Building Bridges! Hosanna Ethiopia

In August of 2011, Marybeth went to Ethiopia to meet with a couple organizations that specialize in orphans, sponsorship and training women in Ethiopia for us to seek partnership for the community of Hosanna. I meet teams from Children's HopeChest and Children's Home Society and we all traveled to Hosanna together. I was not sure how traveling with both teams would work as I was scoping out the idea of having help on the ground to establish sponsorship programs, feeding programs and training women in SHG Groups. (Self Help Groups)

 I was so pleasantly surprised by the excitement they both gave in seeing our vision for Hosanna.  I shared our vision of working with the orphans, the widows (ex-street women) and Pastors and how we want to have one another working and helping each other to create a sustainable way of living. We would support and send our young men and women to Seminary, they would teach and train our women, and the women would love on bless the orphans.

It was fun to see our vision start to take place in the hearts and plans of our Ethiopian friends. They have seen the effects of their work take place in other parts of Ethiopia, and now wanted to come together as two organizations and with us to help build this community.

Once again, I left Hosanna amazed at what God had done. I seem to always go in with a bit of an "idea" of what we are going to do and God blows us away. Following Gods lead is really simple when you realize your ideas and your ways just are not going to be a sliver to what yours are. He leads, we follow. I picture a daddy dancing and a child standing on his feet. Where are you going next daddy? I so trust you.

 We started working right away on getting permits to work in Hosanna, being established as an organization and profiling the 180 orphans.