On Thursday night Lola’s threw a gathering where they cooked a sheep that had been slaughtered earlier that day. The children sang songs for us, and Abebe even surprised me by having the kids sing Happy Birthday to my son, Gabe, in Tigrinya because it was his 9th birthday on Sunday. He also gave us each a “thank you” gift that was a scarf, letter, picture and prayer request. This is something that I will never forget-- the generosity of people who have so little material wealth but choose to represent God by serving us humbly and with humility and kindness and a JOY that was contagious.
Then, Abebe said that he had an important announcement. When we first met the 3 month old baby, we were told that he arrived at the orphanage without a name. His mother had died in childbirth. In Ethiopia, babies without names are sometimes called Mamoush, which is what the staff at Lola’s had been calling this baby for the last month. Well, we started talking with Abebe about potential names but we knew that most Ethiopian names had a meaning behind them. So, we asked Abebe what the word for love and faith were. And then we asked what about Hope? He said “Tesfa”. Everyone loved the name, so Abebe officially changed the name of baby Mamoush to Tesfa that evening. It was a very powerful moment when we recognized that there was hope for a future for these children, for a life without pain and hardship… hope that they seek and receive love from God the Father, who is the Father to the Fatherless.
Once all the painting was completed, we praised God for all that he had provided to us over the past 5 days.
The dining room had been painted, and the murals consisted of the Lord’s Prayer in English on one wall and in Tigrinya on the opposite wall. There were giant flowers and butterflies and bees as well.
Saturday was our final day there. Painting was done, so we were able to have breakfast at Lola’s and just play with the kids. That was wonderful!
We had also been planning to do a foot washing ceremony for the women at Lola’s who served us all week. Each woman in our group took a woman from the staff at Lola’s and washed her feet while one of our team members read the scripture that went along with this very powerful activity. You could see that the women were very moved…and so were we. My heart flooded with all of the kindness and goodness that we experienced over the course of the week. We asked the Lord that he continue to provide each of them with the strength to stay healthy and to be able to care for the kiddos the best that they can. We also gave each woman a necklace with 3 beads representing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as well as an umbrella (the rainy season started right after we left and an umbrella is a luxury many women do not have!). At the end of the ceremony the women said “I love you” to each of us.
Then we had to say goodbye to the kiddos. That was HARD! There were a lot of tears, mostly from our team but also from the children. We made our way back to the hotel, and gathered all of our bags.
On the way to the airport we were talking to Abebe were talking about farming. We asked how they farm on such rocky soil, and Abebe responded “God is good all the time!” This is so true!
So, thank you to each of you for your prayers, financial, emotional and spiritual support. Advocacy is an important part of orphan care, and I feel that God is calling me to be an advocate for Lola Children’s Home. My plan, God willing, is to present to as many people and groups as I can to educate and advocate for the children at Lola’s. I pray daily for the staff there, as well as Abebe, that they continue to seek the Lord, and to prayerfully receive God’s will for their lives. I also pray that the Lord heals the scars that the children have from their past lives, and that their faith and devotion to the Lord continues to be strengthened. If the children can be taught to rely on the Lord during the tough times, then they will be able to get through anything put in front of them with grace, peace and joy!
If you would like to learn more about Lola Children’s Home or to make a donation, please visit:
http://www.lolachildrensfund.org/
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