Be Careful What You Wish For

Samuel.  The sweetest little dude at the Compassion Project in Nazret, Ethiopia.  Well…maybe not the sweetest…most of the kids are.  Either way, this little 10 year old boy was my fly-paper kid each time our van arrived at the project on a daily basis.  Stuck to me before I am out of the van!
The driver would honk the horn.  Gate gets opened by an attendant (who is usually waving a well meaning child away from opening it themselves).  We drive in.  Kids walking along next to the van while we are still moving... with huge smiles…waving…saying "Selam"…or "Ha-lo" (both= "hello").   If they attach your name to the greeting your heart melts.
One of my favorite arrival experiences was when Samuel walks up to my window:  "Ha-lo, Mahk".  "Selam, Samuel.  Indemin allen?"(Hello, Samuel.  How are you?).  "Fine, Mahk.  How are you?  You have chocolate?" He didn't even skip a beat.  I heard him…but still said, "Huh?"  He comes in close…big smile and asks again…very quietly, "You have chocolate?"   "No.  I don't have any chocolate.  Next time, ok?"   He smiles and follows until we come to a full stop.
Van stops.  Locust swarm of joyful kids ensues.  It's pretty much a love bomb.  Seriously!  It's ironic that we go there with the intent of loving on these kids(which we do), but they out do us every time I've gone there.
As I say hello to kid after smiling kids, Samuel comes up and give me a hug and once again says, "Ha-lo, Mahk".  As he looks up with a sweet smile and huge, gentle eyes, I lean to a team member and say, "I wonder if he is sponsored?".   It kind of happens like that on these trips.  Ya wanna sponsor them all.  But there is the one or two with whom there is a special connection.  He was that for me.

From the midst of the giddy mob of little ones, there was a tiny little girl in a red letterman jacket (I have no idea how she got that) who walked right up and pretty much made it clear I was to pick her up.  He smile said it.  "Pick me up or I'll just stand here and smile until your heart turns into liquid".  It just happened.  There she was, tucked in under my arm.  Interestingly, the day prior, I had seen her from a distance and recognized her from my previous trip there.  I have photo of her from 2012 sitting across the isle from me…staring at me in the greeting room the day we arrived that year.
I popped on my iPhone video and spun her in circles…capturing her giggles and we went in circles.  After about 5 spins, I stopped.  I noticed her head bobbled a bit and her eyes were almost crossed.  I thought, "Uh, oh…never been dizzy before?   Gonna barf?  Cry?"  She smiled again as I put her down.  Then played chase with her.  It was sweet to hear her laugh so hard as were ran around the van.

I played with her (I did not get her name) and Samuel quite a bit on the days more sponsored child, Yididiya, was not there.   I did inquire about Samuel…it turned out he was already sponsored.  I was happy for him…but selfishly…a bit disappointed.  The cool things is that when one returns to the same project annually, great relationships are built with many of the children, so sponsorship is not necessary in order to have a friendship that shows them they are loved.   Since I saw the little girl there the year prior, I assumed she was sponsored as well.  I figure God will open the door at the right time with the child He has chosen for me to sponsor.  But, I still wished I could have sponsored her.  I thought it would be cool for Yididiya to have a "sister".

That was August of 2013.  In November of that year, South Bay Church would have what we called "Impact Sunday".  We would share video and stories about Local and Global Impact we were involved with in 2013…and cast vision for where we thought God was leading us in 2014.

One of the tasks I was charged with was ordering some child packets from Compassion International that represented children from our project in Ethiopia.  There were only about 10 children left from that specific project.  So, Compassion International sent us those 10 child packets, and another 90 or so from within the same community of Nazret.

Another major task was to produce a video that shared the Ethiopia trip testimony of myself and team member Kalani.  Kalani's story is one of stepping out in faith that, to this day, inspires me. - click this link to watch it: www.vimeo.com/79863446
As my buddy Tyler Wiest and I were in the church offices finalizing the video at 12:30am on a Thurs night, I decided to open the box of child packets from Compassion.  I figured I'd recognize some of the 10 children from our partner church.

So…we just finish the video.  It's 12:30am.  Video is processing on the mac.  I open the box from Compassion to see who I'd recognize.  Guess who was in that stack?  Yep.  Little letterman jacket girl.  Seriously?!  2.5 months later?!?!?  She shows up.
But WAIT!  There's MORE!  In the video, aside from Kalani's faith-building story, I shared how I miraculously meet Yididiya, and I read an excerpt of letter from her mother.   I also included some general footage of the team.  We inserted a clip of me spinning that little girl in the letterman jacket.  Remember?…the one I wished I could sponsor?
The video featured Kalani's beautiful story of faith.  Her meeting her child…her child's mother coming to faith DURING her visit.  It not only contained footage of myself and my sponsored child, Yididiya. The video also shows me with my newly sponsored little letterman jacket girl, Edelawit…BEFORE I knew I'd sponsor her.   We finished the video…I opened to box.  There she was.  MIND.  BLOWN.  Edelawit SPONSORED.

  Above is the photo I mentioned from 2012.  The other is from 2013 - before I knew I'd sponsor her!

I love how God is so clearly digging my heart into the community of Nazret Ethiopia and building my faith and trust in Him as my loving Heavenly Father.  And he is doing it through these beautiful little children.

As they say…"Be careful what you wish for."

See ya again soon…on the Ethiopian Road

Sponsor a child through Compassion International  www.compassion.com
For more info on our 2014 Ethiopia Trip  www.southbaychurch.org/missions

On The Road…once again.

So many familiar faces pop out of the mini-mob of smiling children.
As I arrived at the Compassion project for my 3rd consecutive year, I was humbled and overjoyed by how many of these little ones remembered my face and name from the previous year.  Though I recognized many of the faces, the names…hmmm…a bit more of a challenge for a guy used to western names:)
Not only did they remember me, but some of them quickly began to say, "Hello, Mahk(Mark)", while mimicking the goofy knee-knocking boogie we did the year prior.   Some of my assumptions as a visitor would soon be wiped away.

Though the children at the project CLEARLY loved us and enjoyed visiting, I had ASSUMED they responded this way to every church that visited them.  It would make sense, right?  New people to spend time with…to play with…to share with, etc.   One would assume it to be normal for these little ones to be totally excited about any foreign visitor.  And excited, they were!  As was I.

As so many times in the past, my assumption was dead-wrong.

I learned not only did just 2% of sponsored children ever meet their sponsors, but South Bay Church was the only church that had made the commitment to visit this specific Compassion Project on a regular basis.   Our presence there truly was a HUGE deal for these children and our partner church, Nazret Emmanuel United Church.

This took my understanding and appreciation of every smile, every hug, every drawing handed to me by a child to a whole new level.

I realized that those of us who come to visit on an annual basis, become almost like surrogate sponsors to the children that have not, and will most likely, never meet their sponsors.  It is VERY clear that they love and appreciate their own sponsors very, very much…as they are quick to bring out letters and photos that were sent to them from sponsors all around the world.  But, for them to have face time with somebody, even if it is not their own sponsor, is a really big deal.  One can quickly see their hearts open up.  More than once in the past 3 years going to Nazret, have I watch, over the course of several days, the heart of a timid, hesitant child open up and become vulnerable enough to grab my hand…or make me a drawing that says, "I love you, Mark".

"I love you, Mark"?   Really?   After a couple days?

My cynical side says, "Right.   Of course, they 'love' me/us.   They are little kids…it's easy for them to say that".   The reality I've discovered over the past 3 years in going to the same community in Ethiopia is this:  When one has so little "stuff" in their hands, their heart is free to give and receive love quickly.  They value people and relationships more readily that our western culture does because they intrinsically do not take affection and care from another human being for granted.  When living in extreme poverty, relationships are all one has.  Relationship with one another…and relationship with God.  Relationships are the greatest treasures one has.

So this August, 2014, I once again venture out onto The Ethiopian Road.  This being my fourth consecutive year going is extra special.  Click HERE to see a video recap from 2013.
First, I have sponsored and second child in the project.  Her name is Edelawit, and my prayer is that her and my original child, Yididya, will become "sisters" of sorts.  I will share the story of sponsoring Edelawit in a later post.  I can't wait to see them both!
Secondly, though I've co-led trips in the past, this will be my first year actually leading our trip.  The team of 12 is in place.  We've begun meeting on a regular basis to build unity and prepare our hearts for what God has in store.

It seems that the time leading up to the trip goes painfully slow.  But I also know that once we get there, time passes all to fast.  So we learn to live in the moment…to savor every smile…every hug…every tug on the hand.  We learn not to "assume".   We learn to "feel" every "I love you"…and say it back in Amharic:  "Ewedeshalehu" for the girls or "Ewedehalehu", for the boys...Because it is very real.  It is a treasure to cherish.

Please consider supporting this endeavor!  More info here: www.southbaychurch.org/missions