All of these packages have now been delivered to the
kids at Kind Hearts and Trees of Glory in Ethiopia.
Thank You to Joey Austin's team of volunteers!
kids at Kind Hearts and Trees of Glory in Ethiopia.
Thank You to Joey Austin's team of volunteers!
Here is an excerpt from Joey's blog ...
After a LONG year waiting to see the clean water well (100 meters deep!) we finally were able to see this long awaited project finished! Near the well, three workers were manually digging a large trench to hold the pipeline which will take the water to the Kind Hearts site. In 80 degree heat for eight hours they broke through rock and dirt to clear the way for the trench. Tough work, but what fantastic yields their toil will bring!
The kids were very well behaved and tolerated our attempts at Ethiopian dancing and songs. There are never enough hands to hold theirs, or enough people to throw kids in the air, sing songs with or do (my personal favorite) hand clapping games.
While we were playing with the kids, our teacher crew (Lanette Bocquin, Connie Thornton, Kelsey Lane & Grace Dahlgren) was able to spend some quality mentoring time with the staff at Kind Hearts. They discussed goals, education, classroom skills and much more. What a great opportunity to mesh two cultures and discuss their passions for education.
Even in the midst of great poverty, it is obvious there is a lot of love here between the teachers and kids. They love to be noticed and spend time with anyone who will catch their eye.
Here is another update from Joey's blog from Tuesday when shoes were delivered ...
We squeezed every moment out of our last
day at Kind Hearts and even then could have spent just a few more moments with
the kids. After singing, dancing, the lesson/craft from the teachers and a
quick lunch we were ready to hand out the new shoes!
The brand new leather shoes
spilled out onto the tables awaiting their new owners. The children were first
lined up that received a sponsor package from their parents, and if you’ve ever
witnessed your own children running down the stairs on Christmas morning, then
you can begin to imagine the anticipation the children were experiencing as they
waited their turn to open their package with a team member and translator.
Kind Hearts kids praying a prayer of thanksgiving!
They
oo’d and ah’d over pencils, new underwear, socks, stickers, suckers and more.
Each letter was read to the child and many pointed with excited eyes at those
sponsors who have visited before! They would point to the picture then back at
themselves...”They know me!” one child said.
My personal favorite moment of the day
was spent with Hyder (my sponsor child). He was very reluctant last year to
spend time with me (no jokes here please!!) and warily said goodbye. This year,
he hugged me when he saw me, and throughout the day would catch my eye and
smile. When we received his package, he sat on my lap as we went through his
package. (I do believe his favorite was the MIZZOU shirt...Go Tigers...)
Joey with her sponsor child, Hyder, at Kind Hearts.
At the
end, he hugged me and let me kiss him, then whispered “I love you”. It was a
tiny little raspy whisper that melted my heart and the tears began to pour down
my face. I’ve loved him for a lot longer than he’s loved me and finally he is
reciprocating! I can only liken it to the way God longs for us to KNOW him...to
LOVE him...then when we do...WOW!
Each child received a new pair of shoes
and their smiles and giggles were contagious. Most children have shoes, although
many have more “holes than soles.” Their feet get injured on the dusty, rough
terrain and they do not complain and often go barefoot. It was our honor at St.
Joseph Christian School to raise funds to purchase shoes for each child. They were
measured before-hand so the shoes would fit perfectly. They ran as they left the
table and held their dirty, dusty shoes in their other hands. We remarked that
many of them strutted away from the table with new confidence. What a pleasure
to give them such a special gift!
