One less orphan

One of the unique things about the Hope in Ethiopia partnership was the decision to incorporate the dying widow. It was discovered that there were several children in Zeway that were not orphans, but that their only living parent was dying and that the child (or children) would soon become an orphan. The idea was to not only provide for the child, but also care for the dying widow and give them the comfort of knowing that their children would be cared for.

Something amazing is happening. HOPE. Hope is happening. You see, these widows are not dying. It is amazing what proper nourishment, encouragement, proper medication and JESUS can do.

Last summer we visited a father & son....Negatu & Johannes. Negatu was the widowed father who had active AIDS. Johannes is his son. Johannes had never been to school, Negatu had extreme guilt for the choices in his life and was a broken man. During this emotional visit, both father & son prayed to accept Christ.

This past March, we saw Johannes. He was a completely different child. His eyes sparkled, he was in school and he was a happy boy. But, Negatu was ill. Very ill. Not only did he have AIDS, but he also had TB. The outlook was grim. But God is a Healer and He hears our prayers.

John and Matt visited with Negatu & Johannes today. Negatu is healthy again!! Thank you God for hearing our prayers! They were overjoyed to see John and Matt and the hugs were huge and the tears were plenty. Johannes made them coffee and John said it was the best coffee he's ever had.

Why do I feel it's so important to share this? Because these children don't have to be orphans. With the church learning about indigenous adoption and the help being offered to the widows, transformation is happening. Mothers & Fathers are living. Children are thriving. And the Gospel is being shared which is the ultimate source of Hope.

Today my heart is full knowing there is one less orphan in the world.