Friday, April 8, 2011

our host child, ethiopia & the bigger picture

My fam' was thrilled as we gathered around my macbook to open the email containing the pictures of our host child. Due to confidentiality reasons, I am not permitted to post his photograph online, but he is one cute little boy! Now I can see his face in my mind when I pray for him or when I fall asleep and think of what it will be like to meet him for the first time.

The agency asked us to send a picture of our family along with a short letter for them to translate, as a means of introducing ourselves to him. Well, after 20 shots on the macbook and lots of squirming (can you guess who?) and lots of pulling of the sign away from Abbie (same person), and lots of weird looking faces, we settled on this.

In many ways he's just like every other boy we know.

He goes to school
He is a little shy at first
He loves soccer
He plays with his friends

But unlike most boys we know, he is one of the estimated 5 million orphans in Ethiopia. Sami wants a family.

We'll be his Mom and Dad and Stephen, Abbie, David & Jayda will be his brothers and sisters for the month that he's here. We hope and pray that we can be the arms and feet of Jesus to him. We are eager to love him and play with him and care for him and listen to him!

We hope and pray that God makes a way for him to have a forever family.

But he is just one child. There are millions with a similar story and the very same need: a family.

I think this upcoming conference/movement in Ethiopia shows great promise in addressing the bigger picture of the overwhelming orphan crisis.

Pray for him. But pray also for this Project - that it has far reaching effects.


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