Project Sew Important

In April we are going to our Children's HopeChest Care point in Kombolcha, Ethiopia.  We will be serving 168 children, 96 of them girls.

I've debated about the post... should I share or not share... because it's sensitive, maybe taboo... not everyone is comfortable with the topic and I wasn't sure if I wanted to share this publicly.  But after sharing this with my close friends and receiving very positive feedback, I decided to risk it all and post the details of our newest project. It really is that important to me... to the girls at our care point.

The girls at our care point are vulnerable economically.  Many of the girls are orphans and receive their only meal at our care point.  These girls are in school because someone has cared enough to sponsor them so the required school fees have been paid. But they are still at risk.... Some girls miss school up to 4 days a month.  They miss the lessons, the practice time, the homework, the exams and if they have a part time job they miss time a work/income because they cannot afford hygiene products.  It happens every day in impoverished communities all over the world... it's happening at our care point. 

We want to change that at our care point.  We want to ensure our girls and young ladies have their own sustainable, effective feminine hygiene products. 

We've started "Project Sew Important".  If you sew and can help, please join us!  We have two patterns options provided by Days for Girls.   Please e-mail me at mblueberry.madamblueberry@gmail.com for all the details.  We have a snap machine so we can finish off the products for you.   

If you cannot sew but would like to help you may buy the finished product online, here , Please contact me for a shipping address for one our our team members.  Please e-mail me for details.

Thank you for making a difference in young women's lives.

Campaign for Ethiopia's orphans

By now if you are connected with adoptions in Ethiopia, you've heard the rumors - MOWA- the Minstry of Women's Affairs plans to reduce the number of interntional adoptions dramatically.  If you are concerned about the slow down in Ethiopia adoptions there are a couple things you can do.
You can Help via the Joint Council Emergency Campaign for Ethiopia Children.
Click here to go to their website which I have cut and pasted below:

1) Sign the petition to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi – and pass it on!

2) Have you adopted from Ethiopia?
 Please send us up to 3 photos and 50 words or less with what you would like the Ministry to know about your child – we’ll compile the information and send a book to the Ministry of Woman’s, Children’s and Youth Affairs. Send your photos and stories to advocate@jointcouncil.org by Sunday, March 12, 2011 to be included. Please note that sending photos and stories gives Joint Council unrestricted right to use the information you provide.

3) Share…Please send this Call to Action to family members, other adoptive parents, and everyone you know! Post, forward and share your adoption stories via Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. Make sure you include us in your posts so we can all hear your stories! Here’s links to our pages: Facebook, Twitter and our blog.

4) Stay informed: Get up-to-date information regarding the situation in Ethiopia by signing up to receive information from us: click here to do so, make sure you choose “country and issues specific information” and “Ethiopia.” And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and our blog

5) Help ensure our advocacy can continue: Joint Council is a non-profit and receives no government funding. Please join us in ensuring more children live in safe, permanent and loving families. Donate today!

Most of all ....Please continue to pray that meetings and decisions in Ethiopia will align with God's heart for orphans and adoption.

Get up and Go

I recently started a new bible study- Navigating a Life Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer.
As I started the first few days of home work I read these verses:
Jonah 1:1-3
The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.

Have you ever had the Lord ask you to do something but you decided not to?  I have.  I looked at these verses and I knew I needed to get a refund on my own personal ticket to Tarshish.  I needed to do as I had been called but had put off.  Since coming home from my trip with Children's Hope Chest in December 2009, I have worked to find sponsors for the children in Kombolcha.  We have had events, raised money for kitchen equipment, etc.  We did many things but this summer I knew we were to do more.  What exactly, I was not sure but I knew I had to step out in faith.  One day God specifically called me to do something but I did not do it.  Why?  Every time I started well meaning Christians, fear, satan and a host of  interuptions caused me to pull back. When I read those verses I KNEW I needed to "Get up and go".  So I did.  I love  getting a second chance to make a difference.

The first step was the yard sale at church to benefit orphans at Grace Baptist Church in Ethiopia.  We had 5 or so items priced between $10-20- everything else was $1 or less.  Seriously, how were we to make money with the majority of our yard sale items priced at 50 cents?  I truly believe when we are obedient to God's call anything can happen.  We held the yard sale and now we are writing a $1,000 check to Children's HopeChest to feed orphans!  What a blessing!

In a few days we will be posting another way to make a difference in an orphan's life!   We cannot wait to share it with you!!  Check back in a few days to see what we are up too.

If you are interested in sponsoring a child in Kombolcha, Ethiopia please contact me at
Mblueberry.madamblueberry@gamil.com

3-2-1- lift-off!

This past weekend we "launched" sponsorship for the children of Kombolcha!
Prior to the launch I had doubts- really, how were Jeremy and I to find 188 sponsors? How would the weekend come together with Peter? Why did I feel such a burden along with such negativity? At the same time our family was dealing with all sorts of distractions.
When I had a few minute of quiet time I heard this, "Your focus should be Kombolcha. Your job is to share your heart. My job is to soften their hearts." Oh, that's a relief! With those words I became more encouraged and excited about the weekend!

Peter Abera, the Ethiopian in country director for Children's Hope Chest spoke at several churches while he was here. He did an amazing job of sharing his heart and the plight of children at Grace's care point. We had a great response. We don't have final numbers but we believe one third of the children of Kombolcha have been sponsored! How amazing is that? It normally takes 3-4 months to get a care point of this size fully sponsored so we are well on our way.

You can make a difference in these children's lives. $34 per month ensures that a desperately poor and hungry child will have two meals every day, clothing, medical care, education and Christian discipleship. If you are interested in sponsoring a child or learning more about sponsorship- please e-mail me:
mblueberry.madamblueberry@gmail.com

Here are some pictures from a few of the events this weekend.

Kombolcha and sponsorship

The launch for children of Kombolcha at Grace Baptist Church is March 5.
The children's profiles are being processed and will be sent to us March 3.
Peter, the Ethiopia country director for Children's Hope Chest, will be here for the launch!
Peter grew up in Kombolcha and his home church is Grace Baptist. He will have an opportunity to share his heart and the needs of orphans.


Many of these children at Grace Baptist Church are single or double orphans. They may live with a relative who can provide shelter but not food or clothing because of extreme poverty. There is also food shortages in parts of Ethiopia. Kombolocha is located North East of Addis Ababa. According to the Famine Early Warning map, Kombolcha is dealing with moderate to high food insecurities.

My friend Karen was with us in Kombolcha and she wrote this about these precious children and our experience:
These children were gaunt and thin. Tattered and stained clothing that covered skin stretched across bone. Eating grass when they thought we weren't looking. Some had lice, some had sores that weren't healing. All of them were hungry. All of them were longing for the reassuring, loving and protective arms of a mommy or daddy.

Every one of us went to bed that night with the question on our lips and hearts ... why? These innocent children, through no fault of their own, are left to fend for themselves. Hungry, scared, sick ... and alone, with no one in the world to love them, to soothe their fears, to stroke their forehead when they are sick and feverish, to kiss them goodnight. Why? It's so unfair.
We can make a difference in these children's lives. $34 per month ensures that a desperately poor and hungry child will have two meals every day, clothing, medical care, education and Christian discipleship. If you would like to sponsor a child or receive more information, please email me- mblueberry.madamblueberry@gmail.com

Haiti

I have a secret.... I want to go to Haiti. Yesterday I saw a post on Facebook- people needed to go to Haiti next week to help 200 orphans. There were a couple requirements-
1. Current passport (check) 2. updated shots (check) 3. mission experience (check) 4. funds available to go immediately (hmmm..).
I mentioned it to Rob and he said, "Go." My husband is such a supporter.
There are a couple obstacles-
-I had oral surgery Monday and I'm still recovering. I'm taking antibiotics for another week and won't get my stitches out for another 3 weeks. I need to check with the doctor. I do not want to be a potential liability to the team.

-Child care for Henry. We pulled Henry out of nursery school two weeks ago. (more on that later) Who would watch Henry while I was gone?

-Funds to go. If I am suppose to go to Haiti, I know the funds to go will be revealed.

While I was trying to think through childcare and the funds, I saw another message- they had all the team spots filled. I thought, oh well, it wasn't meant to be. This afternoon I saw another message posted- another team will go in February......
I'm calling the doctor in the morning.

More pictures from Grace Baptist Church, Kombolcha Ethiopia

Great news! Several people have contacted me to sponsor a child in Kombolcha!
Are you interested in sponsorship or learning more about sponsorship? E-mail me at mblueberry.madamblueberry@gmail.com
Here are some of the precious children we met at Grace Baptist Church.


I ask you to consider sponsoring a child at Grace Baptist Church, in Kombolocha, Ethiopia. I met these children when I traveled there with Children's Hope Chest in December, 2009. I saw the need first hand.

Many of the children in Komobolcha are double orphans- meaning they have lost both parents. They live with a relative but many of these families can only provide a roof over the child's head. These families are so impoverished that they cannot provide food for the child they take in.

Can you imagine living with a family but not being fed? These children's lives are as important as own child(ren) or grandchild. God calls us to care for the ‘least of these’ and in doing so, we care for Jesus himself. The orphans in Kombolocha have nothing. I witnessed the children eating grass simply because they did not know where their next meal would come from or when it would come.

What is SPONSORSHIP? It is the most precious gift you can give an orphan. A sponsor is a
person who commits to three things that we call Pray, Say, and Pay.

1. Pray: As a sponsor, we ask that you would pray for your child as often as possible. Your child’s packet will give you information about their circumstances, family of origin, orphanage, town, and country–all vital tools in helping you pray for your child.

2. Say: (AKA Write Letters) Using the “Write Your Child” link on the Children's Hope Chest Web site you may write your child as often as you’d like. We ask sponsors to try and send a message to their child about once a month. In your information packet, you’ll get more details about how
to send handwritten letters to our office for delivery. A simple letter from a sponsor is one of the most precious gifts to a child who literally has no one.

3. Pay: Each sponsor commits to a $34/month (per year) sponsorship relationship that provides a child with many benefits. Your funds will be providing meals, discipleship, access to clean water, basic medical care and education to your child.

4. Trip: Once a year Children's Hope Chest will plan a trip for the supporters of the Kombolcha orphans to visit with their sponsored kids. This is not mandatory, but if you are willing and able it is life changing to be in Africa and see things first hand, and especially to love on the little child you have had a relationship with all year!

If you do not feel that you are able to sponsor a child right now, please consider making a one time gift to help us meet their greatest need right now: Food!

If you want to be a part of our sponsorship team, please email me mblueberry.madamblueberry@gmail.com with the number of children you are willing to sponsor as well as if you would like a boy/girl/or no preference. Once we get the pictures and profiles prepared we will contact you with your child's information!

Children's Hope Chest Sponsorship Site

Jeremy received the call from Children's Hope Chest (CHC) saying we are a "go" for Grace Baptist Church in Kombolcha, Ethiopia!! You may read more about our time in Kombolcha here.
The CHC staff in Ethiopia will go to Kombolcha in approximately 3 weeks to take pictures of all 180 children and the hear each child's story. We should have profile information on each of the kids by March!
Many of the children served by Grace are double orphans, meaning both of their parents have died. Most of these children have nothing but the clothes on their back and they come to school with empty stomachs.
When I think about trying to find 180 sponsors I get a little overwhelmed but we will do it one child at a time. Please talk with your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers about the kids at Grace Baptist Church. You may contact me through facebook or mblueberry.madamblueberry@gmail.com to let me know if you or anyone else may be interested in sponsorship. I would love to be able to say we have 180 people/families ready to sponsor a child when the profiles become available. For $34 per month each child sponsored will receive; food, access to basic health care, education, clothing and christian discipleship.
Here a few of the children we meet will at Grace. I will never forget the young girls who kissed my hands, my palms, my cheeks.. these girls wanted to be loved, hugged and cared for... we can make a difference in a child's life.

One life changed

We met this young lady at Grace Baptist Church in Kombolocha, Ethiopia. Please take a minute to watch her story and see how the church is making an impact.

Rabia Sayid Story from Children's HopeChest on Vimeo.

Comfortably Numb

I've been home for almost 48 hours. I am feeling "Comfortably Numb". I cannot feel anything but numbness. I think my senses have become completely overloaded and there for have shut down. I am going through my own personal "brown out".
How do you interact with suffering, starving children, terrible conditions and not feel something?? While I was in Ethiopia I felt the children's pain, I heard tummies rumble from hunger, I saw children eating grass because they were so hungry.... and today I have a choice- I can remain in this comfortably numb position or I can do something. Through the jet lag and my stomach issues I would prefer to be comfortably numb but I KNOW that isn't the right choice... I can choose to ignore what I saw but I cannot... it haunts me...I close my eyes and I feel the children kissing my hands, my face, I hear the children giggle and laugh, I hear them singing songs of praise and I know I have to do something. Today I will ask church leaders to help support an orphanage in Ethiopia. If you are interested in supporting an orphan through Children's Hope Chest please e-mail me at Mblueberry.madamblueberry@gmail.com

143,000,000

I saw this on Becky's facebook page. It's hard to imagine how big the number 143,000,000 is until you watch this video. There are 143,000,000 orphans in the world. It's hard the fathom... it's hard not to be overwhelmed by the number. However, you can make a difference in one child's life!
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Please consider donating to Children's Hope Chest. Any dollar amount would be appreciated. 100% of the donation will be used to meet immediate needs of orphans while we are in Ethiopia. Go to www.hopechest.org, click on "Give" and then specify "Ethiopia Vision Trip" in the notes section.
We are also collection items for the trip.
Suggested items:
new children's underwear
pencils
pencil sharpeners
toothbrushes
tooth paste
packages of balloons
small bottles of lotion
small boxes of crayons

You are in the right place!

I switched the format of our blog around. You have the correct blog, it looks a little different.

A blog reader asked what do Africans eat? Answering that question is difficult because Africa is a huge! I found a great article that breaks down the types of food by regions. Click here to learn more.

To learn more about Ethiopian food check out:
http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/ethiopia/
http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/ethiopia/ethiwhat.html
http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/ethiopia/ethimenu.html

Please read this young woman's blog to read more about orphans and the poor in Uganda.

For children who are orphaned you can learn more about their struggles and their diet by reading this Washington Post Article.