How Working in Ethiopia Redefines What’s Important About Families
July 25, 2009
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| Joe Bridges sitting with Sarah at her home |
Working and living within the confines of Ethiopia’s impoverished reality, I have had to clarify what I believe is important about families.
You see, as an American I have heard of extreme poverty disqualifying parents as fit guardians, sending their children into government care.
Now as an American living in Ethiopia and working to keep children in families I have had to wrestle with this viewpoint, because most of these children’s guardians are extremely poor – some poorer than I ever imagined possible.
So, do I disqualify these guardians based on their income level?
If I did there would be about 100 children without guardians just from Children’s Home Ethiopia alone. To illustrate this point, let me tell you about Hanna and Sarah…
Hanna, 11, and Sarah, 6, are sisters who come to Children’s Home Ethiopia’s Drop-In Center. What’s unique about Hanna and Sarah is that they have both a father and a mother who are together (this is usually not the case for CHE’s beneficiaries). Even more uncommon is that they live with these parents rather than on the streets.
I was able to visit Hanna and Sarah’s home about a month ago. I sat under a plastic canopy directly across from the entrance to their home – a plastic house that is about 4 feet tall and covers approximately 6 square feet of space. The smells of what I believe came from rotting food and nearby public toilets were nauseating.
With flies swarming around us, the girls sat right beside me in delight as their father explained their family’s history. Amidst the stories of living on the streets, fighting with police over places to reside, and other unbelievable events I heard one thing that gave me hope for the girls: Hanna and Sarah’s parents had been together for over 12 years and all 3 of their children (Hanna and Sarah have an older brother) lived at home, albeit a plastic one.
Of course there is much more research and work to be done with Hanna and Sarah’s family. But will CHE take the girls away because of poverty? No, but rather we will pray and work to keep this family intact as it has been for over 12 years and also look to provide solutions for their economic crisis.
In America I am quite sure that Hanna and Sarah would have been pulled out of their home after such a visit, but in Ethiopia this is not an option.
So, does this change what is important about a family in my mind?
I think it has to because of where I live and the kind of work I do here. For me, what is important and necessary for a family is a commitment to care for one another even in the midst of difficult situations, a willingness to do whatever it takes to stay together in the most trying times, and a decision by the parental figures to love their children no matter what. And at tihs point Hanna and Sarah’s family is hitting hitting the nail right on the head.
Recent Visit to CHE
July 14, 2009
One of the first things I heard from Joe Bridges after landing in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was that there was a pre-teen girl named Metu who was giving them great concern. She was absolutely homeless and was residing at Children’s Home Ethiopia, but she was openly challenging authority and calling the staff names in front of the other children. They didn’t know what to do other than send her away, but they hated the very thought of that. The Lord put her on my heart and I began praying for her every day.
I met her one day later on Saturday as we did a two-hour Vacation Bible School for the S.A.F.E Project kids and a few of the drop-in center kids, including Metu. She was all smiles and, like all the rest of the children, very glad to see us and eager to have their pictures taken. As we drove through the city later and Joe saw the children’s hospital, he remarked that this was the only place he knew in Addis that treated children with psychological disorders and he wondered if Metu needed some care there. She never showed any sad emotions, Joe noted, and he suspected that she might have been abused. He told us her real name was Wode.
Monday through Wednesday was our VBS for the drop-in kids. On Monday we talked about how God is our loving Creator and that as such He has given us the good gifts of our bodies and our souls. We should take care of these good gifts by washing our hands, brushing our teeth and taking preventive care against germs. On Tuesday we talked about how we had not taken very good care of our souls, that all had sinned and disobeyed God, even though He gave us the good gift of His rules for our own good. We walked through the Ten Commandments and talked about how all of us had disobeyed them. Wednesday we talked about how Jesus died to forgive our sins, that He was God’s good gift to rescue us from God’s own judgment. I encouraged the children afterwards that if they wanted to receive Jesus’ forgiveness and give Him their lives, they should talk to one of the counselors.
A little later Metu mentioned to our translator, Sami, that she wanted to ask Jesus to be her Savior. So Bisrat (one of the staff) and I took her aside and I asked her what made her want to do this. She said that as I had talked about Jesus’ forgiveness it had made her very happy. I made sure she understood what was involved in making Christ her Savior and gave her suggestions of how she should pray. She prayed. She seemed very happy. I asked Bisrat if he thought she was serious and he said, “Yes, she is very serious.” We left the next day but I got to see Metu one more time before we headed home. Thank you God for rescuing those who come to you for help and salvation. Thank you for saving Metu.
Prayer Requests
July 9, 2009
Please pray…
- for the children who raised their hands to say they want to know and follow Jesus at CHE’s recent end of school celebration (see that post). Also pray for the CHE staff and volunteers to make the time to follow up with each of these children.
- for us (Karyn and Joe Bridges) as we start language school on August 17. Pray that we will learn Amharic quickly
- for a new staff member for CHE. CHE is in great need of an additional staff member to work directly with the children in its care. In particular pray for the funding to hire this staff member and that CHE will find the right person for the job – passionate about ministering to children at risk, in love with Jesus, and meshes well with the rest of the team.
- for Jonathan Bridges as he travels to Ethiopia in August to work with the Kota Ganate Agriculture Project. Pray for efficient use of his time while he is here and for his wife, Jessica, and son, Dawit, while he is gone.
Praise God…
- for the ability to start the temporary halfway home for 5 children at CHE’s Drop-In Center. The children are thriving as they transition off of the streets and into a home! Keep praying for a permanent facility!
- for Ribika, who is the newest staff member at CHE. Ribika is the new secretary and cashier and has easily become part of the team.
What a Trip!
July 9, 2009
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| Sammy and Nega Prep the Bus |
About 80 anxious children from Children’s Home Ethiopia’s SAFE Project and 10 even more anxious staff and volunteers boarded a bus on Saturday. They were headed to an Addis Ababa park to celebrate the end of the school year.
Most of these children had no idea what to expect – special outings like this are not a normal part of their lives.
When they arrived at the park they excitedly ran off the bus and seemed to bounce with delight down the path to our reserved spot.
It Was a Full Day
It began with introductions of all staff and volunteers and there was not a dull moment the rest of the day. I was blown away by Elias, our preacher, who held the children’s attention with every word he spoke.
“Even Karyn and I were captivated by Elias’s presentation of who Jesus is, and we could only understand maybe 1 out of every 10 words.”
It was thrilling to see about 10 of the children raise their hands when Elias asked who wanted to know and follow Jesus!
The Feast
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| Elias telling the story of Jesus |
Next came the feast that Abazu, CHE’s cook, cleaner, and house parent, prepared with the help of many volunteers – even Karyn was able to pitch in (usually they refuse us foreigners to do such kind of work, so her acceptance spoke volumes of how we are becoming part of this community).
Every plate was piled high and then we still had enough food for a second meal later in the day. We even managed to feed some of the onlookers and park staff.
Oh Yeah…the Baboons
The kids were more than thrilled to get a look at the baboons that live at the park. I think most of the adults could have gone without seeing them – they’re not the prettiest or friendliest of the monkey family to say the least.
After getting their fill of obscene baboon behavior, the children (okay, and the staff and volunteers) played to their hearts’ content on the park’s playground.
“From the their expressions, I’m almost positive the slide was the first one many of these children had ever seen – PRICELESS!”
The amazing thing about the day was that it did not rain. We are in the midst of Ethiopia’s rainy season, so this was a miracle in itself. Karyn and I are so thankful to have been a part of this wonderful trip and to be representatives of the organization, The Forsaken Children, and it’s donors that provided the funds that made it possible.
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| Probably the first time on a slide | Karyn & Ribika helping with the feast |
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| Me introducing the family | Nega and Sammy having some fun with the kids |
