Bright Light.

Bright Light Mission in Ethiooia is run by young, local Ethiopians who have a heart for Jesus and a drive to help those in front of them.

With thier hands and time they give to others what they would have others give to them. A chance at change. Food, shelter, education. Relationship and a place to belong.

What I appreciate most about Bright Light is their work to help PREVENT  street kids also. They work with families where they are, and reunite street kids with their families.

It is not a simple thing to explain street living or the epidemic of street kids in Ethiopia because to compare the west to Ethiopia is like comparing two worlds.

Cultural, historical, governmental, and religious differences abound.

But what we can understand is the Love of Jesus breaking through.

The presence of Jesus is universal. The Holy spirit is not bound by culture.

Please consider a small donation to BLM through the donate page.

All proceeds will be sent to Ashenafi, manager of BLM.

They are currently looking for about $600 to cover shelter and schooling for the boys for the next 6 months.

And then there were 11

We began with a rag tag group of boys who met to play football several times a week, and also spent time together on holidays.

When I left Ethiopia, Club Anbesa consisted of about 24 boys, and waivered between 18 and 30 depending on how we determined "club member"

After some big managment changes, and a year after I have left, everything looks different.

There are 11 boys, 10 of which have originaly met with the Anbesa Boys (9 of the boys ARE original Anbesa boys, I think Beli is 8th from left, I know him, but his name escapes me)

From Left to Right Mekuria (new club member), Berikut, Matwes (tinish), Tariquing, Asaye, Ababyou, Abene, Beli (I think, I have to double check that), Desilign, Legesa, Turbo.

What has happened to the other boys? I am not sure, but I would not doubt the idea of orginized, structured living may have turned them. Or maybe new management, or maybe a shift in focus. I can only speculate.

While things are NOT going the way I had hoped exactly, things are indeed happening! We will see where they continue to go.

Here is an update from Ashenafi about a week ago:

1st the boys that will enter in the new home is those who displayed on "Abesa club" web pag (the 11 boys). and the house is mulugbi and no House owner we are the one watching over them. ya of curse they need to have food but what we planed is we will purchase them weakly asbeza (food materials) like, oil, tomato potato,vegetable...., then we set a group and a program schedule for boys to cook in shift not only this we will give them homely responsibility like cleaning program that will be three days a week they wash their body, clothe, and every day at the early morning they should clean the house and the whole compound this also done in shift. After they will go to school and back for lunch their will be one group cooking food. then the rest half day they can make a business. Ever 5day from 5pm-8pm their will have tutorial and academical studies beside this we always keep prayer and bible study. their is also foot ball and some other game playing program spatially at the week.their is some one should work the social worker that always watching them and their activities day by day so, please don't worry about their life change responsibility, accountability because we all have been work with before. we have really great care for that. normally we have been doing on boys activity plan schedule so I will sent you the "BOYS ACTIVITY SCHEDULE"

New... and cautiously excited

Hello Friends! Here is a letter from Ashenafi, one of the new young men helping to manage the Club Anbesa boys...

19/03/2014 we get the boys in to the house prepared for them.
here is the step
1st. we send letter for Hawassa city Women's, children and youth affair because they are a government body stockholder for screening and should know of street children and they came and saw the boys the approve that we are helping them.
2nd. we take all the boys to Hawassa Referral Hospital for Health check up like HIV and some other transmuted disses , they are all in good Health. 3rd. we take them to Barbershop for their hair cut.
4th we give them swore (they wash their body) and change the new clothes.
5th. we prayed and took them to their house.

THE BOYS FEELING:-it was so amazing to see how they were surprised and been happy specially when they get matruss bed in general they were so glad with all things we too!!. on the first day we slept together i mean me and one of my fiend were slept with them. now this is 2nd day the start their school and we are try to teach them to cook and off curse some of them know before some how. but any how thanks to God!! things are going good and we hope the will be better by the help of God!!

To God Be The Glory!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

With the help of Ashenafi, there are 11 boys being looked after. A huge cut from the nearly 30 boys involved before. I will post another article about my "cautious" excitment.

If you would like to know a little more about the American couple who I reached out to in order to help find new managment, here is a link to THEIR misions page!
http://seeingallthingsnew.com/2014/01/25/500/

Missions and Jesus

I have just finished reading THE GREAT OMISSION by Steve Saint. If I would have written a book on missions, it would have gone something like this book.

http://www.itecusa.org/missions-dilemma.html

The main premise is what has been written again and again here: lets stop giving fish and start teaching and ecouraging how to fish for REAL help.

The constant giving, giving, giving, even with good intentions, only causes dependency and enables begging, and unreasonable demands.

Besides the endless examples I have seen with my own eyes on various scales, I have seen also from a much more seasoned and professional view.

Check out the book, and buy it thru I-tech to support their work among native Christians!

Making change happen

As I write this post, I am nervous and anxious to have my first meeting with Ashenafi, one of Club Anbesa's new friends.

The past month has been spent praying and searching for viable management help for the club as many endeavors have fallen apart under mismanagement, money mishandling, and lack of oversight over the boys.

It has been a sad a difficult process.

Now I feel that we are back to square one. There is a whole dynamic in doing something different which makes things more difficult to accomplish. Because we are not doing the same old thing as everyone else, there has been a lot of confusion, and push back. Change is not easy. We have to make it happen.

Think of how Europe felt when some guy exclaimed the world was round! Though much of the world already knew it (the Bible even says "the circle of the earth") Yes in that time and place it was common knowledge that the world was indeed a flat thing. That change of thought happened- but someone had to make it happen and after a lot of struggle.

How we intent to "help" these boys is not the typical "meet all their physical needs in a program until they are too old to receive help, or have received all they can receive" at no or little cost to them. That is not what we went to do!

I have written many posts about how that hinders and hurts these boys, the economy, and society in the long run, but what is difficult is now convincing others that this is what we should do! When they also come from a long line of flat world believers.

I am praying, and I an hoping God to come thru with clarity and wisdom, that these boys will have a real hope and future.

From Abebyou

A candid note from one of the Club Anbesa boys.
Here is Abebyou greeting me and telling me about the housing situation (and rain), school, and the food program we are trying to start. He is among the most dramatic of our boys.
A face and voice with a name.

 

Are you called?

This is a note to you to encourage you.
I am not that old, I have virtually no income, do not live a fairy tale life.
I was a giant mess when God called me. I mean giant mess!
12 years ago Jesus called me quite plainly.  "Go" he said.
Many jounies and years later God once again called me to  go to Ethiopia.  This time after life crushing events and with a small son.

God called. He said "go"... yes, with no church family behind me, no husband to lead me, and no money to provide for me... even with no clear plan of why I was going, I was told to go.

The pasport for my son miraculously was granted, the money for plane tickets miraculously showed up. My son amazingly handled the 30 hour jouney quite well.

"Be my wittness, I will send them to you" was the only plan/mission I was given.

Jesus had to be my focus, after all it is He who is the way the truth and life, nothing else.

I guess I should not be surprisd as I am prone to pride that I did not begin some huge earth shattering ministry full of bling, videos, fund raising propaganda and all that jazz, but what God did do was amazing, at least to me.

I went with nothing. I arived, and I was told immediately that I would face many trials, but "I will be with you and will use you"

I cannot recount the endless trials from harassing messages threatning to kidnap my son to body lice, fleas, sickness, bedbugs, blood sugar sickness, hunger, malnutrition, and heart problems... not to mention social stresses and having little money.

We spent days wanderingnthe streets. Street boys would follow us. I wasn't sure what we were doing. We got them a ball and watched them play.

They fought a lot. They were more than a little rough. I saw them steal, lie, and run around without clothes.

In the beginning they would ask me for things. I told them no. We tried to communicate,  they played with Zeru. He did not appreciate the way they picked on him.

We began to recognize the true street boys from the regular boys. It was not always easy to distinguish by looks alone in this country with different social standards.

Day after day we would spend watching the boys play ball. Week after week. Month after month.

We got to know their names, their characters,  their traits: good and bad. We got to know them.

In 5 months they went from physical fights every day to verbal resolution and organizing themselves fairly and peaceably.
They started caring more fir those around them. They started to have respect for each other,  others,  and themselves.

What is amazing is that they became ours, and we became theirs.  They would protect us, get ofended when people treated us as foreigners,  and even fed us when we were hungry. Yes the homeless street boys fed us, and bought us things. We cried when we finally left.

We spent holidays with them and instructed them and most important, 
I was a witness of Jesus, and he sent them to me.

When we left for America we did not leave them, we were not finished, during that time we made a club. There are 2 homes being rented, character changes, love, business start ups, school enrollment.

I love those boys, Club Anbesa. They love us.
I am just a girl with a son who was called to go, and I went. God did all the rest. He still does. Somehow the boys are still growing and meeting. Somehow God provides enough for me to send each month for them to keep their homes, replace poped balls, and stay in school.

Are you called? Pray, trust, obey. It's God's job to donthe real work, it's our job to be there so he can do it. If God used me, he will use you, but not if you don't obey the call.

Thank you for reading a small part of my testimony.