A gift, worn close to the heart...

Last week we had the wonderful opportunity to

Fed Ex some care packages to another family

who would be traveling to Kolfe.

We thought long and hard

 about what to put in them, knowing that it would be

Mezgebu's first care package ever, and it would need

 to carry something special for Emnatu's graduation.

This is what Emnatu received.

Mezgebu's package...

After much debate, this is what we sent for Graduation.

A piece of us, specifically John,

which had Emnatu beaming with delight!

(This note is written on the back of the

photo showing John wearing the tie.)

Friday, I was working on the computer when Gizachew called

 (by chat) to say that Emnatu wanted to skype with us so that

 we could see him. Turns out he was dressed in his graduation attire

 and wanted his dad to see... the tie.

Sadly, John was at work, so he wasn't able to see,

 but it was wonderful to see how proud Emnatu was about the tie.

He stood up, and they turned the camera around so we could

 get the whole view as the boys kept repeating over and over again...

 "Do you see the tie?" 

"That's Emnatu's Dad's tie!" 

"He is so happy by his Dad's tie!"

It was such a simple thing to do, John doesn't

wear ties except for the rare occasion...

but to Emnatu, it meant SO much!

  It meant for the first time in 17 years he could show

the world on his graduation day, that he was

loved, accepted and treasured by... HIS DAD!

God is so GOOD!!!!

 - - - - -

 A father to the fatherless,

a defender of widows,

 is God in his holy dwelling. 

God sets the lonely in families

Psalm 68:5-6

Emnatu's graduation... today.

Well, I am going to do this the lazy way...

here are a few photos to wet your appetite,

and the rest you will have to

see by clicking on the link below.

I have explanations of each of the photos on

the linked site, but my brain is too tired

to re-type them again for the blog!! 

Many, many, many hours spent

(seriously, like 4 hours!)

with chat and Skype today has

left my brain a little fuzzy.

Please do look at them though,

because the photos are AWESOME!

Clockwise beginning with Emnatu in the pink...

 Emnatu, Ephrem, Gezahegn, Sintayehu, and Gizachew

My husband laughed at this one and said that

 it looks like the photo for a Boy's Band.

To see the entire album... with explanations...

click on this link.

One really cool thing...

Today, we were able to Skype for the first time

with sound going both ways.

It was WONDERFUL!

We now know what Emnatu's

sweet voice sounds like.

Only being there to help Emnatu celebrate

would have topped the joy we felt getting

to see AND HEAR these boys for the first time.

God is SO GOOD!!!!

What one organization and 75 families can do when they band together to make a difference...

6 minutes and 38 seconds... That's the amount of time I am asking your family to give up today... That's the amount of time it will take you to watch this video, and all the while ponder if you really have "enough" to share with the orphans at Kolfe... I mean, we all know times are tough here in the U.S., right??



God wants us to have hearts that are broken for what breaks His heart.  I have no doubt Kolfe breaks His heart.  He loves these boys, we can too...

This video is from November of 2009, and it shows the wonderful work of our God through the hearts, minds, hands and pocketbooks of a group of families connected to an organization called Operation Hearts and Homes.

Happy Birthday... to me!

It was my birthday this week...

I told the Kolfe boys how many birthdays I have had

when they called yesterday to say Happy Birthday,

but forget it, if you don't know already,

 I'm not telling you my age!

We don't usually go out to eat, but birthdays are special....

In preparation for the future Africa trip,

 John took us to a local Ethiopian restaurant.

Not the most flattering photo, so I'll keep it small...

It was fun to share a little about the

Kolfe boys with our waitress.

She thought it was pretty cool that the photos

she took would be sent directly to Ethiopia.

I am not big on presents,

(my love language is definitely quality time)

but John allowed me to 

do a little birthday shopping last night...

These are the BEST birthday gifts EVER!!!

I can't wait to see them on some little and big Ethiopians!!

When attempting to buy for this many kids,

you must watch the money closely. 

 I found ONE pair of basketball shorts

 in the clearance section. 

 If you find some others and would like

 to donate them, let me know! 

 These are super easy to wash with a bar

 of soap, and line dry, and they will be lightweight

 in our suitcases as well. 

 BUT WE NEED MORE!!!!!! 

150 kids can NOT share one pair of shorts!!!

I got all of this as another gift yesterday

 from a very sweet family member.

With these pencils and the ones already purchased,

 but not delivered to me yet from

other friends, we should have enough.

So if you have already purchased them, I'll take them,

 if you haven't bought them yet,

I would love to have shorts and shirts...

Do you have some of these at your house???

Here are a couple of purchases we have made this week,

and we would LOVE to have more of them.

One was from Goodwill, and one from the Target clearance rack.

Any shirt that is SOCCER related would be really fun

to give to these boys, and ANY size will work...

EXCEPT for one thing...

The Kolfe boys don't have mom's to do their laundry,

they don't have washers and dryers to make the job easy

and get out the dirt that little and big boys

alike accumulate on their clothing...

What they do have is

a bar of soap, water, and a clothes line.

To me, this says one thing loud and clear...

White t-shirts would not stay white.

Soccer jersey material might, but cotton... no way.

So let's forgo the white t-shirt thing!

... Now, what'cha got???

ONE.... Updated!

Alright, I admit, that was a short blogging break!

I was checking some of my favorite blogs this morning,

and came across a great deal on these...

My sweet friend, Juli, at Bargain Believer

posted some great school supply deals.

Why does this matter to Kolfe Orphanage?

I am so glad you asked! :o)

- - - - -

Well, the way I count, there are now

around 150-160 of them...

"Friday our campus gets new 23 boys

These boys come from Kechene and
Kibebetsehay this boys are children." ~ Emnatu

- - - - -

School starts back up in a September,

and these kids get ONE of everything for the year...

ONE shirt, ONE pair of pants, ONE PENCIL...

How much do your kids get at the start of a school year?

PENCILS are easy to pack, and don't take much room.

This week when you are shopping, and see a pack of

pencils for next to nothing, pick up a couple

of extra packs for the Kolfe Boys.

If you are feeling extra generous, you could

sharpen them for us, if not... my kids work cheap!

A bunch of these erasers would be great, too!

Kristelle has declared the hard erasers on cheap pencils...

"USELESS! Why do they even have them?"

While you are at it, keep your eyes out for these...

SOCCER JERSEYS.

ONE shirt a year isn't much!

Wouldn't it be neat to see lots of boys and young men

in "new to them" soccer jerseys or soccer t-shirts?

Gizachew sent photos this weekend

from their annual "Kolfe Cup".

(Dorm room vs dorm room playing their favorite sport.)

The youngest Kolfe Cup team.

Update: Ah ha!!!

I think I can see why he sent this photo...

I had wondered a bit why Gizachew

chose to send me this photo.

Upon some careful inspection tonight...

there is a 15 year old hiding in this group of littles!

Our Mezgebu!

Can't wait to hug these cuties!

One of the older dorm room teams for the Kolfe Cup.

We are kind'a partial to the young man on the left.
That's our Emnatu. :o)

My heart breaks, but there are things we can do...

I am an avid reader of all things Kolfe... that just happens when God grips your heart about something, and you can't turn away. Today, I stumbled upon a blog of another American/Kolfe family. What I read there made my heart ache. Emnatu is very good at keeping life "happy" for us, we can easily begin to forget where he is and think of him as a kid away at college. He never asks for anything, and when John and I determine that he has a need that we need to meet, we have to force it on him. So, it is easy to get a rosy view of his life, and forget all the terrible things about his life at Kolfe that he neglects to mention.

Below is just some of what made me cry for my boys today. It is a quote from the president of Children's HopeChest, after he first visited the precious young men...

"Kolfe orphanage is an incredible place filled with 130 boys outside Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. After spending just a few hours with the young men there, I was struck by how polite, engaging and smart they are. They are so conversational I almost didn't realize that this orphanage is situated on a dumping ground. Every window is broken out of every building except the office (this quote is from a couple of years ago... many of the windows appear to be fixed?) and the only thing more prominent than garbage and glass on the ground is the red dust that covers every square inch of this horrible place. I see two possible roads for these boys. Down the first I see future husbands, fathers, and leaders of Ethiopia. Down the second I see death. I will occasionally use hyperbole to make a point but be clear that this not one of those times." ~ Tom Davis, president of Children's HopeChest

Is God speaking to your heart?

What can you do to help give love and care to these young men?

---------

Will you show them that God HAS NOT FORGOTTEN them?!

If God is calling you to tangibly care for these 130 of the 147 MILLION orphans, then go to JOY's Blog to see the current list of items we are collecting to take to Kolfe.