What are you truly sacrificing?
We arrived in Addis Ababa on March 15, 2025. I still am having a hard time articulating the trip…hence why this post has taken so long. I can honestly say, the trip was life changing, humbling, emotional, joyful and sad all at the same time. We now know the children on a personal level which makes this mission even more intimate and urgent. We literally spent all but one day with Elizabeth and the children giving them experiences they had never had but also just loving them, giving them hope and seeing their immediate needs. We just hung out at their home the first day and learned that the stove was broken (they are using a plug in two burner portable stove to cook for 15 people/day), the showers didn’t work (they were bathing in what appeared to be a kiddie pool) and there was no clean water at the house. WHAT?!?! Elizabeth never shares this with us as she doesn’t want to ask us for anything above what we send monthly. She is the most humble servant for Christ I have ever met in my life. We also learned that the owners of the home don’t want to fix anything as they believe things are breaking because there are now 12 children plus helpers living in the home. Rent is very expensive in Addis but yet Elizabeth and the children aren’t being taken care of properly by the landlord. This all gave Bill and me an idea of what the immediate needs were and what we needed to start focusing on most for the kids and Elizabeth’s well being and health.
We were able to give Elizabeth money immediately to get a water filter/tank at the home and begin using clean water. The children have been very sick on and off and we are hoping this helps along with the bottles and bottles of vitamins we brought from home to give them.
We also visited the land in which Elizabeth grew up on and of which her family still owns (they all live in Canada and have for decades. Elizabeth could also live there but was called by God back to Ethiopia to care for orphans and followed her calling even though it has led her to live a very hard but yet rewarding life). We have decided building a home on this land would be ideal so as to give the kids more space, give us more room for the future kids who need a home, give us a way not to ever have to pay rent again or be evicted due to the volume of kids Elizabeth has living with her.
Along with our monthly donations we need for them to eat, go to school, have clean water and safe place to call home, we are fundraising for the future home of Abenezer Orphanage.
To say the trip was a success seems like an odd choice of words. As we were leaving, tears were shed by all. You see, these children can never leave Ethiopia to pursue a different life for themselves most likely. The odds are greatly stacked against them. They are not allowed out of the country even with a passport. There are so many factors and hardships that occur just simply because of the place they were born. Don’t get me wrong, I love Ethiopia and their culture but when your driver tells you he only makes 70 dollars a month (plus tips) and the nannies at Abenezer make 30 dollars a month, your eyes are truly opened to the hardships that the people of Ethiopia endure.
Chesed Missions ultimate goal is to let the children of Abenezer know they are loved, they are cherished, they matter and THEY themselves can make a difference in this world. Elizabeth instills this in each of them daily. Bill and I are the lucky ones to get to come along side her and watch each of these children grow into their purposes through all the trauma each one of them has endured. This happens all because ONE woman chose to follow Jesus, live the life of a TRUE disciple never having children of her own so she could TRULY LOVE the children who needed her most. What a sacrifice.
So my question to you is, what are you sacrificing today to change someone’s tomorrow and give them the hope only Jesus can truly bring through US.
Please keep us in your prayers
Bill and Brendy