournament in Greensboro that night. Since I was leading this meeting, I stayed home. Note to self ... when scheduling a support group teen activity, pick a date your own child can attend.
There are a large number of teens in our support group, but for the past couple of years we have not had anything organized specifically for them. This year I am scheduling monthly teen meetings to provide a chance for these kids to meet and socialize ( not "be socialized" - different thing ), and at the same time for parents of teens to meet and discuss the many questions surrounding homeschooling in high school. Saturday night we had 20 teens and about the same number of parents in attendance.
We started with a "business meeting" in which we discussed some ideas for upcoming activities. Then we had 2 guests share briefly about the non-profit organizations that they are involved in and how we could help.
Denise talked about Blue Star Mothers, a national organization made up of mothers of present or former US military members whose mission is as follows:
The mission of the Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc., shall be to support the Armed Forces of the United States of America and its Veterans; to advocate for America's Armed Forces and those men and women who have served their country with honor; to maintain allegiance to the United States; to educate our members and others not to divulge military, naval, or other government information; to assist and participate in ceremonies which honor remember and support our military men and women and Veterans; to honor those families whose children have died in service to our country; to assist in Homeland Security; to uphold the American principles of freedom, justice and equal rights and to defend the United States from all enemies.
Wonderful organization. Our teens are helping with their Care Packages service project this coming weekend, where we'll be packing several hundred boxes with donated items ( snacks, toiletries, DVDs, books, etc ) to send to US soldiers and sailors serving overseas.
Next, my friend Jennings shared about Ten Eighteen Inc., the non-profit ministry she and her husband started a year ago, based on Deuteronomy 10:18 - "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing." Currently they are working to raise money to care for orphans and widows in Uganda, through a couple of different local organizations that they have made connections with there. Jennings brought jewelry to the meeting that is made by women living in the Nomowongo slums of Kampala, and a number of the girls and moms were able to get early Christmas shopping done!
After this, the teens raided the snacks and set out the board games they had brought, spending the next hour and a half playing, talking and laughing. The parents went into a separate classroom and discussed high school classes, credits, dual enrollment changes in the community college system, and other similar topics. Hopefully those of us whose children have already graduated or are almost ready to graduate were able to offer some reassurance to those facing those looming high school years. It really isn't as scary as it seems!
There are a large number of teens in our support group, but for the past couple of years we have not had anything organized specifically for them. This year I am scheduling monthly teen meetings to provide a chance for these kids to meet and socialize ( not "be socialized" - different thing ), and at the same time for parents of teens to meet and discuss the many questions surrounding homeschooling in high school. Saturday night we had 20 teens and about the same number of parents in attendance.
We started with a "business meeting" in which we discussed some ideas for upcoming activities. Then we had 2 guests share briefly about the non-profit organizations that they are involved in and how we could help.
Denise talked about Blue Star Mothers, a national organization made up of mothers of present or former US military members whose mission is as follows:
The mission of the Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc., shall be to support the Armed Forces of the United States of America and its Veterans; to advocate for America's Armed Forces and those men and women who have served their country with honor; to maintain allegiance to the United States; to educate our members and others not to divulge military, naval, or other government information; to assist and participate in ceremonies which honor remember and support our military men and women and Veterans; to honor those families whose children have died in service to our country; to assist in Homeland Security; to uphold the American principles of freedom, justice and equal rights and to defend the United States from all enemies.
Wonderful organization. Our teens are helping with their Care Packages service project this coming weekend, where we'll be packing several hundred boxes with donated items ( snacks, toiletries, DVDs, books, etc ) to send to US soldiers and sailors serving overseas.
Next, my friend Jennings shared about Ten Eighteen Inc., the non-profit ministry she and her husband started a year ago, based on Deuteronomy 10:18 - "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing." Currently they are working to raise money to care for orphans and widows in Uganda, through a couple of different local organizations that they have made connections with there. Jennings brought jewelry to the meeting that is made by women living in the Nomowongo slums of Kampala, and a number of the girls and moms were able to get early Christmas shopping done!
After this, the teens raided the snacks and set out the board games they had brought, spending the next hour and a half playing, talking and laughing. The parents went into a separate classroom and discussed high school classes, credits, dual enrollment changes in the community college system, and other similar topics. Hopefully those of us whose children have already graduated or are almost ready to graduate were able to offer some reassurance to those facing those looming high school years. It really isn't as scary as it seems!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Seeing God at Work - My Friend Eileen
Those of you who have been reading my blog a while may remember my friend Eileen, a Christian homeschool mom of 9 - 3 biological, 2 adopted from the US, 3 adopted from Ethiopia, and 1 Ethiopian teen adopted by the heart! Following my friend on this adoption journey these past 6 years has been an amazing, jaw-dropping, goose bump-raising experience of seeing God at work in and through his people.
Real miracles, people.
Coincidences so unreal that even the strongest skeptic would have to take notice. Even though Eileen thought that bringing home her 3 babies from Africa was the "end of the story" of what God was doing in the Mestas family.... HA! She was wrong! There is more....
Check out her blog for the newest adventure! www.jobsdaughters.blogspot.com
And if you haven't read her blog before, go grab a mug of coffee or cup of tea and go to the beginning of her posts for the WHOLE STORY. You might want some kleenex. And buckle your seat belt!
Real miracles, people.
Coincidences so unreal that even the strongest skeptic would have to take notice. Even though Eileen thought that bringing home her 3 babies from Africa was the "end of the story" of what God was doing in the Mestas family.... HA! She was wrong! There is more....
Check out her blog for the newest adventure! www.jobsdaughters.blogspot.com
And if you haven't read her blog before, go grab a mug of coffee or cup of tea and go to the beginning of her posts for the WHOLE STORY. You might want some kleenex. And buckle your seat belt!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
My Daughter's Heart for Africa
My 21-year-old daughter, Sarah, is hoping to spend 4 weeks in Ethiopia this summer, volunteering in orphanages in Addis Ababa. Several friends of ours have adopted children from Ethiopia over the past 2 years, and Sarah's heart has been touched by these children and by the orphan crisis in that land.
In Ethiopia, approximately 1 in 10 children die in infancy, and nearly double that number die by their 5th birthday, due to infections, tetanus and diarrhea. Due to high infant, child and maternal mortality, Ethiopia is considered by the Mother and Child Index to be the 3rd most dangerous place in the world to be born, better only than Burkina Faso and Djibouti. Of the children who survive, many will lose their mother in childbirth and many more will lose one or both parents to HIV/AIDS. As more and more parents die, the capacity of extended family members to take care of orphans shrinks. Ethiopia has reached the breaking point where orphaned children are now forced into the streets, into difficult working conditions and/or into heading their households.
~www.ethiopianorphanrelief.comGo to Sarah's blog to learn more about her trip.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Orphans in Africa
James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
There are orphans on every continent, but particularly hard hit is Africa, where famine, war, and disease have decimated an entire generation of parents, teachers, doctors, coaches, leaders... leaving millions of children alone, without adults to love and guide them. I'm just finishing the book "There Is No Me Without You", by Melissa Fay Greene - the story of Haregewoin Teferra, an Ethiopian housewife who couldn't turn her back, but responded to the desperate need around her by taking in children left behind by the AIDS/HIV epidemic, eventually starting an orphanage to care for both healthy and HIV+ orphans. This story will open your eyes and jolt you out of your comfortable easy chair as you become aware of the desperate situation that is the daily reality for millions of people - moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, sisters & brothers, babies and toddlers - in Africa.
You can help support AHOPE for Children, an organization that provides orphan care and community support for HIV+ children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by purchasing a t-shirt from their site. Click the logo below.
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There are orphans on every continent, but particularly hard hit is Africa, where famine, war, and disease have decimated an entire generation of parents, teachers, doctors, coaches, leaders... leaving millions of children alone, without adults to love and guide them. I'm just finishing the book "There Is No Me Without You", by Melissa Fay Greene - the story of Haregewoin Teferra, an Ethiopian housewife who couldn't turn her back, but responded to the desperate need around her by taking in children left behind by the AIDS/HIV epidemic, eventually starting an orphanage to care for both healthy and HIV+ orphans. This story will open your eyes and jolt you out of your comfortable easy chair as you become aware of the desperate situation that is the daily reality for millions of people - moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, sisters & brothers, babies and toddlers - in Africa.
You can help support AHOPE for Children, an organization that provides orphan care and community support for HIV+ children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia by purchasing a t-shirt from their site. Click the logo below.
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