We've officially been home from Ethiopia for 6 weeks. In that time, we've all had plenty of time to unpack our bags, settle back into our routines, catch up on some sleep, and start processing all that we did and saw . . .
And as we post pictures and share stories there's this nagging question in my heart:
NOW WHAT?
What do we do now that we have been there, seen the needs, met the people, had our hearts broken?
Yesterday, our team met for lunch. While together, we viewed the video of our pictures . . . and then we discussed the now what.
Although many of us would love to go back one day, the reality is, we can do just as much or more from home . . . We saw the areas of need . . . maybe our role between trips is to share our stories, raise awareness, and choose a few areas of need and focus on raising funds for these.
But how do you decide what is most important?
Church? We know that in Awasa, they are trying to raise $18,000 to purchase the land for a church plant. We've been there. We saw the need. We know that without this church, most of the people in the community do not have the ability to get to church to worship. Isn't it our job to help spread the word of Jesus?
Education? Although school is free, children are required to have supplies and a uniform. These cost money which many families don't have. What if we told people that for $40, they could send a child to school for a year.
$40! Think of what we spend $40 on without thinking twice: a pair of sandals we don't need, another purse, dinner out, the movie theatre, a tank of gas, home décor.
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| Shone girls . . . striped shirts are their uniforms for school. |
Job opportunities? Several of the communities we visited have children sponsorships, which have been wonderful. But how do we help these families become more self sufficient? We learned about the possibility of helping develop farms in these communities. The farms would create jobs, a food supply, as well as a source of income. This income would allow families to become more self-sufficient. Imagine how it would feel as a parent to have the opportunity to buy food for the family, clothes for their children, send all of your children to school . . . Oh wait . . . we already do that. Without blinking an eye we do that. What's harder to imagine is not being able to provide for the most basic needs of your family simply because the opportunity does not exist.
Sanitation? In Holetta, we learned of a desperate sanitation situation. There's an area where land was being developed for small shops, but for whatever reason, the project was not completed and was abandoned. Families started moving in and setting up their homes in this area, but the shops were not meant for housing . . . their is one major area lacking . . . bathrooms. People are dying of diseases because they lack proper sanitation. What if we could help build some kind of bath house that had showers, toilets, and a source of clean water?
More sponsorships? Child sponsorships. Family sponsorships. Although not building self-sufficiency, these do help provide for some of the basic needs. And sometimes, that is the best place to start!
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This woman has 4 children, but only her daughter is being sponsored.
How cool would it be to send all of her children to school? |
Orphans/Orphanages? How can we better provide for the orphans? How can we improve the conditions at the orphanages? We saw at Kebebe the impact of additional funding . . . more staff, better living conditions, better hygiene, improved health. These children need us.
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| A picture taken in Kebebe Tsehai Orphanage |
I look at the list and it seems daunting . . . but I remember that we have a BIG God! And through him, all things are possible.
We're home, but we haven't forgotten.
We're home, but our mission isn't over.
We're home, but we have more to do.
We're home, and we need your help!
