Artwork in Grace Gallery

Be sure to drop by the Gallery at Grace Covenant Church to view the exhibit: Hope in the Faces of Zeway. During the summer team trip, the orphans in the partnership were offered paper, colored pencils and materials, and inspiration to create beautiful works of art. The inspiration were their own faces as they drew self-portraits.

There will be more to come on-line about the artwork for those of you who do not attend Grace Covenant, so please be looking for more information about the exhibit.

Enjoy a sneak preview of Hope in the Faces of Zeway:

There are never enough words....

"So, how was it"? This is the question I am asked the most about my experience in Zeway. Most of the time, I find myself at a complete loss for words. How do you put an experience like this into words? Whoever coined the phrase "a picture is worth a thousand words" was a true genius. If a picture is worth a thousand words....a video is worth even more. If you didn't have the opportunity to attend "Hope in Africa", I invite you to watch a video created by our trip leader, Matt Kouri. It truly captures the very essence of our trip and I believe it will touch your heart.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

Please Support the Orphans of Zeway

The orphans of Zeway and the Zeway partnership need your support. We would humbly ask that you pray about how God might allow you to be involved. You can:

- Commit to pray for one of the Zeway orphans (or all of them!) and even write them a letter
- Pray about whether God might be leading you to visit Zeway at some point in the future
- Pray about whether you can make a financial gift to the partnership. We are working to raise more than $200,000 a year for 3 years, and we are making good progress. But we need more support. You can give in a number of ways, including:

1. Make a commitment to a monthly pledge of $50 (or more!) which covers all of the costs of supporting one orphan. (click here)
2. Make a one-time gift to the partnership that will be use to support the partnership broadly. (click here)
3. You can even go shopping here for hand-made African jewelry! 100% of the proceeds go to support the Zeway orphans.

Thank you for considering being a part of what God is doing in Zeway!

Hope in Africa - August 1

If you are in the Austin area, please join us in sharing how God is working in several countries in Africa. There will be food samples, cultural displays, videos and testimonies. It is on August 1 from 3:30-5:30 at Grace Covenant Church Auditorium.

People who served in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, and the DR Congo will be sharing and of course, the Hope in Ethiopia Summer Team will be sharing. Please join us!

More About This Rachael

Out of the team of 5 who went to Zeway only 4 returned. Rachael Moise, recent masters graduate of social work stayed behind in Addis Ababa. She has lived in Ethiopia for several summers and returned this time for a 2 year stay working at a mission guest house.

Rachael goes to Austin Stone when she is in Austin, but upon hearing about Hope in Ethiopia and Grace's work there, she attended several gatherings to learn more. Her heart, her skills and her interests seem to just match perfectly with the vision of the Hope in Ethiopia.

She was able to join the team that went in July and as Matt recalled "She just looked like one of those girls who you see photographed in magazines serving in Africa."

It has been amazing to see how God is weaving all sorts of people into this Partnership and with Rachael's skills in social work, she is a perfect thread in His tapestry. Already, she is tackling several reports and research projects for the Partnership while she also serves at the missionary guest house.

So please be praying for Rachael as she serves alongside us, though across the ocean. You can read more about Rachael's adventures on her blogsite.

Relationship Built On and By Prayer

by Ellen Tuthill, contributing blogger

A couple of years ago, my son came home from Sunday School with a small brown card from the Zeway team. It had the picture of a teenage boy on it. He was handsome and thin, sitting on a bed, alone. His name was Ibsa.

The card instructed us on how to pray for Ibsa, who was forced to be dependent on his not-entirely-dependable older brother. My son, being the dutiful first-born, was upset to hear that a big brother wasn't taking good care of his younger sibling, since Baker spends lots of time doing just that. He quickly fell into a pattern of praying for Ibsa, unprompted by us, in his bedtime prayers. He often prayed for Ibsa's brother to "do the right thing", because that's the way his own heart leaned.

Sometimes there would be weeks or months when he forgot about Ibsa, but then the young man would pop up again in Baker's prayers. It seemed like Ibsa had become very real to him, even though he lived on the other side of the ocean and lived a very different life. As my little son grew and developed over the last year, he started to be more concerned about Ibsa's emotions. We would read updates from the Zeway team and talked about how we wished we could give him hope. Baker began to pray against Ibsa's loneliness and for God to help him not to be afraid. And he always asked God to give Ibsa a safe place to live.

There isn't anything so sweet to me as seeing a 6-year-old start to understand that the world is much bigger than what he can see, and that God asks us to care about -- and for -- those who are far away and in distress. Whereas I can become despondent and overwhelmed at the thought of the great suffering in the world, my son is very comfortable just taking up the needs of one young boy in prayer. He feels that this is his job, and he does it, happily. He doesn't worry about what he CANNOT do.

I hope that I can learn from him how to shoulder not EVERY burden -- that's God's job, isn't it? -- but the ones that the Lord lays before me specifically, the children whose names I can know and speak out loud and pray over, and maybe even someday visit. I have a prayer list of Zeway's orphans on my fridge, and over time, I have gotten so familiar with their names that it almost seems like I know them.

Names are powerful things. We can't really know an individual until we know his name. I love supporting the Zeway partnership because there are real live children with beautiful Amharic names "living" on my fridge. There are real live friends from Grace going to Africa to meet these children, comfort them, pray for them in person on our behalf, and meet their many needs. And there are dedicated Christian social workers and pastors on the ground, every day, tending to these precious ones. These adults have names and faces too, and the team has asked us to pray for them as well. What a privilege. I'm so grateful that God has given all of us -- even my son -- a way to partner with Him in His mercies.

Back in the States

The team landed safely back in the U.S. this afternoon, and they will be home this evening. Keep checking back as there will be more updates directly from the team and contributing bloggers.

Mark your calendars now for August 1. Bridges of Grace will be hosting a Hope in Africa trip update and all those who have traveled to Africa over the past year will share their stories -- from Zambia to Zimbabwe, Congo to Ethiopia, the Lord's name is proclaimed through the people of Grace in Africa!

Almost Done

The team did some sight-seeing today and they spent several hours meeting with the Food for the Hungry staff and directors to discuss the progress of the Partnership. Food for the Hungry has been a blessing to work with as they listen and care for our participation in the Partnership.

Now that the team is in Addis, they have a bit more internet connection and they are able to send pictures. Enjoy!The team at church with Dawit translating -- nothing like impromptu speaking for short-term mission goers!
A widow and her childFather and son whom John prayed with to accept and trust Christ

Dawn and Melkete the Artist! Notice Melkete's beautiful hair!

Back in Addis Ababa

The team is back in Addis Ababa now and wouldn't you know they are having Tex-Mex for dinner this evening. That should be interested!

Tuesday, they will visit a few government run orphanages in Addis. Pray that the Lord fills them with joy to visit the children, care and love them.

Before the team left Zeway, they made one last stop to Melkete and Denebe's house. You'll be reminded of their story if you watch the video on the side bar. Melkete has put her trust in Christ and is doing very well. Unlike our first visit to their house, Melkete and Denebe are joy-filled, they have their physical needs met, they are going to school and Melkete is beginning job training. The Lord has been gracious to let us be a part of this transformation!

Seeing God's Love in Nature

As Norman Furley preached today at church, one way of understanding the vastness and careful concern of God's love is to find it in nature. That is what the team is doing today. Their trip is slowly coming to a close.
There is a lake near Zeway and a retreat center there. Odd that a retreat center and hotel would be located near such poverty, but that is the dichotomy of our world. The team retreated to this hotel for the night to debrief and be close to nature as they process and rest with the Lord.
Here, the team bought Dawit, who visited Grace in February, a massage (gotta love $9 massages!). He thoroughly enjoyed it! Dawit sometimes appear to hold the world on his shoulders as the director of many programs caring for the needy. Please pray for him as he makes difficult decisions daily. God's grace is poured on him daily and may it never cease!