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.

A Cry from Zeway

This post is authored by Dawit Kassaye who acted as Zeway Food for the Hungry Director for several years until continuing his studies at Denver Seminary. Dawit is pursuing his Masters in Biblical Studies. Dawit has walked with the poor in Ethiopia for many years and has a passionate heart for the plight of the orphan.

There are many barriers that inhibit many families from adopting children from within their own community especially in Zeway, Ethiopia. First, the level of poverty hampers the lives of so many people which would not let them ‘adopt’ a child into their family. These families normally have large families. The average number of children per family is six and mainly the father wins bread but the mother in most cases is a housewife or else makes a very insignificant amount of income. Thus, impoverished life situation makes them have a blind spot on orphan crisis. It would not let them bring in a child to include as a permanent family.

Second, many people are insensitive to the orphan crisis. It is a spiritual or social sense ‘leprosy’. Their antenna could not detect the danger. They comfortably live with the orphan crisis. The community at large the church in particular lost their sense for many reasons. As the crisis inundate like a tsunami no active response is being seen!

Third, the wrong assumption of the solution to the problem, that is, many think that the problem of the orphans can be resolved only via the adoption agencies or NGO. This has been reflected as I work in the area. Many families who can afford to help at least one child come to our project office along with orphaned child with the intention that we (as NGO) assist the child. These mindsets cripple them to care for the parentless. These agencies are erroneously considered as “parents” for the unparented. Many state that “these children are yours”, thus as I decipher the concept, it marks a shift of responsibility. However, what I actually appreciation with the BOG, FH/E Zeway and ZECF is that it is a partnership which saves itself away from this danger!

Fourth, many parents afraid that the ‘adopted’ child would spoil their children in character, discipline etc consequently they do not want to include them in their family. However, it is preferred to temporarily help a child away from their home. No one would dare to take a long life commitment of these kinds of children. Fifth, children are cheap! Culturally no due attention is given to children. Many are passive when they see orphaned, homeless, hopeless children sleeping on the street, begging daily for food on the street. Finally, if they ‘adopt’ they fear that the child when grow up would leave them to get connected with his or her distant or close relatives. This takes place occasionally.

To sum up, the stated problems should not leave us with gloomy future for these orphaned children. However, better strategies need to be designed and implemented via the families, community, church and government. I would argue that the church is the best solution to the stated problem because the church is given God’s heart for the orphans!

To hear more from Dawit and his work with the poor, listen to this FH podcast.

Broken Hearts for Orphans

God is moving in Addis Ababa! Ethiopia is going to help lead the world of indigenous adoption and it is amazing to hear of the transformations!

A story from today's Seed Adoption conference:

After attending the first day of the conference, a woman went to the director of Kidmia and asked if there were specific children she could consider for adoption. The director said yes and gave her photos of two children who were available. She said she felt her heart move for adoption but she needed to talk with her husband. She went home and prayed and talked all night about God's heart for adoption and these two particular children.

In the morning the couple agreed that those two children were meant to be part of their forever family! She announced to the conference attendees on the 2nd day that her and her husband were going to learn more about the children and adoption that very day. The entire conference erupted in praise and they prayed for her in that Ethiopian power prayer way!

What is Indigenous Adoption?

Indigenous adoption is the term that is being used to describe when families adopt from their own country. So in this Partnership, we are praying for Zeway families to adopt Zeway children.

This is still a very new and unknown practice for many countries. The U.S. is very progressive in their adoption of children (and for those who have adopted this may be surprising!). But in comparison to other countries, adoption is very well-accepted here.

The term and concept of indigenous adoption is still in its early stages and it looks different for different cultures. Here are a couple of Q and A that may help explain it from our viewpoint and working with Zeway.

Why is indigenous adoption important?
There are several reasons. 1.) International adoption (American families adopting children from other countries) will not solve the orphan crisis. It won't even come close.
2. Orphan care is just not enough. (see earlier post)
3. Children placed in permanent loving families in their own communities is the most sustainable, compassionate, and loving way to care for children who have lost their parents.


Why do the Zeway pastors and wives need to attend a conference to see the need and learn about adoption?

It is not that much different in our country. Especially lately, there have been conferences all over the country sharing the amazing stories of adoption and teaching people God's heart for adoption and the practical steps to adopt. Adoption is a big step for any family and shouldn't be done without planning, learning and preparation.

The other reason is that adoption can be very counter-cultural. In countries with extreme poverty and millions of HIV orphans there are many cultural challenges that can go with adopting a child. The Seed Adoption conference is teaching what adoption looks like from a biblical viewpoint. It is helping the people see how love and the biblical understanding of adoption can transcend the cultural norms.

Will the indigenous adoption process look the same as the process in the U.S. with home studies, court proceedings etc?
This is a good question and one that we are finding the answers to through the experts brought in by Seed Adoption. Indigenous adoption in Zeway and Ethiopia will look different than a U.S. process. Likely it will have a lot less paperwork. But our desire for the children is the same. We are praying for permanent Zeway families who will make the orphaned children beloved sons and daughters with all the rights and privileges as biological children.

Will Bridges of Grace be a part of facilitating these adoptions?
Nope. There are organizations out there that know how to navigate the legal processes, matching children and families, etc. We don't. We will put the right Zeway locals in touch with these organizations so they can work out the details themselves.

What does the Ethiopian government think about this?
God's timing is amazing. Right when the government is seeing indigenous adoption as an answer to the orphan crisis, many leaders in the Zeway church are also realizing their role in adoption. It is a perfect set-up for a cultural shift in how adoption is perceived and how the church can show God's love and compassion for the children.

This conference is just the beginning of God's work in the Zeway churches to adopt children. Please keep praying that their hearts would be open and that pathways will be made. We'll keep watching and praying to see where God takes this from here!

If you have other questions about indigenous adoption and what it means for Zeway, please ask!

News from Matt and John

Today was the first day of the Seed Adoption Conference in Addis Ababa. Matt and John were in attendance along with over 150 pastors and wives from Ethiopia. There were 44 people from Zeway at the conference!

Matt reports that it is amazing to see the teaching of orphan and adoption care in Addis. Here are a couple highlights that he reported:

• The speakers have not shied away from being very direct about who is called to care for orphans.
• The speakers have been extremely knowledgeable, professional,and influential in the community including a member of parliament from the Ethiopian government.
• There have been breakout sessions including the psychological challenges of children who have had difficult and traumatic pasts
• One speaker was very direct in speaking to the men about the importance of their involvement as fathers
  

The conference was a full 9 hours with little time to talk with the Zeway pastors Matt said. They did have a special time of greeting as representatives of our church are very welcomed by the Zeway pastors. The conference will be all day Wednesday, and then Matt and John will travel to Zeway on Thursday where they will have a full day to debrief with them.

Please pray for continued strength and energy for everyone.
Please pray that God would move in the hearts of the Zeway pastors to care for the children with compassion and grace.

It was a great day for Matt and John and exciting to see God moving

Orphan Care Is Not Enough

Orphan care has many different forms. It could be providing for them physically and academically with additional food, shelter and educational supplies. Orphan care is also providing children with mentors or adult support. It can also look like building an orphanage or setting up group homes.

These are all important steps toward caring for children who are without families and parents. But it is not enough.

In the Book of John, Jesus says "I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you."

Orphan care is necessary and a great step, but it leaves children as orphans. And as Jesus does not leave us as orphans, we shouldn't stop there either.

Which is why when the Zeway pastors said they would like to learn more about adoption of the Zeway children two years ago, we were in full support. When we heard of Seed Adoption, an adoption and orphan care conference, sponsored by many great organizations, we told the Zeway pastors about it immediately. They were also very excited to attend.

Orphan care is a step toward the ultimate form of caring for these children and that is making them beloved sons and daughters. In this Partnership, we want to strive for all the children to have forever families. Orphan care just doesn't seem like enough in Zeway.

Seed Adoption: 2011 in Addis

Here is a short video about the conference the Zeway pastors are attending.

Seed Adoption - Ethiopia Project from Wiseacre Short Films on Vimeo.

Goals of the Partnership

One of the most important goals of this partnership beyond caring for the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of orphans and widows is to to ensure sustainability. There is constant evaluation of how much dependency is on us and how much responsibility is being taken on by the orphans, widows and the Zeway church. Our ultimate goal is that the care of orphans and widows is fully sustained by the Zeway church and by the orphans too, but we provide them with a "boost" until that happens.

Sustainability looks very different for all kinds of relief and development. I'm by no means fully knowledgeable on this, but I do know what it means for the Zeway Partnership.

In full agreement and partnership with the Zeway Evangelical Church Fellowship (ZECF -about 10-14 united churches in Zeway), we have agreed to work with them to visualize and come to practice what the Bible says about orphan care and adoption. This is the ultimate way we believe God has revealed sustainability for orphan care in Zeway. The local churches will do it.

One big step in doing this is for the ZECF to understand what orphan care and adoption looks like on a theological and practical level. On May 31 and June 1, an orphan care conference hosted by Seed Adoption will be in Addis. From the help of many sponsors, we are funding 31 pastors and their wives to attend this conference in Addis. They will be attending some amazing sessions on orphan care and adoption taught by local Ethiopians and curriculum provided by Together for Adoption and several other well-known orphan and adoption organizations.

We are very excited to be a part of this. This is a huge step for the ZECF to care for orphans and widows and they are excited to be a part of it as well. Matt Kouri and John Patterson will also be attending this conference in Ethiopia, so we look forward to getting updates from them.

Zeway Pastors

Thank you everyone for sponsoring a Zeway pastor and his wife to attend the orphan care conference in Addis Ababa! We only have two more pastors to sponsor, so let us know if you would like to help out.

We'll keep everyone updated on the blog when John Patterson and Matt Kouri travel to Addis at the end of May to attend the conference and debrief with the pastors. A very exciting opportunity to engage the local churches in orphan care!

Zeway House Gathering

This last weekend we hosted a Zeway House Gathering. It was a post-trip follow-up for all the people who supported us in numerous ways. I loved setting up for this event and seeing everyone have a good time as they were able to learn more about this ministry. I think the great thing about Hope in Ethiopia is that you don't have to go to Africa to make a difference. There is always a need for prayer over these orphans and financial support of course, but there are other ways for our community to get involved. Like stuffing mailings, framing orphan photos, writing stories for our blog http://www.zewayupdate.blogspot.com/ and buying jewelry.

 We served authentic Ethiopian coffee.

 All of the jewelry profits from Funky Fish Designs go directly to Food for the Hungry to support the orphans. Please, please let me know if you need a Mother's Day gift!

 We had framed artwork the kids made for sale as well. 

 Lots of pictures. Too many to do a slide show.

“He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me? Declares the Lord.” ~ Jeremiah 22:16