I stand corrected...

Now usually I can't stand being wrong about anything, but in this case - bring on the corrections!! Remember my addition in regards to the number of people brought to Christ, through the LDP student Jerry, because of her sponsorship by a gentleman in Canada?? My total was 10. Well, I was wrong...

Jerry read my blog and wrote to correct me. For English to be her second language, she does a wonderful job of writing to get a point across! (I did correct a little grammar to make it easier for quicker reading). I asked for her permission to post her comments as I wanted you to all see that Compassion does MAKE a HUGE difference. And you never know how far reaching your little $32 a month, or your little letters, or your small relationship, could make:

Here are the details of our ministry:-

As you said my Canadian sponsor invested just on Jerry, but here is the tree with a root founded on Jesus and with extended branches as follows.

The reason that I decided to write you the details is that to re count the saved ones one more.

The name of our ministry is called, Mori’ah Deliverance of Ethiopian Children. Our mission is to:-

1. Re union family and

2. Help orphans.

I think here is new update for you about the Re union of family.

Most of the street children are out of home just because of silly reasons. I didn’t know this before, but when I experience working in our ministry, I understand that some of these kids, children, and youth can go back to their family and live again peacefully.

Some times it becomes hard for them to go back, because they will be addicted to drugs on the street. We know this very well, so the first thing we do is to tell them how Jesus loves them and we too. And we also tell them Jesus’ mighty power of delivering them from what they are possessed. The second thing we ask them is, from where they came and whether they do have family or not. If they don’t have family they joined our orphan center and if they have family we help them to go back to their family.

Tracy …focus… here is our job right now, we asked them their willingness to accept Jesus and then we go to church with them and pray together. We changed their clothes and shoes. We ask them to drop their bad behavior and when they begun to learn about Jesus they definitely decide by themselves without any effort. So we don’t want to push them. In this way, thirteen boys reunite with their family, all of them accept Jesus and when we help them go back, we cover the transportation, change clothes & shoes, and maybe some money for small expenses too. Most of them are from rural areas, not from Addis Ababa. We do still have contact with them. Amazingly, they are the ones who call, not us, especially their parents called frequently and give us thanks. Some times when I think of their parents I remember my childhood when I accept Jesus at 13, and see forward ahead, of their parents, and dream their salvation too. Amen!!! …..Are you counting or sleeping with my long update?.......

……………………1+2+7+13+wait - read the following too………

In July, my friends who are in the ministry went to the place called Arsi especially name called Bekoji, and preached gospel for street children and the people of the city too. Since it was summer break for all Ethiopian school we all were free. But I was in LDP training, so I didn’t go with them but I also contribute money for transportation and for some expenses. The city is full of Muslims and they hate Christians, but Hallelujah God was with my friends so they preach Jesus’ Gospel so that many heard about Jesus. Among those who decided to follow Jesus, my friends pick nine of them and from these nine they rent house for two boys ( 12 and 15 years old) who have nowhere to go except to sleep on the street. My friends have good relationship with church there so they gave responsibility for them and we send money every month and extra for school, uniform, food, and clothing too. Five of them have parents or single parents but live with deep poverty, so we also send money for them monthly so that they can survive and also the nearby church is helping us a lot by looking and encouraging them to keep walking with Jesus.

My beloved Tracy you can add now nine:- 1+2+7+13+9+ extended branches like their parents, relatives, friends….= 32+branches.

Do you think Mr. Smith in Canada would have ever thought about the impact on at least 32 people he was making 13 years ago when he sponsored Jerry at age 8?? The God we serve is not a small God. And no sacrifice made in His name will come back empty. Speaking of sacrifice - Jerry continues to amaze me - the rest of her note:

Tracy, you may wonder from where we get income to rent house, change their clothes, shoe, school fee, school uniform, transportation for family integration, food, and when they get medication for their pain, and so on….but as the name indicates, God is providing for us and individuals are helping us a lot whom consider that we are students and saw what we did. Even our friends who are out of the ministry are willing just to contribute money. Tracy please, don’t think huge things from us. When we change their clothes they may not be brand new, we often give them our clothes. As you see their age is almost equal with us so they fit our clothes and shoe.

For instance last Christmas, one of our children at home among the orphans doesn’t have shoes, he is good at soccer so that he finished his shorts and shoes frequently. Imagine we couldn’t say; stop playing because you are causing us to have an extra expense… who knows he may be international soccer player tomorrow! So fortunately, one of my friends visited me and gave me brand new, shoes for me, awesome that they were for both boys or girls, I mean it was sport shoe! Then immediately I wrapped it and ran to our kid's home and my family laughed at me, because they thought that I was kidding. Do you know why they laughed at me? The reason is, it is too new, so I should wear it at least for a week! You can think as a young girl, how it is difficult to give brand new shoes with out hesitation. But I knew from how God raised me, I learned this from you Compassion sponsors. I think some times God lets us to pass through difficulties to help the next generation learn. I think you are seeing how God is providing for our kids and youth. We are not giving our money to those beloved ones, rather we are sharing what we are given from family, friends, and from Compassion. I think there is a difference between giving and sharing. For instance, I’m sharing from what my Canadian sponsor sends every month through Compassion. Difficult to realize, students who are sponsored by kind Compassion sponsors and are now sponsoring others……….Does it mean that, I’m a sponsor too, like you guys?...........!

I wrote back to tell Jerry that she reminded me of the story of the widow's mite. That she and her friends have given so much more than we in America. They give sacrificially to those they serve. For in these tough economic times, when we in America may have to eat out at nice restaurants less frequently, wear shoes a little longer, or skip a trip to the theater and instead just rent a movie - There is still so much abundance and waste here and yet no one is ever satisfied. As a lady at church told me Sunday, that in Ethiopia or anywhere in poverty, they can see Christ so much clearer because they don't have the distractions that Satan puts on those in the US. We sacrifice so little. And often from what is left over, after our wants have been met in addition to our needs.
In doing so, we often miss out on the joy and the blessings that are gained by sharing as Jerry and her friends have. Because we will never see how far God's branches can reach until we just plant the seed.

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Many have looked at my pictures from the trip of the poor and dirty neighborhood children or have read my blog and have asked, "Why can't they all be helped? How do the staff pick who gets help and who doesn't?" The answer is - that Compassion picks the poorest of the poor. But regretfully, with us in America feeling an 'Economic Flu'. In third world countries, they now have 'Pneumonia'. The prices of food have increased dramatically and projects are having to figure out ways to stretch their sponsorship money. For each child registered and without a sponsor, that Compassion partnership church is still serving that child through school fees, food, medicine - without the monetary assistance from America for that child - until that child is sponsored.

Currently -

Compassion has over a million children registered worldwide.

173,000 children worldwide are registered and still waiting sponsorship

Last year at this time, 2,000 children had been waiting for over a year.

At this time this year, 20,000 children have been waiting more than 12 months.

Children waiting for sponsorship also equals children waiting in poverty who cannot be registered. Please pray and search your heart about giving sacrificially to "the least of these." And if you already sponsor or just cannot find the funds to do so, can you tell others who may be able to?? Eileen in El Salvador, age 9.........Negele in Ethiopi, age 9......Reller in Nicaragua, age 10. All real little faces who may one day bring 32 or more people to Christ because of the love of Christ that you show them. Sponsor Today.

Matthew 25:40 (Christ speaking of the little children):
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.