Children's HopeChest

This is an oldie but goodie. A few posts back I talked about my feelings of being overwhelmed by all I saw in Ethiopia. I have also talked about the impact the boys at Kolfe had on my family. In fact, I still email some of those young men! I can't believe the difference in the facilities at Kolfe from before Children's HopeChest intervention to now. There is a picture of Kolfe in the video. The boys are sleeping on mats on the cement floor. There is no paint or comfort. This is not the helpless picture of Kolfe I saw when I was there. The kids had bunk beds, cubbies, a television, painted walls and curtains. They had chickens, a garden, a kitchen, a soccer field. Awesome the life skills these guys are learning and all they have done to their home! When we visited I could tell they took great pride in their work and are preparing themselves for adulthood. This is so important for the future of Ethiopia. I think Children's HopeChest has an awesome program going on. I would love to hear stories from those of you who are sponsoring children.

The other morning we had a missionary at church. He gave a visualization of a pile of treasure on one side of the pulpit and an illiterate African man on the other side. He asked us which is the bigger treasure. He challenged us to think about what we value and what we spend our money on. The work at Kolfe and all the other orphanages in the video has been accomplished with about a dollar a day per kid you sponsor. Really? I spend more money on my coffee than that. Yet my husband and I had ourselves convinced we should sell our other house before making a commitment. I can see the progress that is being made and am feeling ashamed of what I have been valuing. God is really pricking my heart these days.