This year - the dream is a reality!

Another report from Jessica Irvin's recent trip to Ethiopia, when she visited Trees of Glory CarePoint and got a first-hand look at all of the recent updates!  Simret (the director) was so proud to show Jessica all of the improvements in the last few months.

It was last year about this time, that we finished our fund-raising for the deep-water well at Trees of Glory.  Before the well was in place, the staff had to walk to the local village to use the community spigot (a long walk and a long line), or gather water from the river (not sanitary).  Both options required lugging large jugs of water back to the CarePoint on the backs of donkeys to be used for 150 kids enrolled at the CarePoint!  (The donkeys are now officially retired and living out their lives grazing in the fields around the CarePoint!)

Today - the deep water well is fully functioning and what a difference it has made!  Clean, abundant water is now readily available for cooking, bathing, drinking and laundry.  Faucets have water flowing in the kitchen, bathroom and huge laundry stations.  Toilets and showers have running water!

Electricity!  There is light in the darkness now at Trees of Glory!

And because of the water, gardens are growing and producing vegetables.  The livestock are healthy and producing milk - and baby cows!  And the poultry farm is producing lots of eggs and chickens - to feed the kids AND to sell in the local market!

Please click over to Jessica's blog here http://steadfastminds-ethiopia.blogspot.com/2012/09/trees-of-glory-update-3.html for her report and photos!

I am so excited to be in Ethiopia in November with our team of 20 volunteers!  The well was still very much a dream last year and we were busy planning and dreaming with Simret how things would change once the well was drilled!  This year - the dream is a reality!!

Trees of Glory is expanding and is currently enrolling 22 more orphaned and destitute children.  Each of these children will need a sponsor family ($34 per month provides food, water, clothing, medical care, education and Christian discipleship for one child). 

If you are interested in sponsoring a child, please contact me at kjwistrom@yahoo.com.  I will add you to our sponsorship waiting list and contact you as soon as we have the profile information for each new child!  My team of volunteers will be in Ethiopia in November to personally work with each of the kids and deliver a care-package for each child from their sponsor family!