I couldn't have been more proud of my son ...

There are nearly 400 children attending Trees of Glory and Kind Hearts now in Ethiopia!!  Nearly 4 years ago, we started with 68 children at Kind Hearts and that has now grown to 400 between the two CarePoints. 

FOUR HUNDRED KIDS who are now having their basic needs met, are getting an education and know the love, care and concern of their sponsor family here in America.

I know it's hard to truly see the difference your $34 per month makes for a child - a child you have never met face to face.  But every year, more and more people are meeting their sponsor child and spending time with ALL of the kids.  And if you never get the chance to meet your sponsor child face to face, I hope these stories and experiences from those who have show you the impact your provision and your love, prayers and concern make for each child ... 

A few years ago, Lindsey Kerby travelled with me to Ethiopia.  She has been dreaming and planning on returning ever since and in June, she led a team of her own to Ethiopia!  Megan Holt was on that team and these are Megan's words about her trip ...

This is Endalem's profile photo, Megan's sponsor child at Trees of Glory.

AFRICA.  A big, scary dream that I never dreamt would come to fruition.  A "Bucket List" item that was a far off, possibly unattainable dream that I couldn't imagine becoming a reality.  Yet, I wanted it to so bad.

A couple of years ago a friend of my sister's, Lindsey Kerby, started discussing leading a trip with Children's HopeChest & I could be a part of it with my sister.  My big-scary-far off-possibly unattainable dream seemed that it might just be within my grasp. 

Fast forward to June 14, 2013 when our team of 19 departed from Washington D.C. for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on an adventure of a lifetime.  Much anticipation centered around our first day as I was going to meet our sponsor child, Endalem.  I attempted to minimize my expectations as I had no idea how he or his mother, "Bizu" would react to meeting me.  

But, the Lord knew.  He knew that every time he made eye contact with me after the initial meeting, he would smile & wave. The Lord knew that he would say only one phrase to me in English during my time at "Trees of Glory" & that phrase would be "I love you."  

The Lord knew that my expectations would not only be met, but exceeded when I met his mother & visited their home.  She said to me, "Do you love my son?" & also, "He is not just my son, he's your son, too." I had a difficult time holding it together during this conversation, as you can imagine. 

My family talks about & prays for Endalem on a very regular basis.  My son, Reddington, constantly asks when he is going to get to travel to Ethiopia & meet Endalem.  Even before this trip we embraced Endalem as a member of our family...I already considered him to be my son.  I couldn't wait to embark on this journey of officially meeting him & embracing him.  Every expectation I had of meeting the children at "Kind Hearts" & "Trees of Glory" including Endalem were surpassed... & I will never be the same.  

On our final day & during our tearful good-bye's I told Endalem that I would be bringing my husband back to meet him in a couple of years & that it was an absolute pleasure to meet him.  He is a very polite young man & I couldn't have been more proud of my son.     

"We saw a desperate need ... "

It's amazing to me how specific needs are met in just the right timing ...

Buffalo Covenant Church in MN contacted me about their summer VBS (vacation bible school) program and a project in Ethiopia that the kids here could support.  We chatted about a few ideas and decided to raise funds for shoes. 

It had been well over a year since our last shoe fund-raiser for Trees of Glory kids and I knew the kids were most likely in need of new shoes.  We felt the kids here could easily understand this need and would readily and with hearty intent, get behind this project.

For the 200 kids at Trees of Glory, who walk to and from the CarePoint every day on rugged, sharp terrain, good sturdy shoes with thick soles are a critical need.

This is what happens when the kids don't have good shoes to wear. 
Thorns, broken glass and sharp stones cause cuts and puncture wounds. 
Infection can set in or even chiggers can burrow into the skin causing painful infections.

 

The VBS leaders came up with all kinds of creative ideas to inspire the kids and help them fully understand this critical need.  We were hoping to raise about half of the funds needed and then get word out to sponsors and others to finish the project.  But the kids whole-heartedly embraced this project raising most of the funds, and then the rest of the church family finished the fund!!!  Over $4,400 was raised to fully provide new shoes for ALL of the kids at Trees of Glory.

The same weekend that this was announced at church, Lindsey Kerby's team of volunteers arrived home from Ethiopia.  Lindsey emailed me to update me on their trip and she ended by saying ... "When we were there we saw a desperate need for shoes for the children at TOG. Fikre wanted me to talk with you about doing a capital care project for shoes for the kids at TOG. What do you think?"

I was happy to be able to tell Lindsey that this need had just been met and then some!!!

If your church or missions program is interested in fund-raising for a project that will directly benefit the children at our CarePoints in Ethiopia, please contact me at kjwistrom@yahoo.com.  There are LOTS of project like this that can make a dramatic impact on the kids and their ability to attend school!

They Looked Like Completely New Kids!!!

Tyler Davison, a college student who recently returned from his second trip to Ethiopia working with the kids at Kind Hearts and Trees of Glory CarePoints, is raising funds for new school uniforms for the kids at Kind Hearts!

In Ethiopia, a school uniform is a requirement at most schools. For children who cannot afford a uniform, it can mean the difference between attending school ... or not. For the kids at Kind Hearts, a school uniform not only provides a much-needed change of clothes, it also signifies that they belong at Kind Hearts and are getting a highly valued education that they can be proud of!

From Tyler ... (who blogs at http://tylerdavison.blogspot.com/2013/06/new-uniforms-at-kind-hearts-school-in.html)

"Experiencing this all first hand was shocking to say the least. My heart ached for the people I encountered, people who seemed so helpless and starved of life. Leaving the kids on that last day of the trip was one of the hardest things I've had to do in my life because I felt as though I was leaving them in the dust, destined to graduate from adolescence into the poverty that surrounded them. But my attitude changed drastically when I came back a second time.

This past Spring Break (2013), I revisited the two schools. Immediately my heart lept when I recognized the children from the previous year--they looked like completely new kids! Their bodies contained more muscle mass, their hair was growing in thicker, their eyes weren't yellow, their skin wasn't ashen, and their smiles were bigger than ever! They were speaking better English and they knew various stories from the Bible that we acted out for them!

Needless to say, I left that second trip with a completely different attitude than I had my first year. I left knowing that the schools that these children were attending were making a difference; it gave me hope and inexplainable joy to know that they do have a "hope and a future" that God promises in Jeremiah 29:11.

Which brings me to my main point: Nearly two years ago, school uniforms were provided by sponsor families for the kids at Kind Hearts and they have been wearing them with pride every day since. For many of the kids, those uniforms have seen better days. They have become ragged and stained with use and time, and many of the children have grown out of their uniforms and have since passed them on to a younger child. With the recent addition of 60+ new students, it would be a blessing to provide a new school uniform to each and every child.
 

I can personally attest to the priceless value of these uniforms. These kids are starving for education and find an immense amount of joy and pride in attending their school. Belonging to the family at Kind Hearts creates unity among the kids while symbolizing the unity of the Body of Christ, and uniforms are a huge part of that unity!

Kind Hearts School currently has an enrollment of 195 kids. Each uniform consists of dark blue pants or skirt, with a white shirt and a light blue sweater and costs $20. 195 kids x $20 per uniform equals a total of $3900. WE CAN DO THAT!"

Below are a few photos of the uniforms at Kind Hearts that have seen better days ...  zippers are broken, pockets are ripped, sweaters are snagged, clothing is stained, and elastic in the pants is no longer elastic ...

 

 

 

Please click on the link below to make a tax deductible donation toward new school uniforms for the kids at Kind Hearts!!  It would be such a blessing for the kids to start out the new school year with new, clean uniforms!!

KIND HEARTS UNIFORMS DONATION PAGE

A Welcome Surprise

The kids at Kind Hearts received a welcome surprise recently ...

With a slight surplus of funds at the end of the school year, the kids all received a few essentials.  All of the kids received a new pair of shoes, toilet paper, two bars of soap and hair oil.  Below are a few photos of the kids as they received their gifts.

These thoughtful little gifts are very appreciated by the kids and their families.  The kids continue to come to Kind Hearts every day during the summer for supervised activities, learning, discipleship and nutritious meals.

The CarePoint strives to use every dollar of sponsorship funding wisely and even when there is a slight surplus, it is invested in the kids.


Lindsey Kerby's team just returned from Ethiopia working with the kids at Kind Hearts and Trees of Glory CarePoints and delivering care-packages from sponsor families!  Lindsey and some of her team members will be guest blogging here soon with details from their trip.

Below are a few photos from their trip - as Lindsey and her husband Travis met their sponsor child, Mekides, and visited her home.  Lindsey travelled with me to Ethiopia two years ago and met Mekides then, but it was Travis' first meeting.

The team doing activities with the kids at Kind Hearts ...

The team also made cloth dolls for all the girls - and they LOVED them!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Finally, just as the days are getting shorter, summer seems to have arrived in MN.  Friday night started out with severe thunderstorms and tornados and the weekend forecast did not look promising.  But the sun poked through on both Saturday and Sunday and we were able to take full advantage of the lake ...

From Instagram ...

  When you say to eat all of my vegetables, do you mean ALL of them?

He can sleep through anything ... 

The measure of a good day at the lake is taken by the number
of wet towels hanging over the railing ...

 

And here are a few shots with my regular camera ... 

 "Is it my turn yet?"

"Aaaaaaah, I can't stand it.  It's never my turn!"

 Are you pointing that camera at me???

 Cheesy grin!

 

 He sleeps again ...