Today we drove out in to the country side to visit a compassion project that specializes in taking care of pregnant women and mothers of newborns. This is really trick in an area devastated by HIV/AIDS. We met with many mothers and played with some of the babies at the sight. Compassion does an incredible job of teaching young mothers about pre-natal care. While these children are being taken care of, the extent of the care does not come close to what we expect in the US. This mothers have no medicines for their children. The only thing they can get is a pill to stop diarrhea so that the children do not die. Compassion does provide milk for the many mothers in the project who are HIV positive to keep them from breast feeding their children.
Each day we take a "home visit" where we go visit someone who has benefited from the project. Today we met with a lady who is 25, has 3 kids, her husband left her and she is HIV positive. 5 of us crowded in her small house the size of a bathroom. The house was made out of mud and sticks. She put green weeds all over the floor, roasted coffee beans, popped pop corn and made a native bread for us. Ethiopians get hospitality. These are the poorest people I have ever met, yet we are always greated with the "ceremonial coffee and snacks".
For those of you who are not familiar with Compassion International, I want to explain what I love about them the most. Their key focus is to build up the local church. They are the only child sponsor ministry that teams up with the local church to empower the pastors and leaders to change the community. Many times Christians have been guilty of having a mindset that we "bring Christ" to a country instead of acknowledging that God has been at work way before we were born. Compassion asks for 32 dollars a month to sponsor a child, after seeing what that money goes to, I can say that they are great stewards of our money. We have met many people on staff here in Africa who were compassion children themselves. Many of the younger children have said that they want to be teachers, nurses or doctors who will one day serve the poor in a compassion project.
I have fallen in love with these people. Most Ethiopians come across as being very shy......but it is really their humilty.
I thank the Lord, my wife and my church for allowing me to experience so much.
God is Good
nate
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2 comments:
keep up the wonderful work and stay safe... we love you...al and gg
Hi Nate,
Kim was so sweet Wednesday night and told us about the "blog". (My 1st exp. with a "blog" :) Now we are checking it everyday. When I read what you wrote, I just sobbed. What a miracle that whole story really is. Out of all the children to be sponsored, out of all the people to re-sponsor him and out of all the people who could be on the same trip with you. It really was God's work in FULL GLORY! I am sharing it with everyone I see and I will forever.I can not even put into words what it has done to me and my heart. God's plan is so much greater than anything I can even imagine, I just need to learn to "get out of His way". We so happy and thankful that you were able to meet Amanuel. Thank-you so much for what you are and do for all of us here, and what you are doing there. I know that those sweet little childen are "loving" you up. Be safe!!!! Can't wait to see pictures and hear all about it.
Marietta
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