"He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap" (Psalm 113:7).
One year ago...
We did a lot of traveling on this day- Addis, Mojo, Meki, Nazret, and Sodere.
This was definitely the second best part of our trip.
Meeting our Compassion sponsor child, Biruk.
They had so little, and offered us so much. They opened their home and hearts to us. God has blessed us so much by our sponsor child and his family. We are so grateful to have had this wonderful/ life changing experience of meeting Biruk and his family and the project development of Compassion.
Ken Davis (Christian comedian) said after going on a Compassion trip, "I thought that my heart would break for the condition of these children, but my heart broke because of my condition".
My journal of that day does not do justice to the experience that we had.
Nonetheless, here's what I wrote:
November 1, 2010
"-woke up early (6:30), had breakfast and were picked up at 7:30 by Fciau (Kyle) from Compassion
-drove 2 hours to our sponsor child in Meki
-we first went tot eh development project (where the children go after school)
-there were 249 children being sponsored through Compassion in the town of Meki!!
-we saw the library, church, Sunday School rooms, offices, etc.
-drove a few minutes to Biruk's home
-we was waiting/hiding behind the door as we were coming; he had huge smiles!!
-it was quite emotional to be able to meet him (and his family); his little brother Elias is adorable!
-we gave some donations to the project manager and we gave a back pack of things to Biruk
-we sat and talked; Biruk practiced his English and tried to teach us Amharic!
-Jesse, Biruk, and Elias played mini sticks (which created a bit of a crowd)!!
-his family was so hospitable (serving coffee, popcorn and fresh baked bread)
-Biruk is a sweet, sweet, appreciative boy
-it was so good to visit, yet so sad to see their style of living; we have no idea how good we have it
-on our way back, we stopped at a hotel to go to the washroom and buy a drink
-we drove another 40 minutes through Nazret to Sodere Hot Springs; it was nothing attractive, but it was really fun to see all the wild monkeys
-there was a lot of sleeping in the van despite the horn honking, brake slamming, swerving, dust blowing, etc.
-this evening we were visited by a lovely young woman, Jerusalem (Jerry) who shared her story about being sponsored through Compassion; very inspiring woman! "
-saying good-bye
-future Ethiopian NHLer
-dry soup mix donations from the Ontario Gleaners
-our amazing translator, tour guide, etc. also a former Compassion Sponsor child!
-a long day
1 comment:
I feel as though I was right there with you when I look at these photos. Your sponsored boy will never forget that visit and neither will you or your kids!
Doesn't everyone return from Africa with the sense that they "have" more than we do? :)
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