Setting Sails

During some of our very limited free time in Ethiopia, Efrain and I were doing our best to not think about all that needed to be done and give our minds a break when we ran across this little "book store" on the side of the street.  This was a treasure to both of us for many reasons as we both enjoy old books: the look of them, the feel of them, the smell of them, and the countenance of wisdom and contentment they seem to carry.

We had quite the collection of keepers in our hand when we realized we were going to have to get them all back home in our suitcases that were already full.  We had to settle with only a few, and of course this was not an easy process of elimination.  Once we were over our huge disappointment of having to leave our good finds behind, we were quite happy with our new little treasures. 

One titled Setting the Sails is a compilation of short stories divided by categories of experience.  The introduction for the category I just began reading is beautiful and made me think about the place of my life I am in right now.  

"Have you ever noticed the excitement around a railroad station, an airport, or a pier?  Whenever you visit such places, you see people going and coming and hear their friends and relatives say, 'Welcome home' or 'Happy times on your trip.'  Those returning from journeys are excited about things that they have seen and done, and they can hardly wait to share their experiences with others.  Those departing are excited about the experiences ahead - the things that they plan to see and do while away. 

"Some persons who return from journeys do more than relate their experiences to friends and relatives - they write travel stories based upon what they have seen and done so that large numbers of people may share their experiences.  These stories are very interesting, for they tell of things that you would see and do were you to make the journeys yourself.  Moreover, they are important, for they help you to understand better the world around you." 

Less than 2 weeks ago we returned to Germany after spending 2 months in Ethiopia where we experienced so much. A few days ago Efrain and I purchased our tickets for going home.  Last night was the graduation for the school we have been a part of for the last 5 and 1/2 months which began immediately after being part of another school the previous 7 months.  In a couple weeks we will be headed to the Dominican Republic and on our way to the States to meet each others families and friends and share about our journeys. 

I am both arriving and departing and departing and arriving to and from very significant times in my life. I am very much looking forward to this next leg of my journey.  Thanks for traveling with me. 

Kuribel the School Boy!

I have exciting news!

As you know, we have been searching for a way to help Kuribel, a 10 year old street boy,  off of the street.

I am going to save the details and stories for later when I have more time but I wanted everyone to know that God is so faithful.  Kuribel is officially a school boy!

He should never have to sleep another night on the street, go another day without food, or go months without showering ( shew! ). :]

Thank you so much for praying! I can't tell you how relieved and excited we are! And I can't wait to be able to share the stories with you!

We leave tomorrow night to go back to Germany!  What timing, huh?!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for being a part of this with us and for every thought, encouragement and prayer you gave. 

Kuribel!

Just a quick update on the situation with the boys...

We found Kuribel yesterday!  We decided on Friday afternoon to spend Saturday morning looking for him in an area where street boys usually hang out.  Our friend Girma was excited to help us.  On Friday evening he began asking around for information on his whereabouts and we were surprised to learn a few things.  I'll spare you all of the details but basically he was hiding from us for fear of us reporting him to the police for taking my money.

We were also warned to prepare ourselves for when we see him because he doesn't look like the same Kuribel from two weeks ago.

The next morning Efrain and I, a few students and Girma set off with anticipation and anxiety about the  adventure we were nervously setting off on. The area we were told he was staying is the worst area in all of Addis Ababa for crime and things of that sort.  Girma insisted this area was much too dangerous for us so he took us to a cafe near the area where we waited for him to report back.  While we waited we took some time to pray for protection for Girma and for God to lead him to Kuribel.

Only about 30 minutes later Girma called us and said they were on there way.  And only a  few minutes later we were all lavishing Kuribel with hugs and kisses, telling him over and over again how much we missed and loved him.  We went somewhere that we could all sit and eat together.  It was true that he looked a lot different.  He was wearing a scarf around his head, a shirt that was much too big for him, he had lost a lot of weight and his cheeks weren't cutely chubby as before. Once we arrived at the restaurant Efrain took him into the bathroom and helped him change into some of his clothes that he had left at our house that we brought with us.

The purpose of his head scarf was to cover up something that we later found out was a fungus problem.  I can't even to describe to you what it looked like, which is probably a good thing.  Just know, it was gross.  We took him to the hospital after we ate and spent the rest of the day there.  We got him medication and a check up.  We had heard different things from other street boys about the possibility of him having Typhoid and we were concerned about that but the doctor told us that it had already been treated.

Thank you for praying for us and we'll continue to keep you updated.  We still have no idea what to do but we are so thankful for having had the opportunity to tell him he is forgiven and loved. 

 Will continue to try keeping you updated and look forward to sharing more stories when we get back to Germany!

Street boys and Ethiopia.

I have been anxious to write an update but time and good internet connection has been scarce.  Now I've got the internet connection but not much time.  I'm going to do the best I can with the time I have to share with you part of what we have been doing in Ethiopia the last few weeks.

One night a couple weeks ago my team and I were at a youth service and there was a little boy that really stood out to me.  It was a special youth service and they invited the street kids from the city.  This little boy was one of those street kids.  My friend, Girma, translated for me and I was able to ask him where he lived.  He lives on the street. Hearing it from him hurt my heart.  I told him I wanted to be his friend and asked if he would meet me the next day at lunch time. I was afraid he wouldn't show because I so badly wanted to get to talk to him again, but I didn't have to worry long because the next morning before breakfast time as I walked past our meeting place he ran up to me as he had already been waiting on me!

His name is Kurbel and he is 10 years old. He came with a friend, Shimilis, and he is 14 years old.  We took them to breakfast and then they came back to our house with us for the rest of the day.  Once the day was over we knew we couldn't let them stay with us.  We gave them some food, taxi money and a time to meet the next day.  Before the door was closed I was on my way to my room crying from the pain of knowing I just sent the boys to sleep on the street with a fear of being woken up by being beaten by police.   The only comfort I could find lay in knowing I would see them the next day.

The plan was once again to meet them at lunch time and once again they were there before breakfast time.  They spent the day with our team and Efrain and I spent several hours talking about the situation.  I felt strongly that this was an answer to our prayer for God to go before us and put people in our lives that are ready for change.  There was something unique about these boys in comparison to the majority of street boys.

After Efrain and I discussed the risks, concerns and fears relating to jumping into the challenge of trying to help the boys get off the street, we decided to let them stay the night with us.  That night as I lay awake in my bed listening to the thundering storm outside, I was so relieved to know they were in the next room sleeping like babies with no worries or fears.

While me and the two girls in my room moved our beds into the other girls room, Efrain was helping the boys shower and giving them clean clothes.  We made them a bed and our friend, Girma, helped us tell them that we felt God had put them in our lives and that He has good things for them.  We were able to share about God with Kurbel for the first time in his life.

The next morning Girma helped us have individual conversations with the boys.  We asked about their families and pasts, we asked how long they had been on the streets and we asked them if they really wanted their lives to be changed.  When seeking wisdom from many long termers in the area about the situation we learned that most of the street boys don't actually want their lives to be changed because they have grown accustomed to the freedom that comes with the lifestyle. If freedom is what you want to call it.

What we heard from the boys was both heartbreaking and hopeful.  Their stories were terrible but the innocence they both carried from only being on the streets for about 4 months was hopeful as they shared about their desire to have different lives.

After talking with the boys and further discussion with others we quickly set up a meeting with a man in charge of an orphanage in the area.  We told him all we knew about the boys and our desire to help them attain a different life.  The meeting seemed to have gone well and they spent the night with us once again.  The next day while most of the team was out of the house the boys came to us and said they were going to go to the youth service.  It seemed a little odd because Shimilis had told us that morning that the meeting was in the evening and at this point it was still early afternoon.  Also the facts that Kurbel was going with him and that they were in a hurry were a bit out of the ordinary but we didn't think much of it at the time.

At around the time they told us they would be back, there was a knock on our door.  Shimilis was there laying on the ground crying, there were several police officers and many bystanders.  The events that took place between the time the boys left and Shimilis returned are still unclear.  We took Shimilis to the emergency room as he seemed to have been beaten by other street boys.  There was mention of money being stolen from us but at that time we were unaware of any missing money. Our landlord who is also one of the residents in our compound asked us not to have the boys inside the gate ever again.  So after the hospital we had to inform him that he could not come back to the house, we set up a time to meet the following day, and tearfully walked away.  We have met with him every day since then.  We continue to buy him meals at least once a day and have built a good friendship with Shimilis.  He has continued to go to the youth services and spends every minute possible at the church to avoid the negative lifestyle of the streets.  He has so much hope in his eyes, he is visibly changed.

We have yet to see Kurbel since the day he left.

When we got back from the hospital that day we all checked our belongings and the only thing missing was about 700 Ethiopian birr (equivalent to 40 USD) from my wallet.  It was all I had as I had just exchanged money the day before to buy souvenirs for friends and families.  We were shocked and confused as to the seemingly sudden change in the boys.

We talked about the possibility of the reason being that it was just too much temptation for the boys.  I had accidentally left my wallet in the room where they were alone.  They had seen me put the money in my wallet that morning.  But if that were the case, we discussed, then why is that all they took?  There were ipods, cameras and wallets laying out in the open in the same room with the boys.

Over our different meetings with Shimilis he has been able to shed some light on most of the situation.

In the meeting with the man running the orphanage he talked to the boys in Amharic and only translated for us at the end.  Apparently, he left  a few things out. Something he said to the boys was that he would search for their families and possibly attempt to reconcile them.

I mentioned before that the stories of these boys pasts are heartbreaking.  I was not exaggerating.

It turns out that for their own security they felt they had to run even from us.  There was much fear of being forced back to their families.  We took from this that the money they took from me was simply a means of survival for them.

A couple days ago Shimilis heard word about Kurbel being in the Mother Theresa house due to some kind of illness.  We went the very next day but had just missed him.  None of us have seen him to this day.  We are all still hoping and praying for at least the opportunity to tell him that we understand. To tell him that he is forgiven. That he is loved.

Our entire team grew to love these boys very quickly.  Kurbel being only 10 years old and desperate for family had began calling me and Efrain Mommy and Daddy by only the 2nd day.  At first I loved it because it meant he felt safe with us, but we had to talk with him very quickly to remind him that we are only here for a short time and cannot live up to the roles of Mommy and Daddy.

Every day I think I see him on the street.  I really believe God put both of them in our lives for some reason.
Please pray with me and my team for another opportunity to see Kurbel and for continued transformation in Shimilis.

We are still talking with people in the area and looking for opportunities to help Shimilis get off the street.  Please join us in praying for a quick solution.

Me and the boys before they got to shower and put on clean clothes.  They LOVE the camera. 

Efrain and Kurbel both lookin spiffy. 

And We're Off...

At 4 o'clock in the morning my team will be gathering to pack the vans!  We'll get dropped off at a bus station in Varnsdorf, Czech Republic to catch the first bus to Prague.  Then we will catch the metro to the airport and continue our journey on to Istanbul where we will be for a few hours before we head off to our final destination of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia! 

We arrive in Addis early Sunday morning local time.

I have so much anticipation and excitement for these next two months.  Looking forward to having so much to share with you! 

Team Ethiopia!

Team photo .. still in Germany... but not for long! 

The Koshe Project.

One of the projects my team is going to be working with is one that I have mentioned before.  It's called The Koshe Project.  Pioneered by Pick A Pocket.  Watch this video to learn more.

[ Video by my friend Stephanie Eatherly - Video Genius] 

We leave in less than a week.  I'm getting so excited it's hard to sleep at night.  I'll keep you posted as much as possible.  We have some exciting ideas for working with the people and my sister is already lecturing me about taking more pictures than ever before.