Ethiopia 2022

We’ve boarded our final leg in Washington, DC and should be back in Denver around 3 pm. Lots of final reflections to post soon. Our travels of the past 24 hours have been fairly smooth (minus the airline AGAIN saying Reese didn’t have a ticket! But that resolved fairly quickly…).  We’re a bit tired and possibly a bit smelly 😂 but our hearts are full and we’re still smiling—while also a little sad at having to say goodbye to all our Ethiopian friends. We’ll post final pics and thoughts when we get home. Thank you for all your prayers and support!

THINGS GOT CRAZY TODAY (in a good way)…. We started the day with a divine breakfast at the hotel—our team very much enjoys the freshly made omelets. Then we went to the LTC and got all our supplies together for a packed day of STEM…. This morning at Hope House we were greeted with the biggest smiles and lots of hugs. Throughout this week each kid has opened up to us in their own way. It’s been so special to learn from them, hear about their dreams, and continue to build relationships. It’s an honor these amazing kids have trusted us so much, they allowed us to come into their home, and they have shared their stories with us.  For STEM today we started with “the strength of eggs”, testing how much weight four eggs could hold. The eggs held 50kg in total—25 kg of textbooks plus two different kiddos! The third HFTF child who volunteered finally broke the eggs!  Next we had fun blowing up Coca-Cola and mentos on the patio. We tried different caps that changed the way the coke spra...

This morning was a bright and early start as the team  went to the Life Training Center to prepare for the day. We gathered our materials and games and started teaching STEM classes early for the older kids, where a mad scientist made an appearance to help aid the learning. After a fun first STEM session with the older kids learning about crystals and vinegar eggs, we then all moved over to Hope House to teach everybody about bridges. After a fun morning building straw bridges, the team left to eat lunch and everyone got some much needed rest before we began the afternoon. The afternoon began with some more STEM lessons as the students began building contraptions for an egg drop. Some contraptions didn’t have surviving eggs after the one story drop, but many were successful! After the egg drop, the team and students split into guys time and girls time. For obvious reasons, I was not a part of girls time so there will be some space at the bottom where a fellow team member will speak...

Sendafa Back to Addis Today was day one of STEM!    The goal was to introduce them to the scientific method and how to be inquisitive of the world to learn more about the One who created it.    Today’s experiment / question was “What happens when you add water to corn starch?”    We taught them how to use the scientific method to capture the question, research, and hypothesis.  We then moved into testing our hypothesis by making a significant mess outside mixing corn starch and water which makes…a non-Newtonian liquid!    I won’t go into details, but look up the definition and then mix 1 part water to 2 parts corn starch.    Let us know what happens. ;) Emily’s guitar-playing led us through much of our music repertoire; the kids wouldn’t let us stop singing songs! We cleaned up, had lunch, and then headed back to Addis Ababa.  Getting out of the little village that was home to the retreat center was a challenge. Like a maze, we...

Hello friends and family! Thanks for checking in! Today was a wonderful day full of laughter, singing, dancing, crafting and so much more. We woke up this morning, earlier than we would have liked, rolled out of bed and headed to the dining hall for breakfast. We enjoyed our meal, the staff headed off to training, and the team and kids started our third and final day of VBS.   To begin the morning session, we sang some of our favourite songs and played some awesome “repeat after me” games lead by the dynamic duo Sean and Ty.  Ms. Parker taught a lesson asking the question “Who is my neighbour?” The kids participated in discussions and we wrote out all of our thoughts. After the lesson, the kids had the opportunity to make bracelets! One for themselves, and one for a neighbor. They also were able to make a necklace. The kids had a wonderful time making their creations. Even though the beads were a tad bit tiny, the kids giggled and talked as they worked thoughtfully on their br...

Every evening the team debriefs and shares their “high, low, and what did God show?” from the day. Here is a sampling from our first day at the retreat center with all the kids and staff from HFTF. We left this morning after organizing our VBS materials, searching multiple stores for corn starch, vinegar, and eggs for upcoming science experiments, and surviving a stuffy, cramped, and VERY bumpy hour-long drive to camp….  HIGHS : Worshipping with 30 kids who loved singing out to God with passion and joy.  Experiencing the best combination of talents, gifts, personalities, and passions ever assembled in one mission team. We complement one another and each bring unique offerings to the work and fun we are sharing.  Watching 5-year-old Eyob sing his heart out with perfect lyrics to Who You Say I Am. 🥰 Talking computer coding with several interested teen boys, including one self-proclaimed hacker.  Being encouraged by each teammate to continue in the good work being...

Monday morning, we packed up all of our VBS supplies and headed to the retreat center with the kids. We had to stop for cornstarch for one of our science projects. You never know what you will be able get here (including toilet paper—the shortage is real!) so we were praying! At the third store, Parker found a plethora.  😅 The drive went smoothly until the last 20 minutes, which included washed out roads, off-roading, and missing bridges. Belay and others felt carsick, but it was nothing Rachel couldn’t handle with her traveling pharmacy in her pouch.  After walking the final stretch with all our luggage, we settled into chairs in the main meeting hall. Little did we know the task Belay had for us. There are 11 people on our team, 32 HFTF kids, plus 19 staff. He wanted us to all learn each other’s names and we had 10 minutes to mingle and share. Then he had a well-crafted activity that took about an hour, but it was beautiful. One-by-one, we recited the names of each person b...

Today we we went to International Evangelical Center for church with Lea and her husband Sammy. Lea’s parents (Colorado residents) helped plant this church and the connecting theological seminary in the 90’s. We were able to worship with locals and missionaries from all over. Sammy has been the youth pastor there for 3 years, so after the service he was eager to show us the youth area. He is a builder by trade and has a vision! After getting through a small swamp and hiking up 30 concrete stairs we were at the top of the youth center, which is currently being used, but all open. He described in detail all of his plans and vision for the youth of Addis. We had lunch at a trendy burger joint called Sishu and ice cream next door, then headed back to our hotel. Belay and his family, Lea and Chloe, and Keegan joined us at the pool and dinner afterward. This was a day of rest! -Jaime

“Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.” Psalms 82:3 NIV After wonderful introductions the past several days to Ethiopia’s culture, people, and beauty, today we began implementing the teaching, songs, and games we’ve been planning the past several months.  The morning began with a visit to Elevate Ethiopia (www.elevateethiopia.com), a ministry serving children and their families in Addis through education, mentorship, and economic empowerment programs. Elevate seeks to preserve vulnerable families, keeping them intact so that the children do not become orphaned. Their programs include after-school tutoring, English classes, a class computer lab, life skills training, small business micro-loans for moms, counseling, and medical care.  In Ethiopia, more than 5.6 million children are missing one or both parents. Hope for the Fatherless believes orphaned and vulnerable children should be placed in a family—not institutional care—through...