Splashes of color... all over Kolfe!

You might also like these posts
about the Pillow Project
The Day the Dump Truck Arrived...
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, The Kolfe Pillow Project...


Now, back to the post!
Pillow day!!

Let the fun begin!

The last dorm room on the right

was like Santa's workshop

on Pillow Day.

Everyone had a role to play...

John, Linda, the Ks, and some of the older boys

were busy pillow-casing pillows,

and handing them out.

Emnatu and a few others were handling

the crowds outside and checking names

off the list before they came in.

Ayal stayed busy handing out the cards to each boy,

along with a letter we had written

 for them in their Amharic language...

250 copies later, each boy could read this...

Selam nwe! We want you to know that God remembers you, and knows each of you by name. The Bible says that "even the very hairs of your head are all numbered." (Matthew 10:30) You are precious in His sight, and He loves you so much that He sent his son Jesus to earth to show His love for you. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." ~ Romans 5.8

- - - -

This pillowcase is a gift for you, from someone in the United States who is praying for you, but really, it is a gift from Jesus. We pray that as you lay your head on this pillowcase, you will remember that you are loved very much and prayed for.

Gizachew stayed busy...

being Gizachew! :o)

With all of the help,

things went really smooth!

Check out this slide show for a glimpse

of the kids who got your acts of love...

My apologies if you don't see your pillowcase in here.

We were having camera issues this day,

and sometimes, the kids snuck past us

in their excitement!

After all... there were pillow fights

going on outside!

Video of some of that coming soon!

The Day The Dump Truck Arrived...

270 pillows,

purchased for us by Gladney

with only two days notice.

If you have ever been to Ethiopia,

you know that was a

God sized job!

Yes, this did make the mom

in me upset...

Brand new, clean pillows,

laying on the dirty ground...

but I held my tongue. :o)

after all...

nowhere at Kolfe is it clean.

The Gladney rep delivered them in a

DUMP TRUCK,

since there were so many of them!

It was quite a site.

Sadly, no video or photos of us unloading,
we were having camera issues this day.

It would have been so fun to show you the process.

Think
BOYS & PILLOWS

that leads to...

Pillowfights!

When the first pillow hit me,

I thought it was an accident,

but the giggling

gave the kid away.

 - - -

Pretty soon, it was an all out war...

the kids in the dump truck,

ambushing my helper and I as we tried

 to find places to put them all!

Laughter abounded...

so much joy!

Now, remember this is a Government Orphanage.

That meant that when we showed up with

the dump truck and a receipt

for a big purchase,

the man in charge of storage at Kolfe

stepped in to snatch up the pillows

and put them in his storage area

until proper paperwork could be filed.

We were told this could take a week or two.

Meanwhile, HE would know what was missing...

Originally we were told that we could still

hand out the pillowcases, since they weren't

"purchased", but as the nervous minutes ticked by,

 that all changed too.

Next we were told we could run the project

for one room, so that I could take photos.

Really??  Who wants kids crying because

they weren't in that room?

My answer was, "No thanks."

So, it was looking like we would be praying

that the paperwork would be finished

after we left ET, and that the boys

would in fact, get everything we

had for them... UNTIL...

this sweet man stepped in.

Yordanos ~ our driver and friend

He worked out a "deal" of sorts...

The cooks had been wanting me to buy them

a LARGE POT,

to replace one that was cracked.

BINGO!!

We agreed to buy the pot the following day,

IF the director would agree

to skip the paperwork

on the pillows and cases.

We used another word to describe this "deal",

but here, we shall say it was

 "You scratch my back,

I'll scratch yours." :o)

It worked!

Special thanks to Linda for picking up the

whole tab on this huge, expensive pot.

2 very happy cooks,

and 243 happy children!

~ Part 1~

Stay tuned... next post has some

great photos of happy kids

and PILLOWS!!!!!

We're b-a-c-k!!!!

and THIS is what our family TRULY looks like.

11 wonderful days of experiencing

God's design for us...

without the oceans to separate us.

I loved every minute of it!

Prayer Warriors Needed...

Prayer letter went out this morning 
to all those we have heard from.
 If we missed you,
contact me to the right!

Headed here soon...

Would you like to be a

part of our Prayer Team?

Email me to let me know,

(through the link at the right)

and I will send you the daily

prayer guide I am working on.

Thanks!!!

 - - - -

 For where two or three gather

in my name, there am I with them.

 ~ Matthew 18:20

Step out in obedience and watch what HE does...

 “Command them to do good,
to be rich in good deeds,
  and to be generous and willing to share.”
 ~ 1 Timothy 6:18
 - - -
As promised, here is the story about

stepping out in obedience and faith,

and what happened in the hours

after we did so...

The Shannons - living in Addis Ababa

Ever since my last trip, I have been praying
and asking my family about us becoming sponsors
 for one of the Shannon's Daycare kids
 from Embracing Hope Ethiopia.
I had met the Shannon's, sat in their home,
and heard their love and devotion
to the lost and needy of Korah.
I wanted to be a part of what God was doing there.

Yesterday my husband agreed
 to step out in faith,
that God would provide the money
 needed for sponsorship.
Armed with a "Yes",
I went to their website and found this
 adorable face staring back at me.

And I knew...

THIS was the baby I wanted to help.

A little girl born in October of 2010.

Her name is Eyeroos.

(more on her sponsorship in a later post)

I was sooooo excited that God,

 through John, was saying yes.

I sent the Shannons a message right away

and then waited.

2 mins...

5 mins...

They are usually on-line at that time of day,

so I should get a response soon, right?

no...

About 10 mins, and I had reached my limit.

(patience is not MY virtue)

You see, I was sponsor #2, and this little cutie

needed 4 sponsors to completely

sponsor her and her mom.

I was itching to find 2 more people to join me

but I needed to be able to tell people that

we had signed up, and wanted them to do so too.

So I did what any completely insane person

who is SOLD OUT for Jesus would do...

I picked up my cell, and called Ethiopia.

"Um, Jerry? Could you turn on your

computer and read my message?" :o)

See that stamp on her photo???

THAT happened because 2 of

my facebook friends listened

to God calling them to join us.
 - - - -

And then, there was this little girl..

Another friend signed up

to be one of her sponsors.

If you are keeping track,

one act of obedience led to 3 more...

so exciting!

But wait, there's more!

20 mins after we signed up,

a Pastor friend of ours

showed up at our house

with a check for $250 for our trip.

Two hours later, a friend stopped by

to purchase some curriculum from me.

As she was getting in the car,

I looked at the money she had given me,

and noticed an extra $50... 

She had tried to sneak it past me,

but I had to ask if it was a mistake.

Nope, extra intended for our trip!

That afternoon,

still riding high from all the

blessings of the morning,

I opened my email and saw

that another friend was

wanting to donate to our trip

through Agape.

Wow... just wow, Lord!

As the day was winding down,

there was a knock on the door.

The UPS man delivering my insulin.

Normally, (on every other insurance)

this would be a $90 prescription.

Nope!!!  Try 100% covered!

NEVER before has that happened!!

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse,

 that there may be food in my house.

Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty,

 "and see if I will not throw open

the floodgates of heaven and pour out

 so much blessing that you

will not have room enough for it.

 ~ Malachi 3:10

So, how about you?

What is he calling you to
step out in faith to do?

What are you waiting for????

Meet Behimnet...

UPDATE:  In the last few hours, all of the families in the Shannon's daycare program have now been sponsored!  Praise God, that is so great!  If you didn't get a chance to join in, and still want to, they will be adding more families to their program soon!

She's 1 1/2 years old and lives at Korah, in Addis Ababa. (Where we will be very soon!) This little cutie spends her days with our sponsor baby at the Shannon's Daycare Center... and she TOO needs YOU.... Remember... it's not your money... Step out, and watch HIM bless you and Behimnet and her mom!!!

Want more info?  Click on the Embracing Hope Ethiopia Link over there on the right side of our blog...  or read this...
Sponsorship through Embracing Hope Ethiopia costs $34 a month... 4 sponsorships will completely support this family.  Currently Behimnet has 2 sponsors...  could you be one of the remaining two to support this family for $34 a month???

(You can make it larger by double clicking.)

Each of you should give

what you have decided

 in your heart to give,

not reluctantly

or under compulsion,

for ♥ GOD LOVES

A CHEERFUL GIVER.♥
2 Corinthians 9:7

There is great joy in using GOD'S money

that he has entrusted to you,

to help someone else

be able to live... 

 to survive...

even to thrive!

Step out in faith,

and watch what God does...

I will post later about just

what happened to US,

when we decided this morning

to sponsor Eyeroos

from the daycare...

it's pretty cool!