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

More snow

The boys were so excited - more snow last week!


Igor really wants to learn how to snowboard. The videos are pretty poor quality because of the sun glare.

Henry's Birthday

Henry is THREE! Although, Henry insists that he is four...
Henry's birthday party was postponed because of the snow.
We had a small celebration at home after a fun filled day of playing in the snow.
Henry opened his presents from his grandparents.

We'll have another party when the snow and ice melt and Aunt Shawn arrives.

Snow!

We don't typically get snow where we live.
The weathermen were promising several inches of snow over night but we never believe them... most of the time we get rain or a few flakes of snow.
At bed time it was snowing.
The boys were so excited they woke up at 6:30 ready to play in the SNOW!!

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.