tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92139123814147911102024-02-18T17:40:45.453-08:00A Heart for EthiopiaEthiopia is a country that captured my heart as a little girl and one that's continuing to do so as a resident here with my family. God has a special heart for this country and He's written about His pursuit of her...Here I get to do the same...
Psalms 68:31 "Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God."
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-36308087322049774192017-04-18T03:11:00.001-07:002017-04-19T04:52:54.618-07:00Where You Go, I'll Go..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The beginning of this blog was written from Ethiopia where I spent the last two weeks before Easter and then just finished in Sydney where my four youngest children and I now happily reside...<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">When we left for Ethiopia in 2011 people asked "How long are you going for?" My personal, common response was "As long as God wants us there." Of course in my mind, that was already determined to be as long as possible. I imagined living into an old age like Australian legend Dr Catherine Hamlin who has been asked the same question and has replied "How can I leave when there is so much need?" I saw the needs and they were many, and many times we were able to help meet those needs- even if the need was for our presence. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">While there are books written about missionary atrophy and the high rates of missionaries coming off the field, the detailed stories behind the statistics are yet to be told. I could be another statistic added to those who have gone before. But my story isn't all about what you see from afar. What's going on in my every day life is not what I would expect so it's probably not what you would either. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">I believe the Bible holds the best practice models when it comes to mission and life. The word is a "light to my feet (giving me short term directions) and a lamp to my path (lighting the vision for the future)" Psalms 119:105. It shows me what I should do; speaking to me from an eternal place that speaks outside the realm of time and current emotion. The Bible is my text book for life - it's never led me astray (unless I have interpreted it wrong).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">So when people ask me, "how long are you here for?".. Perhaps the Bible has an answer we can give..</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><i>On the day the tabernacle, the tent of the covenant law, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire...Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. At the Lord’s command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord’s order and did not set out...Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out.</i> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Read </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Numbers 9:15-22</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">God directed the Israelites by the cloud that covered the tabernacle. When it moved, they moved, when it lingered, they lingered. We are the temples, the tabernacles now. God has set the law in our hearts (Psalm 37:31) and we are the temples of the Holy Spirit as we enter into relationship with Jesus. (1 Cor 6:19) We are then subject to God's lead in this dance of life and He desires that we follow that lead. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Even now, He places a kind of cloud over us and it represents His presence, His power and His provision. When we feel these three elements operating at their fullest in our lives, we have to know, we're "under the cloud." It's His grace and anointing (that smearing with ability) there that sustains us through the desert. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Many times Ethiopia has felt like the desert. As I'm here I'm reminded of the struggle! The dust getting thrown in my face by the wind, the roosters crowing at 4am in the morning, the water not flowing from the taps and the public taxi squashing my body up against strangers... These are all things the grace of God gave me and my family the power to sustain over five years. But now that cloud has moved. I don't feel the grace for those things here any more. I'm wondering how I survived them at all and with five children and a myriad of other challenges that came our way. But God does... He was and is our cloud that shelters us from the harsh conditions.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Now His cloud over us has shifted. It's sheltering us from the new challenges that we are facing in Sydney. It isn't actually just sheltering us, but it's bringing a shower of blessed rain. After living in Ethiopia I have a new understanding of rain. Coming from New Zealand where it rains every month of the year, I saw rain as a curse almost. You just want to get the washing dried and your body tanned by the sun but the rain just comes out of nowhere in the "land of the long white cloud." (Aotearoa, the name the original settlers gave to New Zealand.) But in Ethiopia where rain comes only three months of the year and sometimes not even that at all, rain is a blessing. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The cloud provides the rain, the cloud provides the shelter and the cloud represents the presence of God in the place He is leading us to. It's a beautiful cloud covering. <i>Now back in Sydney, Robert Fergusson was preaching today in Chapel at Hillsong Leadership College about how we need to change our destination. He used the example of Jacob in Genesis 28 who was also going from one city to another. "He intended to go to Haran, but God had another destination - His presence. While you set out on your natural journey, He is setting you on a supernatural one. His destination was not the PLACE but the GOD WHO MADE the place." </i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;">While on a journey back to Ethiopia, we found a new home in Sydney. Here, we are finding new levels of intimacy with the Creator of Ethiopia, Australia, New Zealand and the rest of the world. Like Jacob, we can't help but say "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it!" We were not aware that God was going to lead us to stay in Sydney but He is here and He is showing us that here is where we need to stay. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">For me, there is a sense of joy and peace that comes with leaving that overrides the emotional pull to stay. It's described like this in Isaiah:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><i>Isaiah 55:12</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><i>You will go out in joy</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><i>and be led forth in peace;</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">That verse is preceded by a few verses that explain that Gods ways and thoughts are not the way we think or plan, and that when He promises something, His word is true... The manifestation of it just may not look the way we thought it would look. This life of crazy faith He has called us to, demands we trust His way as He leads us. There comes a cloud that shows us a shelter where peace and joy reside. They become our guide.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">While Dr Catherine Hamlin stays because there is so much need she can practically help with here, I leave because there is need in Ethiopia I need to help with from abroad. The lessons I have learnt from our time in Ethiopia have set me up to establish a new thing. God is always in the business of doing new things and He does it in us and through us.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">As I watched Moana on the plane on the way back from Ethiopia, I heard a line in the song "I am Moana" that I hadn't heard before. She starts the movie convinced that her calling is "beyond the reef"- a place. Then as she goes out beyond the reef and sees the bigger picture of what the "Ocean" has called her to do, she gets a "revelation". Her Grandmother's spirit asks her...Do you know who you are? </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Her response is summed up like this: </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">Who am I?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">I am a girl who loves my island</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">I'm the girl who loves the sea</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">It calls me</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">I am the daughter of the village chief</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">We are descended from voyagers</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">Who found their way across the world</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">They call me</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">I've delivered us to where we are</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">I have journeyed farther</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">I am everything I've learned and more</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">Still it calls me</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"><b>And the call isn't out there at all, it's inside me</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">It's like the tide; always falling and rising</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">I will carry you here in my heart you'll remind me</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">That come what may</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">I know the way</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white;">I so related to Moana in this movie. I felt the call to go beyond the borders...in fact, I'm currently writing a book about it! But the call is within me. It's the Holy Spirit who leads me and determines where I should go. This song has spoken to that place in my life. It reminds me of <a href="https://aheartforethiopia.blogspot.com.au/2015/07/were-not-where-were-going-and-were-weve.html">where I've been and where I'm going</a>. I'm excited about the new chapter of my life and thankful for everything Ethiopia has taught me. The best surely, is yet to come. </span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-54846716780769629802016-12-30T11:23:00.002-08:002016-12-30T11:23:35.117-08:00When the end of your year is much different from your beginning: My 2016 Reflections.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="List Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="List Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="List Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="List Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="List Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="List Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="List Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="List Table 2 Accent 1"/>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">“The Joy of the Lord is your strength”, the two of them said
at the same time just before they erupted into laughter at the surprise of their
simultaneous proclamation. I wasn’t
laughing however, as I had gone to them from the crowd to get a prophetic word for my next year and
hadn’t expected this one at all. “Why
would I need strength?” I thought. “This
year is going to be my harvest season…I’ve suffered enough already, I should be
seeing the goodness and peace of God in my life this year.” I concluded that they were somehow delusional
and left that prayer meeting feeling ripped off. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">A couple of weeks later we found ourselves back in Ethiopia,
but positioned in a different part of the country- the part we said we would
never live- Addis Ababa. It’s the capital
city and so much bigger than Debre Zeit, our home of old. Here, my hope was that my children would have
better peer relationships, greater access to the extra curricular activities at
the International School and we would get better internet. If I was to do what I said I would do, for
one or maybe more, local NGO’s then I would need good internet access to
provide consistent communication to donors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">We settled into the home of fellow missionaries who were
away on furlough for the year and got our bearings around our side of town.
However, not long after, rips started to appear on the fabric of our family...As
months went by and physical separation led to a new review of all that was
holding our relationship together, there were more elements pulling us apart
than the things that were holding us together… By June, those rips had been
torn fully apart. I had to say goodbye to my dream of a till-death-do-us-part marriage
and so did my children as well as every person who had believed that we would remain
together. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">The weak places I entered into after that were buffered by the
statement that was spoken over my life at the end of our time in New Zealand. “The Joy of the Lord is MY strength.” I had
to own it and apply it to my every day life. In my weakest moments where I felt the literal tearing apart of a covenant tie, a strength resided that I couldn't claim as my own. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">What I came to discover was that Joy comes in different forms. It came in the display of my children's resilience to the undoing of the world they knew for so long .
It came in the form of people who went from being strangers to much
needed friends who spoke much needed words. Joy expressed itself in moments
of laughter with visiting people who brought hope and love in unexpected
ways. Joy reigned in opportunities to discover the use of gifts that had laid dormant in me for many years. Manifested joy came into my life
as the Word of God resonated through daily guidance in times where I couldn’t see which way to go. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">In all our lives there are moments we don’t expect or
foresee; moments we never wished we or even our worst enemies would ever
experience. There are times we want to
skip a track to our next song, or wake up from our currently reality, as if it were just a
dream. This year has been one of those
experiences for me but in saying that I wouldn’t have changed it one bit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">Through the breaking of my marriage, has come the awakening
of my being- my being a beloved child of God.
My being a person who knows what is right for her life and was strong enough
to stand up for it. I awakened to the
fact that just BE-ing is enough- that my DO-ing (Doing mission or wifely
duties, Doing Ethiopia or what people expected me to DO) was not what made me
ME. What makes me ME is in my being.
Being created in the image of God and knowing that I am found in Him, fully
and completely His. Here, I saw the
peace and goodness of God I expected would be void if I needed His Joy to be my
strength. I discovered the fullness of His Joy is found in those times where we
are weak and His strength becomes our own.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">In the midst of this journey, I am writing my autobiography
and in that space I am revisiting the joys and the pains of my past. My life has still got many years to be lived
out and I know that my story will be used for God’s glory and to help others
like me who are struggling to know which way to turn. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: black;">On my long haul flight between Singapore and Turkey, I flicked on
the Documentary channel and watched a show about the wonder of nature. In this
episode, they were talking about all the different shapes that exist in nature.
One being the shapes that are formed in ice.</span></i><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: black;"><br />
To illustrate the complexity of ice they took on the biggest block of ice that
we find in nature, the iceberg. Scientists were researching the shapes found in
the iceberg and how that affected not only the sinking of the Titanic but also
the ability of the iceberg to float.</span></i><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: black;"><br />
If you've seen the movie, you know the Titanic sunk because the Captain
underestimated the size of the iceberg he saw on the near horizon and the
damage that was done didn't come from what he could see on the surface of the
ocean but by what lay beneath.</span></i><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></i><i><span style="color: black;">7/8 of an iceberg is
under water- it's called the keel. The keel catches the currents of the ocean
& affects the speed and the direction it will go. It's the less
dense part of the iceberg that floats while the rest is heavily anchoring the
berg under the water. </span></i><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: black;">Our
lives displayed are only a small part of what people see. It's the less dense
part that is exposed, while the depth of our lives is what is weighing us down
beneath. </span></i><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
<i>If we see the circumstances of our lives as the currents that come our way
then it's what's going on under the surface that will determine how we allow
those things to steer our course. If we have bitterness in our hearts and
something comes our way that collides with an already bitter root then that
will affect which direction we go and how fast we get there - most likely down
and at maximum speed. If we have peace in our hearts and something comes to
create havoc in our lives, then our lives will cascade the effects of the hit
more easily. We will be led by peace. If these two things- bitterness and peace
push against one big iceberg or relationship then it's most likely going to
split in half. </i></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
<i>While bitterness and peace were not necessarily the opposing forces in my
marriage, there were definitely mixed values that were constantly pushing up
against each other for us. There is a life that is seen in public for all
of us and the life that goes on behind closed doors. While these two lives
should match up, the reality of my life is that the keel of our lives was being
affected by the things that we valued. And just to clear the air, while the
Ship of our lives at the time was in the waters of Africa, it wasn't Africa
that caused the wreck but rather the undertows of the current itself. </i></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
<i>Thankfully we have been thrown a life line and it's come from the shores of
Sydney, Australia. God has been gracious in setting up a life boat for us where
we can know the safety of His Love and navigate the waters He's setting us back
out on in the future. </i></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span><span style="color: black;">God has a plan for me
and for Ethiopia and for me to be in Ethiopia in these last days and there's a
stirring sense of peace in the country now and also within my heart. This
year has not ended at all the way I imagined it would at the beginning of my
year, nor at the beginning of my marriage but I am learning not to focus on
what was but what is going to come. The word I gave myself at the
beginning of this year, was the word "Surrender." I have felt
the sting of surrender as I've surrendered my own desires to the will of my
Savior. This next year my word is "Complete." I will see
the goodness of God in His restorative power in my life as He completes me and
makes me whole. As He now steers the direction of my life again, I am
thankful that He knows so much more than I ever could- He knows my future and
He knows what's best for me. He works all things out together for my
good. </span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; orphans: 2; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My friend <a href="https://www.facebook.com/yoyiye?fref=ts">YohanaSahle</a> sings this beautiful song that speaks to my situation so eloquently.
She's one of Ethiopia's rising stars, singing the heart of Jesus. Be blessed
through it, knowing that He is working all things together for good. Happy NEW
Year!</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Bullet 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Closing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Continue 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Message Header"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Salutation"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Date"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text First Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Block Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Document Map"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Plain Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Bottom of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal (Web)"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Definition"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Keyboard"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Sample"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Typewriter"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Variable"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Normal Table"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="annotation subject"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="No List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Outline List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Simple 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Classic 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Colorful 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Grid 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table List 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table 3D effects 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Contemporary"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Professional"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Balloon Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Theme"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Note Level 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 6"/>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-60549781064004475202016-11-07T02:46:00.000-08:002016-11-08T21:34:05.371-08:00Visions, Dreams and their Consequences<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">I never really liked putting labels on myself. I trained as a chef but I don't say "I'm a chef" and I like to write but I wouldn't say "I'm a writer." I find it strange to attach one particular part of my skill set with the words "I am". It could wrap my identity up in a 'tag' that would entice a set of expectations from others. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">But the one that's troubled me the most is <i>"I am a visionary."</i> It's one I've identified with over the years but struggled to claim as my own. I would see "visionaries" doing amazing things and couldn't relate. Often my visions were in the confines of my mental space, desiring an expression. For example:</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">When I was a child I had crazy outlandish visions of being in Ethiopia and feeding long lines of hungry children out of a pot of food.. I dreamed of owning companies where I could help people who couldn't afford to afford..</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">My visionary bent was wrought in the small hours of the night as I lay in bed with babies and envisioned what their bedrooms could look like if changes were made and furniture re-arranged. Things like this would keep me up at night; dreaming, recreating. In the creating and recreating in my mind the visionary in me was being awakened- As a stay at home mother who just wanted a better setting for my babies.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Then came the local community. As I would lie in bed listening to young people roam the streets outside late at night, I would dream for them. I imagined a place for young people to gather and find safety; to be cared for and nurtured at all hours of the day and night. I envisioned a shelter for them with rooms where multiple opportunities availed and blank canvases were waiting to be painted. The strategy about how this would unfold</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> was also downloaded from a Place where solutions are designed by a Loving Creator who "directs the steps" of the man/woman who plans their way (Proverbs 16:9).</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">I believe dreams and visions are gifts from God. And unlike my one year old niece who received many gifts this weekend for her birthday and didn't acknowledge the givers, I believe we have an obligation to acknowledge the Giver of these dreams. A gift does not come without a gift-er. The gift to dream and envision doesn't make us better than others who don't have this gift, it just gives us a different responsibility. It means we have strengths in areas others are weak but we sure do have areas of weakness where we need others' strengths.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">We are stewards of the gift (being a visionary) AND the extension of that gift being unwrapped (the dream or vision.) To be faithful to the stewarding of the gift, it means we have to unwrap it to see how we can use it. Don't down play what is meant to be played out. Don't comatose the dream that is meant to be lived out! </span><br />
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<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Recently I attended a conference where the story of Judas was unlocked. Yes, that called disciple who betrayed his leader and led him into his destiny by the choices he made. The speaker (Alicia Britt Chole) talked about how he was the treasurer but he went from being a steward to being an owner and feeling entitled. She said "Ownership is fists closed, stewardship is palms open." We can do the same thing with our visions. We can hold them too tightly in fists closed rather than opening our palms and allowing God to do with them what He wants. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Sometimes I have found myself not been fully obedient to the Dream Giver's directions because I saw the vision as my own. I felt like I had the choice to let this dream become a reality or not as I held an open gift in my hands with my fists closed. I was not fully understanding that God Himself wanted to see this vision become a reality THROUGH ME, not for me (not for my benefit but for the benefit of others). So I learnt to trust Him to work out the details in making the dream a reality. Often that meant that others were involved. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">When we have received something that is obviously not our own, we are called to steward it with open hands. This means being willing to allow others to join in the implementing of the vision, in the contribution to the vision and in the execution of its strategy. </span><br />
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<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span class="text Matt-25-14" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">“For <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">the kingdom of heaven is</span> like a man traveling to a far country, <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">who</span> called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.</span> </span><span class="text Matt-25-15" id="en-NKJV-24024" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each <b>according to his own ability</b>; and immediately he went on a journey.</span></span><span class="text Matt-25-16" id="en-NKJV-24025" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> </span><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.</span></span><span class="text Matt-25-17" id="en-NKJV-24026" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> </span><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">And likewise he who <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">had received</span> two gained two more also.</span> </span><span class="text Matt-25-18" id="en-NKJV-24027" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.</span> </span><span class="text Matt-25-19" id="en-NKJV-24028" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.</span></span></i></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span class="text Matt-25-20" id="en-NKJV-24029" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">“So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’</span> </span><span class="text Matt-25-21" id="en-NKJV-24030" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> </span><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">His lord said to him, ‘Well <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">done,</span> good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’</span></span><span class="text Matt-25-22" id="en-NKJV-24031" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> </span><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’</span> </span><span class="text Matt-25-23" id="en-NKJV-24032" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="woj" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">His lord said to him, ‘Well <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">done,</span> good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’</span></span></i></span></div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">If it is a God dream then you have to know it's bigger than one person and that God has given the same dream to another person in some way or form according to his own ability-it may be according to the ability you need for the dream to come alive that you don't possess. He will strategically align you to bring formation to the structure and build a greater foundation for the building of the dream. But we must be careful to keep Christ as the chief Cornerstone. We leave Him out of the dream and it is sure to crumble. I write that from experience.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">God knows what we are capable of doing and He will give us a custom size dream proportionate to our capacity. I know what it feels like to have a vision though and feel like it's beyond my capacity. He builds capacity in you before He fills that capacity with all the ability to fulfill the dream. In that way, we are able to remember WHO's the dream is, when it's far beyond our grasp. That capacity building season may feel like a stretching pain. Bobbie Houston called it "Glorious Tension" at a recent Sisterhood meeting. She said "Faith is not designed to break us. We break IN the stretch. It's to take us into new places, spaces and territories." </span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><b>If you have gone through season after season of stretching, you have to know that your harvest season is a place of greater capacity.</b></i></span></span></div>
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Visions become reality after time, as we faithfully steward the gift, open it's contents and assemble this glorious God dream. They often become a reality after a time where it seemed like it isn't ever going to happen and maybe was never meant to be in the first place: Just after the dream dies and you fully surrendered it to God and gave up thinking it was your own, it will come to BE. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">See I've walked this path that leads to dreams finding their expression before and I have learnt. I have learnt from mistakes being made and I've learnt from positive experiences too. I've learnt that the Dream Giver is BIG and His supply is bountiful. So don't be afraid to say "I'm a visionary" and don't be afraid to dream big and share those dreams with others. It's your responsibility. It's His gift to you. He must think you're capable of making it come into the place of reality or He wouldn't have given it to you in the first place right? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Look at your dream from a different perspective.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-47268724315323509522016-10-15T05:03:00.000-07:002016-10-15T05:03:10.177-07:00A Cultural Exchange (My Identity Crisis Continued)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CJ_QFDj2wR6-Y-KVl_wgh_utWjsMuAcmeFazPudjLsK8zi-9yxwXaKtPI67vXp8N-IvxmoROrLYDUHHtiTGf_g9JYqfa37D48OKV8_oNyUqWuz2o1-pBoxz2sTjO83Hd5T55D-Wsg9O5/s1600/Cultural+Exchange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CJ_QFDj2wR6-Y-KVl_wgh_utWjsMuAcmeFazPudjLsK8zi-9yxwXaKtPI67vXp8N-IvxmoROrLYDUHHtiTGf_g9JYqfa37D48OKV8_oNyUqWuz2o1-pBoxz2sTjO83Hd5T55D-Wsg9O5/s400/Cultural+Exchange.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cultural exchange</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I sat in the living room of our next door neighbour in Sydney as she discussed cultural norms with my mother and I. Family were running late (on "Island time" as she described it- "Island time" is akin to "African time") and her (representing Tonga although her mother was born in Samoa then adopted by a Tongan family) and my mother who is Samoan born and raised in Samoan culture till she married my Greek Father and they two became one and adopted a New Zealand way of life. A "way of life" would be one way to describe "culture". They talked about things such as what you should say, the reverence "Reverends" attain in island culture, and the difference between getting on a packed public bus in Sydney compared to doing the same thing in the islands- one makes room and another attempted to make her feel inferior.<br />
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Somehow my mind wondered back to a time when I first discovered the difference between Island cultures. I had gone to High School on Auckland's North Shore at a private Catholic Girl's school where the main demographic make up was Caucasian/European New Zealanders, a few Asians and Indians and then there were the Islanders. The Islanders in my year at school were made up of Maori mixes (because pure indigenous New Zealanders don't exist anymore), a Tongan, Samoan, me, and other variations of Island blood... Basically, we were the brownies and we mixed because we had a commonality that stemmed back to our forefathers coming from a place called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiki">Hawaiki</a>. <br />
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I had always been the brown girl in a class of pale skinned friends. I was the minority often yet very rarely felt it until we went to Australia and felt the sting of undeserved, uncalled for racism. It came in the form of words such as "blackie" and "Darth Vadar" and made this six to eight year old child feel inferior and unwelcome. <br />
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By the time I reached High School however, we were back in New Zealand and a new problem surfaced. I knew very little of my Island culture and I wanted to know more. A "palagi" girl stood on stage at assembly one day and told of a term she spent in South Auckland on what was called a "Cultural Exchange." It was a program that was brought out a few years earlier to allow students from one school of a certain cultural make-up experience that of another. Since my school was a predominantly European make-up, she went to a school that was only 30 minutes away but was made up of a predominantly Pacific Island student body. As soon as I heard about this, I wanted in! <br />
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I applied and was accepted to go the next year. I was so excited about going and being a part of not just a school environment that was different to what I was used to, but also to a family environment that was different to what I was used to. The school was in a suburb where a lot of my extended family lived and it had hosted the previous Polynesian Festival which was the highlight of a teenage Polynesian's year in Auckland! (Especially if you lived on the North Shore and didn't get enough interaction with other Poly's like yourself.)<br />
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Anyway, the three months I spent in South Auckland at Nga Tapuwae College (as it was called then) were, to say the least, LIFE CHANGING! I discovered that even though I looked like I should fit in, my cultural upbringing and the experiences I had had, or my lack thereof, meant that I felt JUST as, if not more, out of place then I had all my life. I had to wear my home high school uniform which made me stick out like a sore thumb but I also had little cultural knowledge of what was acceptable behaviour and because I LOOKED like an Islander who SHOULD KNOW how to behave, I failed at meeting the expectations of my peers. So I found friends who existed outside of the culture I should have fit into. <br />
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One thing that really shocked me, other than my inability to "fit in", about this whole experience was that I was no longer the brown girl. I was the half caste girl. All of the Island cultures had segregated themselves and hung around with their own cultural groups where they spoke their mother tongue to each other, they often went to the same churches, or they belonged to the same cultural group in the festival. There was the Tongan corner, the Samoan corner, the Cook Island group, the Niuean group and then there was a whole other school within the school for the Maori students. I had come from a place where there was unity among all of us islanders and gone to a place where there were obvious boundaries around who belonged to who. Colours had been associated with certain Islands, tension was felt and trouble brewed. And amongst them all, I fit nowhere. I wasn't truly Samoan and I didn't even know how to behave Samoan in a context of peers so I found some Cook Island friends and I struggled internally with it all. <br />
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Right now there's some racial tension happening in my heart country. I came to a country where I thought that everybody was Ethiopian...but I've had discussions over the years about history and language and culture and I've discovered that some people don't see themselves as Ethiopian but rather as a representative of the tribe that they are from. I've learnt that there is a type of segregation within a city like Addis where certain areas are affiliated with a certain tribal group. You can learn about cross cultural tension just by being in one city. You can also experience the beauty of the diversity that each of these regions hold. <br />
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The beauty of culture, however, is marred when we decide that ours is better than anothers. It's called elitism and it comes at the cost of others feeling inferior and feeling left out. It happens all around the world. What we need is a REAL cultural exchange. We need to exchange our earthly culture for our <a href="https://aheartforethiopia.blogspot.com.au/2016/09/my-identity-crisis.html">Kingdom Culture,</a><br />
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Someone recently said to me, "Where there is no common vision, there is Division." This is true for countries, for churches, for marriages. A shared vision is so important in establishing a place where Peace can reside. I think even in the church these days we get too caught up in denominational boundaries. We look at the culture and doctrinal beliefs of our BROTHERS AND SISTERS in Christ and we set ourselves apart from them and sometimes maybe unintentionally, setting ourselves ABOVE them. <br />
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I've had the privilege now of speaking and attending many different churches around the world and what I've come to realize is that if we believe in Jesus and are saved by His blood, we have the same blood running through our veins. We are in fact family and our Father God has called us all to be united. We work for one God, for one Kingdom purpose therefore we should take the advice of Paul as He wrote to the people in Phillipi from his jail cell... <br />
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<i>Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, <b>then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others</b></i></div>
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<i>Phillipians 2:1-4</i></div>
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Here is the justice cry for people divided- an answer for what they struggle to find- be humble and value others above yourselves. Unity is a part of justice being established. </div>
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Please continue to pray for Peace in the land of Ethiopia. Pray as a united body in this time for a common cause. We are one in Christ. Be blessed</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-53600136006158812862016-09-02T02:10:00.000-07:002016-09-02T08:46:35.775-07:00My Identity Crisis<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As a foreigner living in a "strange land" I (along with my children) often feel like we're a showpiece on display for people's musings. Often it's just as entertaining for us as it is for them, as we hear a confused dialogue take place about whether or not they think we are in fact foreigners or if we're locals. Even tonight as I stood outside the domestic airport in Addis Ababa, a lady standing next to me asked me if she could borrow my phone. When she realized I was a foreigner, she profusely apologized. She didn't need to apologize! I have always taken it as a compliment when people think I'm Ethiopian for two reasons: 1) because Ethiopian women are simply one of the most beautiful people groups on the planet! 2) it reminds me that God created me for this place.<br />
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But in saying that, this in fact is my dilemma... My identity crises. While people like to make statements about me as they take stock of my outward appearance; those statements aren't always necessarily true. As much as I love it when people say I look Ethiopian, I am not Ethiopian. As much as people like to tell me I look like I'm in my 20's, I am not (thankfully) in my 20's!<br />
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Growing up half Samoan, half Greek, living in both Australia and New Zealand, I quickly learnt that being a "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-caste">half caste</a>" meant you never fit into one culture. You never really belong to one race. I joined the Samoan group in High School and was told I didn't sit right. I can't say I'm "Samoan" because many Samoans have labeled me as "palagi" - meaning I'm white. To the Greek side, our color clearly distinguished us from the rest of our cousins and disqualified us from fitting into the Greek mold. To my European side I am brown, to my Island side, I am white. So where do I fit then?!<br />
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My friend and favorite Ethiopian Gospel singer, <a href="http://aheartforethiopia.blogspot.com/2016/04/every-child-needs-some-love-and-care.html?m=1">Dawit Getachew</a> reminds us that "I am what the word of God says I am." When our culture tries to dictate who we are, or who we are not; when our surroundings try to put us in a box and label us as one thing; when we feel like we will never belong in one group or be able to proudly support one "team", we belong to a greater "Team".<br />
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As believers, we actually belong to the winning team. We are "new creations in Christ Jesus, the old is gone and the new has come." In Him, there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, (young or old even!) We are all equal and we all carry a new identity in Christ. This is what the word of God reminds us of.<br />
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Knowing this identity is foundational to how we live life itself. Everyone is on a search for the meaning of life. Not just in general but personally- to know and to be what we were created to be. If we know WHO we are, then we can know how we are meant to live.<br />
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When I gave my life to Jesus almost 19 years ago, my new creation culture took precedence over my old cultures. While some parts of culture can be a beautiful display of Gods creativity, other parts of it can be detrimental to the health (in mind, body and development) of the people who cling so tightly to it.<br />
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If we believe only what our society, and the culture that undergirds that society, says about who we are then we will miss out the truth. Cultures dictate what success, beauty and acceptable behavior looks like. They are defining value and worth through biases and hierarchical structures. They tell us if we're important enough (maybe because of gender or family affiliation), whether we're worthy or not (by deciding who can participate in decision making processes); whether we are young or old enough (as each culture treats its young and elders with different levels of respect); whether we are educated enough (as certain cultures place educational achievements as its most valuable possession). Each value that is held in high regard by our culture is carried from generation to generation by a message and a messenger. It's used to let people know where they fit and how they need to behave accordingly. It causes people to feel either inferior or superior- neither being good for anybody. I've been on both ends of that scale...and I've learnt that it's temporary.<br />
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We don't need to live for temporary pleasures or pain. We also don't need to be dictated by what society or culture has told us, is telling us, will tell us. If we always do what we've always done, we'll always get what we've always got right? So it's time for change. Change in how we see ourselves, how we define ourselves and then how we behave accordingly.<br />
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We adapt to a Kingdom culture when we receive Jesus. He is our example of how to live Kingdom lives. He was so counter cultural He offended people, but He didn't care for the praises or acceptance of people but only the glory of God. We can feel like we are "half casts" when we receive Christ. That we have to straddle two cultures and maybe don't belong to either- but the Bible says we are in the world but not of it. We no longer live, but Christ lives in us. We are more like the foreigner living in the strange land- we look like the locals but we will actually never BE them. We are living for Eternity and not for the land we are temporarily in. That's what Jesus culture should be about. And what a beautiful culture it is and what a powerful identity we adopt.<br />
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This new identity that is established in us comes as we become children of God and heirs to His throne.<br />
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<i> John 1:12-13<br /> But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.<br /><br /> Romans 8:16-17<br /> The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ...</i><br />
There's a new birth that takes place, a new culture we are born into and a new identity we take on. We are so much more valuable now than we ever were before and if we fail to understand that then we will never experience the abundant life Jesus came to give us.<br />
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So who am I now? The message Kingdom culture invites me to believe was passed on through Jesus. He tells me:</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>I </i></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>am His child</i></span></b>.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u>I am His beloved</u></b></span>. <span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">I am Royal</span>.<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>I am blessed</i></span>. <span style="color: #e06666; font-size: large;">I am desired</span>. <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">I am a victor</span>. </div>
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<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: "courier new" , "courier" , monospace; font-size: large;"><b>I am worthy to be seated in high places</b></span>. </div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">I am chosen.</span></i><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b> I am beautiful</b></span>. <b><span style="font-size: large;">I am loved</span></b>.<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i> I am responsible</i></span>.</div>
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I am so much more ...</div>
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We need daily reminders of these truths. A good way to remember this is to wear it! So right now I'm in the process of printing these truths on t-shirts. Then there will be more clothing and accessory lines to come. Keep an eye on this space! Know who you ARE in Him. Know what culture you need to adhere to...the Bible describes in sentences that often start like this..</div>
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The Kingdom of Heaven is like...</div>
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Be blessed!<br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-88886473280858523372016-07-16T18:54:00.002-07:002016-07-16T18:54:51.749-07:00When Grace resides in the Grey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Recently I made a life changing decision. This decision was a calculated, prayed through, fasted over, all around anguishing decision that was a result of years of reflection. It was one that had many contributing factors to its final outcome and that blurred the lines of the black and white that some people like to hold when it comes to marriage.<br />
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First of all, I have to say that I am a firm believer in the sanctity of marriage. I believe that a healthy marriage is the healthiest place for children to be nurtured and to grow; I have seen the research and promoted it over years of ministry. I believe that marriage is a covenant and that God takes covenant seriously- that marriage represents His covenant with the church and it should be a witness of that to the world. For these very reasons, I married my husband when I was pregnant and have stayed married to him for 19 years.<br />
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But in the black and white, bible-truth, law abiding and God fearing agenda, we have to be careful not to become judgmental of our own and others actions. While the "rules" exist to protect us from harm, there are always exceptions to the rules in the circumstances that surround it's context. For someone like me, who has been a very "black and white" believer, I am discovering that the grey [where everything is not so clear and circumstances force you to rethink your paradigm] is where grace resides.<br />
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"Did Christ die for the person or for the institution?" Is one question someone asked me recently. "Does He love me or my marriage more?" When dysfunction overrides a healthy, loving and safe environment, is it okay to accept Gods grace in the grey? To say, no matter what people may think, or what consequences I must face, I have to do the best by my children. And even though marriage seemed the best for my children, in all circumstances it truly is not.<br />
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The stand I am taking is a stand to live under grace. That grace that I have experienced over many trials and failures, has given me a zeal for Christ that I can't take for granted. The life that I live is only because He rescued me: He loved me and gave me a second chance. I don't want to straddle the fence, I choose not to immerse myself in darkness but to shine under His light. While fear and confusion desire to take up residence in this whole situation, it's kept out by Perfect Love.<br />
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While I do appreciate people's advice on the issue, and I agree with most of the advice in principle; I also just appreciate those who trust that my decision was the right thing to do because they know me and trust my character. I know it has shocked people who know "us" and can't imagine how this could have eventuated, but there is always more to us than meets the eye.<br />
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I rest safe in the knowledge that God knows and that He is my ultimate judge and my safe refuge. "Mercy triumphs over judgement." says James 2:13. This poem I wrote just summarises where I am at...<br />
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When something you believe in and wanted so bad<br />
Becomes that thing that you never had<br />
When droughts of love take their toll<br />
On a love hungry and thirsty soul<br />
When peace seems an unattainable goal<br />
And brokenness desires to be made whole<br />
When years of recession back into that place<br />
That has been covered by Glory and Grace<br />
Means that now you must take a stand<br />
And be led forward by His gracious hand<br />
To trust, to breathe, to live each day new<br />
Without the one you wanted to<br />
You know that there's a better day<br />
Because He said it would be that way<br />
His new start for you means freedom and grace<br />
As long as you keep looking into His face<br />
He will lead you through this windy storm<br />
And take you into a new norm<br />
Where peace and love go deeper still<br />
And His sovereign power overrides your will<br />
His grace is sufficient, His strength is yours<br />
Your heart into, His love He pours.<br />
Selah. <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-60890058478906504912016-06-29T12:32:00.000-07:002016-06-29T12:32:52.157-07:00A Letter to my Sixteen Year Old Self...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hey You! </div>
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Well here I am 22 years later and I wanted you to know how much you are loved. There's a great God out there who sees way past all of the problems you are facing right now and He is going to turn it all around some day. Here are 7 things I want you to know:</div>
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<li>1. You know that smile that everyone keeps telling you lights up the room - they're not lying! God has given that smile to you so you can bring His Light into the hearts of many people. </li>
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<li>2. That list you wrote of all the things you don't like about your body- Honey, you were fearfully and wonderfully made (well thought-out and planned) and not one inch of your body was mistakenly put there. No BODY is perfect, no matter what the magazines try to tell you. </li>
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<li>3. That boy who stood you up on Queen Street and told you you looked better in the dark! He ain't got nothing on you! You don't have to hide your face in dark places to reveal your beauty- it will shine where it's value will be most appreciated. Don't let a boy define, abuse, or diminish your beauty. You are beautiful and no one needs to tell you otherwise. Embrace it and carry it as it gives glory to the One who created you that way. </li>
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<li>4. Your dad, he loves you. He might not have been able to appropriate that love in a healthy and respectful way, but deep down he truly does. He just did the best with what he knew. Don't hate him for it. See him as God sees him and you won't waste so many of your years being controlled by your judgement of his faults.</li>
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<li>5. That pain you feel inside that causes you to take that craft knife to your skin so you transfer the pain to the outside, it's going to be healed. It's going to be used. It's all going to turn around and it's going to be okay.</li>
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<li>6. You are not your sisters shadow. Though she may seem more beautiful than you and more popular to them, what you have to offer the world in and of itself is enough to be confident in. Don't shrink back into the shadow of someone else. Rise up and sit under the light that you were born to shine in!</li>
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<li>7. And last but not least- that fear you've been battling; the fear of rejection- remember you are accepted in the Beloved! The fear of failure - remember that your mistakes are your teacher and they are going to help you pass your next test! The fear of loneliness- remember that you are never alone! There is a God who sees you...all the time and in every situation. He will never leave you nor forsake you! The fear of travel- you will travel fear free one day and you will know the safety of being under the shadow of the wings of the Almighty. </li>
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My girl, if only I could reach into your skin again and live out your current days; basing your choices on your worth rather than your insecurities, your value rather than your damage. May our life be a message to help others know the truth behind the lies they have been told.. </div>
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With so much love, </div>
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Michelle Tiatia.<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-65214240926566384402016-06-02T07:41:00.001-07:002016-06-02T07:41:29.539-07:00What Am I Really Missing Out On?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After reading one of Jentezen Franklin’s book a few years
ago, I decided to do a 21 day Daniel Fast. It was the first time for me and as
I feared not eating (in fact I started off with three days of full fasting), I
ate up large the night before I started. Up until that point in my life, eating
had become a coping mechanism for me. I love food and I used it many times in
my life to calm emotions, feed my starving soul, take out my anger and just
indulge in some goodness for my pallet. So the thought of fasting scared me, to
say the least. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But once I started fasting, and really, it’s still eating
but just cutting out some of the favourites and remaining in a spirit of
prayer.. I realized that what I was believing God for was more valuable than
the food that I was sacrificing. So I wrote this in my journal..<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I’m not missing out on anything, unless I’m missing out on
You.” You Meaning God <o:p></o:p></div>
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I was making chocolate cupcakes at a camp for kids when I
realized that even for this seemingly big sacrifice of not eating this food I
had spent hours cooking, NOTHING compares to what I would miss if I missed out
on God and the answer He would give as a result of my fasting. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This can also translate to the life that we live right now.
My kids were asked recently where they would rather live – Ethiopia or New
Zealand? Not an unusual question for them and they were being asked by a New
Zealander in Ethiopia so they felt free to answer as this person was well aware
of both country’s contexts. Freely my daughters answered that they would rather
live in Ethiopia because of the lifestyle but it took my youngest son a couple
of days to answer and he answered when we were alone. He said, “If my cousins
were all here in Ethiopia with us, I would rather live in Ethiopia…If all our
family were here. “ I completely understand
and too often yearn to have cuddles with my nephews and nieces and late night
catch ups with my sisters and Mum. I feel like I’m missing out when birthdays
are celebrated and special holidays call for family gatherings and we are not
there. But at the end of the day, I know that I’m not missing out on anything
unless I am missing out on God and His purpose and plan for my life. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Yesterday we went to a church service where the preacher was
speaking from where Paul says “To live is Christ…” He made a point about the
things that we as humans can replace the word “Christ” for. The first example
he used was “money”. To live is money. This is the mantra of the lives of so
many people (Christian and non-Christian) around the world. We believe that
money makes the world go round and perhaps makes our life complete but if
that’s what it’s all about then life is seemingly meaningless as money is only
temporary. It’s just a tool to fulfill life’s real purpose. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The second example he used was one that he said was huge for
American’s especially. He said “To live is Family… and went on to explain how
many people put family and children before the worship of God. This he said can
be interpreted as family becoming a god. To us of the familial-centered
cultures, this is a challenge. What if taking our children out of our comfort
zone was God’s will and we chose comfort for them over obedience to Him. Does
that make them our god? What if a father insisted a child stay and chase his
career options in one country that would fulfil his every material desire but
he chose to go instead to a far away country where his skills were needed more
and God has called him. Does his disobedience to his father mean he is sinning
or does his obedience to where he is called by God supersede his father’s command?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve met so many young people who have come to Ethiopia or
who have heard us speak about our calling here and God’s provision in making it
happen and have said that they feel called also. But there are people and
circumstances in their lives that have stopped them from doing it. I am not
saying that I am any better because we have done this thing…I speak because I
know people still don’t understand our calling and the sacrifices we made to
make this move, but God does. God knows the call, He knows the fear that
follows and the hesitation to obey. But on the other side of that He also knows
the blessing that awaits. He knows the joy that you will experience by being in
His will and purpose. He feels the pain of the departure but He also knows the
pleasure of the arrival. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Moses knew the truth of this sacrifice. He had the Promised
Land in front of Him, but he was not willing to claim it unless God was with
him. In essence he was saying “I am not missing out on anything (even the
Promised Land) unless I’m missing out on you. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i> Then he said to Him “If your presence does not
go with us, do not bring us up from here.”</i></div>
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<o:p></o:p><i>Exodus 33:15</i></div>
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Over the five years that we have been on this journey coming
to and living in Ethiopia, our sacrifices have been acknowledged on various
occasions. My response is always that, the greater sacrifice would be to NOT
come to Ethiopia. I would rather miss out on all the things in New Zealand
(family, the lifestyle, the beaches, the conveniences) than to miss out on what
God has for us here. There is no better place to be than in the centre of His
will. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So I’m writing this blog as a challenge and as an
encouragement. What do you fear missing out on when you or if you were to step
into God’s will? Then also to encourage those who feel like we are making a
sacrifice. When we get to heaven (and we’re not getting there by our good works
or by our sacrifices we made here, but by the ultimate sacrifice Christ made on
the cross and our belief in Him) we will have everything we missed out here on
earth. Our time here on earth is short compared to how we will spend eternity.
We only live once and we will never know the fullness of joy that comes with
being in Christ’s will apart from our time on earth. So let’s make it count.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84yBTXQSsZInEKXsxmY1EIaGSHSxWu-xqjLEmEVjRF7KVS6mz1cqEiUyYketQZ1vASiyKL8yFdlJyFW7wz5B4o8LYpzggQ_vkUB_xTr-nuvnOaDyv3xjQPPpA2KabyhMAxX0cTpUpvZDO/s1600/Bishoftu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi84yBTXQSsZInEKXsxmY1EIaGSHSxWu-xqjLEmEVjRF7KVS6mz1cqEiUyYketQZ1vASiyKL8yFdlJyFW7wz5B4o8LYpzggQ_vkUB_xTr-nuvnOaDyv3xjQPPpA2KabyhMAxX0cTpUpvZDO/s320/Bishoftu.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the beautiful lakes in Debre Zeit</td></tr>
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The truth of the matter is that stepping out in obedience to God's calling here has opened up the door for so many blessings, in experiences, in ministry, in relationships, in travel, in meeting some amazing people. God is never in debt to us. Our sacrifices can never outweigh His. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-31512216109743939312016-05-26T12:53:00.000-07:002016-05-26T12:54:22.389-07:00Our Hearts are Monuments of God's Grace..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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"A Heart for Ethiopia" was the name I decided to give this blog five years ago as it described me and it applied to what I would write about in this space. Little did I think about the implications of what happens when God gives you a heart for a country as big as Ethiopia. A country as RICH as Ethiopia. A country as special as Ethiopia. For a girl from the little islands of New Zealand, there has to be some capacity building done in the heart region to fit what Ethiopia has to offer. </div>
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Recently I got to share at a Women's retreat in Debre Zeit and it was about what God was saying to me about our hearts. As He was expanding mine, He was teaching me something I just had to share. I hope this encourages you today...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5u_BqsP5qu7esHajjTOIrIx2-kaJUv_OPVtt1210DeKuNFS1z02099au4l_ZqFfFZkTNM0DChMGFPaaJjJ8t9CW3rCiQLyQWPxIHQ-fJrYTnoRxKvS2mKdUVKNGie8Ft1TrlBrnV9u1c/s1600/Our+hearts...jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5u_BqsP5qu7esHajjTOIrIx2-kaJUv_OPVtt1210DeKuNFS1z02099au4l_ZqFfFZkTNM0DChMGFPaaJjJ8t9CW3rCiQLyQWPxIHQ-fJrYTnoRxKvS2mKdUVKNGie8Ft1TrlBrnV9u1c/s320/Our+hearts...jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our hearts are fragile monuments of Gods grace. Monuments are reminders of events that have taken place. Here in Ethiopia there are many monuments around that remind us of past battles that have been fought, victories that have been won, people who have impacted this nation. In the same way our hearts stand as a reminder of what battles we have faced and fought, been redeemed from and restored out of, and the grace God has bestowed upon us in order for that to happen. We are recipients of His grace. We therefore carry His grace with us in the depths of our hearts. It is there waiting to be exposed and glorified. Freely we have received, freely we are to give it away. </div>
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Monuments are either left uncared for and become callous and rough or they are tenderly maintained and shine through the history of a life that stood for something. Their fragility allows them to go either way pretty fast. f there is anything that reflects the events that have happened in our lives, it is our heart. It stands as a monument for SOMETHING and that something should be God's grace. But the choice is ours...</div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="text Prov-4-23" id="en-NIV-16514" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; position: relative;">Above all else, guard<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-16514A" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-16514A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> your heart,</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; text-align: start;" /><span class="indent-1" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Prov-4-23" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">for everything you do flows from it. Prov 4:23</span></span></span></b></i></div>
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When we become callous we block our view of the blessings God has given us . The people of Israel are the monuments we are directed to as a display of grace left uncared for. Gods grace is a gift that like every other gift, we have to steward. The people of Israel had taken their grace for granted and had built up walls around their hearts. </div>
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As our hearts become callous they also become heavy. Heavy hearts are not ours to carry. </div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cherry Friedmeyer, director of Ellilta Women at Risk once made this statement during a discussion we were having in Kenya. She said, </span></i><i style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>"Our heart is made up of many pockets and God in his grace exposes what's in those pockets one at a time so it's not too overwhelming for us to bear." </b> </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">As we come into different situations or conflicts of the heart God shows us areas of our heart that need cleansing, purging or just plain filling - sometimes he just shows us that we have empty pockets that we are trying to fill with the wrong things. But He wants to fill it with His love. </span></div>
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David prayed this prayer as a result of his sin being exposed by his friend Nathan. God had showed him the state of his heart at that time and in response he laid out his heart. </div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Psalm 51: parts of 2-17</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 24px;">Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 24px;">And cleanse me from my sin...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 24px;">Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 24px;">And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 24px;"><i>Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 24px;"><i>Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 24px;">Make me hear joy and gladness,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 24px;"><i>That the bones You have broken may rejoice.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 24px;">Hide Your face from my sins,</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 24px;">And blot out all my iniquities.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 24px;"><i>Create in me a clean heart, O God,</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 24px;"><i>And renew a steadfast spirit within me...</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 24px;">For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 24px;">You do not delight in burnt offering.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 24px;"><i>The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 24px;"><i>A broken and a contrite heart—</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "verdana" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 24px;">These, O God, You will not despise.</span></span></div>
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Sometimes we need to be bold like David and say "Take my heart God...Do as you may-break it, clean it, change it, restore it, purge it, empty it then fill it up again."<br />
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Recently I started exercising again with our intern from SBU, Beth. As we began to reawaken muscles that had lay dormant for so long, I started to complain of pain I was feeling in my thighs. Her reply was that my muscles were being broken down so that they could be built up again and made stronger. This is what happens with our hearts. He breaks it down, He builds capacity in us for us the expand the Kingdom in our hearts so that we can bring it to this earth.<br />
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Graham Cooke in his book "Uncommon Love" describes this process as a part of God working on our broken hearts as a result of non-reciprocated love. </div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"How do you love when love is not returned? You discover what love really is and you give it anyway even if nothing comes back. It's not easy and it's painful and it will break your heart, but the interesting thing is that when God puts it back together, it's always bigger. You end up with a bigger heart. I don't know how God does that, I just know it's true! "</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">God does this so we can pray like David "Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice!" And as we experience that joy our hearts are resurrected again in new life and the pain that we entered into when we surrendered our hearts to Him, fades. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Having a broken heart and a broken spirit does not seem like the ideal way to please God or to live the Christian life. But more than sacrifices or burnt offerings, THIS is what pleases God. That we bring our hearts before Him and say "Here is my heart Lord, it is broken.."</span></div>
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In exercise, the way your muscles are going to be built up is if you keep working and exercising, pushing through the pain so your strength can be built up and in turn experiencing new levels of pain and fatigue. But we must not be afraid or give up.<br />
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When we surrender our hearts to God we must remember that we are placing our hearts into the Hands of the Creator, a loving Father, who desires nothing but the best for us. We can confidently trust that Him in this whole process. He LOVES us. He is FOR YOU! Give Him your heart today.<br />
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I'm surrendering mine too. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-1303170168401167442016-04-27T23:54:00.000-07:002017-09-08T03:21:10.822-07:00Every Child Needs Some Love and Care<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4e5665; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 16px;">While establishing our </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e5665; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 16px;">vision statement to explain why we do what we do, this was what seemed to encapsulate it all:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e5665; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e5665; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e5665; line-height: 16px;">Because we believe that EVERY child should have access to the BASIC necessities of life; LOVE, CARE, FOOD, CLEAN WATER and FAMILY.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4e5665; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 16px;">Recently we joined a movement that is giving us the opportunity to live that out and I write this blog to explain why WE decided to get involved. That movement is called </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-align: left;"><i>Love and Care for His Little Ones</i> and it is "a team of volunteers with a passionate heart to serve orphans and vulnerable kids." LOVE and CARE...the first two components of our vision statement. It seems silly NOT to get involved right??!</span><br />
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"<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We were all created to be recipients of Love" </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Sam Chapman - Indigenous NZ development expert</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I stared across a sea of faces ready to begin a day of festivities, I saw children; big and small, with hearts that were hungry to receive that LOVE that they were created for. If there is ever an instance of entitlement that a child deserves, it is this one- to receive love. And actually if there is ever a gift we are expected to give, it is ALSO this one - </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><i>Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to LOVE one another, for whoever LOVES others has fulfilled the law. </i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;"><i>Romans 13:8</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For with IT, partnered with a caring environment a child can develop and thrive and BECOME all that God has created them to BE. Love is SO important, for without it our hearts are left void of their most necessary component for growth. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In seeing their faces I knew that their hunger to BE loved existed because of their lack of receiving it. These children at some stage in their lives had been orphaned or abandoned. This is what qualified them to be here on this cold Saturday morning on the outskirts of Addis Ababa. This event had been planned, prayed for, and implemented because there were a group of people who wanted to GIVE them the basic necessities of life- LOVE, CARE, FOOD, CLEAN WATER and an EXTENDED FAMILY. This is why WE were here. Because we joined a movement that exists to meet this need for Love and Care for His Little Ones. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Rahel Asheber and Dawit Getachew (pictured above) are the ones who are leading this movement with an amazing team of young volunteers- students, graduates, young professionals and youth workers; people gifted to serve in so many ways to make this movement the success it has been for the last four years. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">We heard about this program because Dawit is an award winning Gospel Artist whose music has broken tradition in Ethiopia and connects young and old with the heart of God. After finding out about his amazing music, we found out about his heart for orphans. He in fact was present at a conference I attended in <a href="http://aheartforethiopia.blogspot.com/2012/10/break-my-heart-for-what-breaks-yours.html">2012</a> and blogged about. It was around this same time, they started to gather young people to attend orphanages on a weekly basis to help support the children educationally, socially and emotionally. What they started is so PROFOUND.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Dawit shared a story over the weekend, as they were motivating the newly formed Hawassa team, to go and connect with the kids in the orphanages to build relationships with them. The story was about a visit they made to an orphanage in Addis Ababa where they were going around and asking the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up. Typical replies were vocalized- "I want to be a doctor" says one child, "I want to be a teacher" says another and more shared their desires for careers and jobs. Then they came to one child whose response was "I want to be a ferenji." So they asked him "Why?" He said because life seems so much easier for ferenjis (foreigners). It's easy he said for them to find work, to get money, to study and have a good life. Sadly he wasn't offered role models that could show him otherwise until Love and Care showed up. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">After discovering that most visitors to the majority of orphan centers in Addis Ababa are short term foreigners who come for a small trip and leave again, they knew that something had to change. What young Ethiopian volunteers have to offer is so much more valuable- they speak the same language, they are consistently in the area, they are young people who can inspire as these children relate to them, and they genuinely have a heart to love and care for children who don't have the parental love they need. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Not only do they have teams all around Addis Ababa going into centers every Saturday morning, they also hold these events three times a year on special holidays. At each event there are fun activities for the kids to participate in that they would have NEVER otherwise had the opportunity to be a part of! They have an awesome time of worship and story telling and then they feed them and give them a gift to take home. This year that gift was a towel for each child as some children within the orphanages didn't have any at all. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">What Love and Care for His Little Ones are doing is motivated by their desire to do FOR these children what God has done for them- He <i>has called them out of the darkness and into His wonderful light</i> (1 Pet 2:9), He has shown them Love and Grace, been a Father and a Provider, so in turn they are doing the same for Him... </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4e5665; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">Donate towards this New Years Carnival by clicking <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/new-year-carnival-for-orphans-2017?viewupdates=1&utm_source=sys&utm_medium=email&utm_term=quickaction&utm_content=read_update&utm_campaign=updates">Go Fund Me Page</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">850 children from 22 Centers, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">over 2 cities and 2 weeks </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">made up what was the </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">LOVE and CARE Easter Carnivals!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can LIKE their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LoveandCareEthiopia/">Facebook Page</a></span><br />
And YOU can ALSO join the movement- Stay in touch to see when you can donate to the festivities or sign up to volunteer if you live in Addis!<br />
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Also if you want to check out Dawit's music, you can listen to one our faves by buying his instrumental Jazz style album on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/memory-of-the-future/id986425561">itunes here,</a> or you can check out his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6rXMPVquuv_iFr4ojU5UKw">YouTube Channel!</a><br />
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Be blessed!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-13185703708569961462016-04-06T01:40:00.003-07:002016-04-06T01:42:21.744-07:00When Empathizing turns into Empowering<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
"It wont stop, it wont stop" His German accent proclaimed as the beggars kept coming as a response to the birr they saw us handing out. So we closed the door and he drove off. He was right though and I know it too well. Once you start to give away free money (and by free I mean unearned, undeserved) the cycle never stops. Our general rule is actually NOT to give to street beggars unless there is a specific Supernatural leading to do so. We don't want to create dependancy or create an expectation or entitlement every time they see us or people who look like us. He doesn't want to either.<br />
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He, as referred to above,is Tobi and while he helps Ethiopians set up small businesses to create sustainable income for themselves in rural and urban areas around the country, his wife and he also realize the importance of creating employment opportunities for vulnerable women.<br />
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Women such as the growing single mother population, young women trying to put themselves through College/University, women coming off the street and women just like the ones who were on the street with their children begging that night.<br />
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These women caught the heart of this couple and especially 28 year old, Samira- the more eloquent and passionate of the two. She recently graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Gender and Development studies which was a result of her desire to advocate for Women's Rights in Ethiopia. She has been a spokesperson on Female Genital Mutilation and focused her research on this subject. She tells me of regions where they have an incidence rate of 90-100% of girls being circumcised. She's a photographer, model and fashion expert but her main passion is to help young women reach their greatest potential.<br />
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Samira has just given birth four months ago to their first baby girl. She carried this baby while planning the business, decorating the cafe and buying the necessary equipment with the small capital funding they invested. After returning from birthing the baby in Germany she's hit the ground running opening, as a solution to empowering women, Temsalet Kitchen.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlP34mfHW_79FCMIFTtoNuzAdAcLcfsmWVQOAkVKuQsEjxdJRYSZOlI4q5BKLwWZ2nBUIIQWhagg21UnoBi1lX4q_LXrZIIr9wSRfDb6o0Xl2NiiIyIQa6x1ARMJQMjoaWWECoXef5Aqu/s1600/12646633_10153976311138945_685834212807341091_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlP34mfHW_79FCMIFTtoNuzAdAcLcfsmWVQOAkVKuQsEjxdJRYSZOlI4q5BKLwWZ2nBUIIQWhagg21UnoBi1lX4q_LXrZIIr9wSRfDb6o0Xl2NiiIyIQa6x1ARMJQMjoaWWECoXef5Aqu/s320/12646633_10153976311138945_685834212807341091_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Temsalet means "Exemplary" and its name encompasses the vision she has for this extraordinary restaurant.<br />
Rather than establishing an NGO in Addis to support women, they're partnering with local NGOs and helping them fill a gap that so often exposes itself; the unemployment gap.<br />
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First of all they are hiring experienced women who can be role models and teachers to younger or less experienced women who just need someone to believe in them. Here these at risk women are nurtured in a safe environment and are gaining work experience and life skills as well as having the flexibility they need to balance work and family. Its not an easy task arranging all of this but Samira is carried along by her vision and by the many family and friends she has supporting her.<br />
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Recently I was able to join in this amazing project by assisting in the development and execution of the European menu. Alongside their amazing Ethiopian cultural menu, Temsalet is filling another gap in Addis Ababa- delicious and healthy food. The atmosphere Samira and her designer friends have created within the restaurant incites any passer by to come in. Situated in a happening part of Addis (Ethiopia's capital and the political capital of Africa) right near the African Union headquarters and many Embassy bases, Temsalet is destined for great things! Already it is showing signs of success as more and more hungry people gather to share in the vision and in turn make a way for women to be empowered and mentored to fulfill their fullest potential. Like Tobi says, the customers not only come to feed their stomachs but to feed their conscience.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ksTAkdoq9SWE5OE3Oa202oZRy9H4aJ0MZJPx9G37tUprpOSnk9CtOihhOleWB5vY4iX3WmhA1zaSaT4HviHFVQH9b8myHS9Xta1VVP8nQB0MnQANGxl9tUdUplGlb62H01_V-L2GYiMr/s1600/12604900_435725689961239_7231034327115369846_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ksTAkdoq9SWE5OE3Oa202oZRy9H4aJ0MZJPx9G37tUprpOSnk9CtOihhOleWB5vY4iX3WmhA1zaSaT4HviHFVQH9b8myHS9Xta1VVP8nQB0MnQANGxl9tUdUplGlb62H01_V-L2GYiMr/s320/12604900_435725689961239_7231034327115369846_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Temsalet Kitchen: </span></b></i></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Where Quality, Relationship and Empowerment fuse for one purpose: </span></b></i></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">To be Exemplary</span></b></i></div>
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If you're in Addis, come and visit! Like us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Temsalet-Kitchen-1669661229979658/?fref=ts&ref=br_tf">Facebook</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-82174889556174758182016-02-06T10:51:00.000-08:002016-02-06T10:51:23.924-08:00The Hands that God uses..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The room was silent as people gathered to worship and praise
God on this sunny Addis Ababa Sunday morning.
Unlike the church gathering that was happening outside in the main
building where speakers were being set up with intercoms into the wide open
spaces outside the auditorium, this gathering required no such projection of
sound. The people who were gathering in
this room were people who had no capacity to hear, mostly no function to speak
yet had hearts to communicate and participate in the very same message that was
being purveyed in the room next door. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As they gathered, silence filled the room. Arms swayed and
fingers so limber, oscillated back and forth as communication transpired between
souls. A stillness came as everyone knew
the time to begin the service was approaching and my heart sighed “Oh Lord, how
we need this quietness in our lives.” How much better off are these that can’t
hear an external noise so that they can hear an internal voice, know your
presence and find contentment in silence.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The silence spoke loudly to my noisy soul. </div>
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There was such a beautiful exchange of language as body
movements and eye contact necessitated an exchange of deepness. I was
floored. Messed up as the flood gates of my tear ducts opened. Thankful for what I did have and jealous of
what they did. Another revelation came to me as we sat as a family and a team
and observed this service for almost two hours.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Just as hands can be used when mouths and ears aren’t functioning as they should, so God will use whatever instruments are available to get His message
across. In fact, <i>His Grace causes
unsuspecting instruments to be fit for use in extraordinary ways.</i> When original default settings for functions
dysfunction, God will change the default setting. </div>
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We see in the Bible and in history, God using people who
society would reject as useful. We see
different parts of the body being used for functions they weren’t created
for. We see a prostituted woman on the
walls of Jericho make a way for the Israelites to overtake the land; we see an
orphan girl and her Uncle Mordecai save their people from a position of power;
then there were those fishermen who Jesus called out of their lifestyle to be
his followers and establishers of the first church. <i>God’s
grace causes unsuspecting instruments to be fit for use in extraordinary ways. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Jesus fully offended people by associating with, eating with, hanging out with people society and the religious crowd, rejected. He still continues to confuse and offend with the people He chooses to speak through, love through, build His Kingdom through. His treasure stores
in jars of clay. </div>
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Clay Thick heavy soil that is soft when wet but molded and shaped, placed through the fire to reinforce
it’s shape yet still so vulnerable to breakage when pressure comes. That’s us.
Does it make us useless? Heck no! It just means that we are those unsuspecting instruments fit for use in extraordinary ways.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Like sign language is so different to spoken word, so our
expressions, our language per se, can also be different to what people may
expect. But God sees our uniqueness and
He embraces it. He sees the beauty in the language we speak and love that we
portray on His behalf. Be satisfied with
who you are and the message you portray with the voice God has given you. </div>
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You
ARE His message- not just His messenger. Your life speaks volumes. My life does
too. Live it WELL!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-11123995461646236192015-12-21T06:46:00.000-08:002015-12-21T23:11:52.824-08:00A Mother's Loss: My Somber Christmas Blog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Last night, I was disturbed by a dream that left me
searching for my son. I had sent him off
somewhere not knowing exactly where he was going and two days later I realized
he wasn’t coming back so I searched for him relentlessly, afraid that I may
have lost him forever. I asked family
and friends if they had seen him, which left them accusatory to say the least
at my lack of responsibility in protecting this ten year old boy’s safety. The
ten year old boy I love the most in the entire world.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I questioned my own
sanity in letting him go by himself and not having any way of contacting him. I
felt like he had gone into an abyss that we could never get him back from. My
dream turned into a nightmare.
Thankfully though, I woke to find that this was not at all true and that
my son was indeed still laying upstairs safely in his bed. Relief.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not so for another
mother we encountered this week though;
Not so for yet another one we have met in these last five months and
again not even for another mother we are reflecting on this season. Let me tell you about these three mothers:<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->We have just moved into a new place in the west
south corner of Addis Ababa. The suburb is developing fast and many foreigners
as well as Ethiopian people are moving into this area, showing promise for
business owners and landlords who have built homes in the area anticipating
that this would happen. The area also
leads onto the new highway that runs south to places like Debre Zeit (our old
home city), Nazaret and Awash National Park.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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There is a bustling supermarket and
business building that is frequented by many middle class and well-to-do
customers. Knowing this, many beggars stand stationed outside with their
children, trying to make the most of the opportunities that will avail them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Unfortunately though, as we found out,
these children are being put at risk as they follow people across the busy
street chasing that coin, that birr, that piece of bread…which is so much less
than they ACTUALLY need. My heart broke
as we encountered the enormity again of the need here and our insufficiency to
meet the needs. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Thursday came and Asaua and I went to do
our shopping with our friend in her car to this particular supermarket which
seems to be the closest thing to our western supermarket experiences (bar the
security checks at the door and the potential power outages). I had forgotten the wallet on the first trip
so a couple of hours later, Asaua had to make a second trip to pay for and
collect the food. As he was getting
ready to pay and leave, the driver came in to warn him that there had been an
accident outside. One of the beggar boys
had been hit by a passing vehicle and he lay dead in his mother’s grieving
arms. People surrounded them to pass
blame on this mother for allowing her son to be out begging with her while she
wailed; Asaua catching a glimpse of his limping legs still lying on the road
that claimed his life. Cars came to a halt to bypass the boy who needed
bypassing just a few minutes earlier. A
life not yet lived, was taken away and a mother lost her son in one Thursday
afternoon excursion. <b>The loss of that mother rang wild in my soul as Asaua
reported what had happened on his return.</b> Oh, Lord Jesus, you know the pain
that grieved her heart. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]--> Five
months ago as we prepared to leave Ethiopia, a lovely lady had been put in
contact with me as a potential partner with the work that we are involved
with. As it turned out, she ended up
being the answer to our prayer for accommodation in Sydney as we prepared to stay
near my sister’s house in the “Hills District” of this huge city. She lived only six kilometres away from where
my mum and sister’s family were living. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As we entered into her home, we heard this
mother’s loss of her dear son. Nine
years earlier, her son had left his home country with his wife to be missionaries
in Ethiopia. After he had arrived, our host (his mother) had visited him and
they had a good time together exploring the country he had then made his
home. After her return to Australia, a
few months down the track, she was alerted to the fact that her son was in a
fatal fall during a rainy night excursion out onto the roof of a building that
needed some maintenance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As we heard her story, we sensed her pain
and empathized with the loss this family had experienced as the result of his
obedience to God’s call on his life to go to Ethiopia. It doesn’t make sense
yet we have heard it time and time again. Mother’s losing children on the
mission field. What pain they must endure to not have to just say goodbye once,
but to say goodbye till eternity they meet.
<b>A mother’s loss of a son surfacing in an ocean of pain.</b> Grief unbearable without the strength of One
who carries heavy burdens. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->The third woman that comes to mind is the one to
whom we see around us in Nativity scenes and on Christmas Cards this
season. Two thousand plus years ago, she
was chosen to give birth to the Messiah. “The One who was and is and is to
come.” He was to be conceived of the Holy Spirit in HER womb and to be raised
in her home under the love of her arms only to then be given over to a
horrendous death in which she would be witness to. He was to be the propitiation for our
sins. <b>Yet she took on the challenge and
trusted God with her son. She
surrendered her body, her life, her grief to the One who had seen the beginning
from the end. </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I wonder if she sensed the loss from the
beginning, forming attachments with her beloved son – a son who did not sin! A
son who did no wrong and could not have caused her harm if he had tried; her
love for him would have been untainted by hurt or pain. Yet she awaited the time when what the world
would do to him would bring the greatest hurt and pain a mother could
endure. Yet she loved and protected him,
chasing him down also when he seemed to go missing yet was about his Father’s
business. You can read about that story in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+2%3A41-52&version=NIV">Luke 2:41-52</a><br />
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Though this wasn't the greatest loss this mother was to experience, it was the taste of what was yet to come. In the event of her greatest loss, Jesus comforted her and gave her a "replacement" son, John. She then got to know the joy of His Resurrection before anyone else did as she met him outside his tomb. This is the hope that we have. The story does not finish at her loss, but rather in her regaining her Son in His Resurrection moment. This too we can partake in as we receive Eternal Life thought the very act Mary lived to grieve. Do you know that Eternal Hope? It is yours for the taking. <b> </b><br />
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<b>In this season where the focus is on a Son, know that it encompasses the awaiting loss, an expected grief and that in that grief, He is not unaware of yours. </b><o:p> </o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><o:p>He truly came to bring...</o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><o:p>JOY TO THE WORLD!</o:p></b></span></div>
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<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-86864306760618160352015-11-06T14:56:00.001-08:002015-11-06T14:56:57.489-08:00Looking beyond the surface, to the reason why. 3 contributing factors that influence women entering into prostitution in Ethiopia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Over ten years ago I read "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. It was the first novel I had read since High school and it captured me like no book ever had. Rivers retells the story of Hosea (a prophet in pre-Christ times) who was commanded by God to marry a prostitute in an effort to send a message to the Israelites about the idolatrous /adulterous lives they were leading. Hosea's life was about to be immersed in an illustrative purpose that was about to shake the world as it was known at that time. <br />
<br />The beauty of Francine Rivers' portrayal was that she set her version of the story in the mid 1800's and she started to retell the story from the childhood of the wife. What she invokes in doing so is empathy and compassion towards the woman who would on multiple occasions run away from her husband back to the lifestyle of a harlot. She reveals potential contributing factors that could have caused this runaway wife to betray her husband on multiple occasions.<br />
<br />Tonight we attended Hillsong church in Sydney Australia. It was a dream come true to be in this House of God that is now a House with many rooms all around the world. Currently they are doing a series called "Sunday night live" which brings the message in creative ways. His message tonight was about our judgments of people at the first few milliseconds and "our being the poorer for it" when we don't choose to dig deeper: To conversate and investigate and seek to go past the initial contact to understanding the person who is presented before us. <br />
<br />He took us to the story of the Good Samaritan and the question that was posed by the righteous religious leader about "who is my neighbor?" It turned out the neighbor was the Samaritan. The ones who were the outcasts to the man who questioned. But the question that he posed tonight is "who am I in that story?" Well perhaps I am the man who was beaten down and this "neighbor" who has come to help is the one I least expected. And then the Bible says that we should "love your neighbor as yourself." <br />
<br />The preacher went on to expound on that thought by challenging us to read that command as "love your neighbor as if they were yourself." That we are all a part of humanity and we are all created equally so we should love even the least expected as ourselves.<br />
<br />When I think about the story told of Hoseas wife in Redeeming Love, I think about how the author was invoking us to do just that. She was trying to portray the humanity of the woman and perhaps give us a deeper understanding of why she was the way she was. She was the product of an affair, a victim of abuse. She was a girl who never knew the love of a man in a healthy way.<br />
<br />When spotting a prostituted woman on the side of the road in Addis Ababa or Bahir Dar or even on the street of Zion Church in Debre Zeit, one could make an immediate assumption about why that woman is there. More likely than not, the religious at heart, like the man Jesus was sharing the story of the good Samaritan with; would assume she was there by choice and that she enjoyed the work that she did. These assumptions put a price tag on her that is set perhaps for the rest of her life. <br />
<br />But the reality is that every single one of us has a story. And every single woman who chooses to sell her body to get some kind of income has a story too. Maybe the income is not even hers, maybe it is hers but she receives it with resentment.<br />
<br /><br />
Resentment at the fact that she just sold her dignity for one measly dollar.<br />In the context of Ethiopia, over the last few years I have encountered these stories, there is a similar thread that runs through the fabric that binds these women together. <br />
<br />From my experience there are many contributing factors to women ending up on the street. Some of them include coming from a history of sexual abuse, being orphaned at a young age, or coming from a fatherless family. These factors I am highlighting today are specific to the Ethiopian context and are the most likely contributors to why a woman would find herself in prostitution in Ethiopia:<br />
<br /><strong>1. Domestic trafficking</strong>.<br />
<br />Early on in our time in Ethiopia I noticed young girls living with other families, being used by them to help with domestic chores, run stores, or look after the baby in the family while the parents went to work. These girls were noticeably not part of the family- not dressed as well as the family kids, nor going to school like them or at least not to a school as good as them. They would often not have good language levels as their mother tongue was not the national language and they seemed to be ignorant of most city life skills. Their sole purpose was to fulfill duties that were assigned to them. For free! They would be living with the family for free but not always under great conditions. They definitely wouldn't be getting their fair share of wages. When I would ask about a girl's family and where she came from the story would always be the same- she came from a rural area, her family couldn't support her so she was brought to the city by the host family. Sometimes the host family were relatives and the attraction of life in the city, with schooling and good housing seem like the best option for this impoverished rural dweller. From my observations and from the stories I have heard from our ladies, those promises are seldom delivered; leaving the young girl nothing but a commodity to be exchanged in the fields of rural Ethiopia. Domestic trafficking is a subtle part of Ethiopian culture that is unfortunately corroding its beautiful nature. While often done with good intentions on both parties, the long term results are detrimental to that young girls capacity to ever having a fulfilling adult life. Her education is limited and her self worth has dissipated with the mere nature of her position in the family so she will be a prime target for those looking for workers in the sex industry. And sad to say, that is where she will most likely end up.<br />
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<br /><strong>2. Child Marriages</strong>.<br />
<br /><br />
Another contributing factor that is specific to Ethiopia and a result of an unhealthy cultural practice is the child bride who mothers a child and is then abandoned by her husband. This, oh too common scenario is specific to certain regions up North but it brings women down into Addis Ababa and Debre Zeit as they try to go where they can have anonymity and a fresh start. Without any kind of welfare system or financial support available, the only choice a pregnant mother has to feed herself and her baby is to find work! Yet the fact that she has been married at a young age and that has inhibited her opportunities for education, leaves her with limited choices for work. Which brings me to the next point...<br />
<br /><strong>3. Lack of job opportunities</strong>. <br />
<br /><br />
Ellilta Women at Risk was initiated as a response to Serawit (aka Cherry) driving along the road in Addis Ababa (as a graduated young woman who had been unemployed for a year) with her family when someone made a comment about a street worker on the side of the road. Like those of us who make those assumptions about these women as mentioned above (and I have to admit that I too have made them), he said something to the effect of "why doesn't SHE just go and get a REAL job?" Cherry sitting in the car at that time knew the harsh reality of what the job market was like for an EDUCATED woman and couldn't imagine what it would be like for someone who hadn't been given that privilege of education. She saw that she needed to love her neighbor, as if she were herself and thus Women at Risk was formed. Still today job opportunities are limited and scarce and even educated people with years of experience are finding it hard to find jobs that will pay enough to support their family. What about a WOMAN with no family support, no EDUCATION and no WELFARE system. Desperate times call for desperate measures. <br />
<br />Ellilta Women at Risk work to support women to leave Commercial sex work and help them to set up their own income generating activities or they employ them with Ellilta Products. You can help be the alternative solution that will allow these women know their fullest potential as they seek to support their families with the work of their hands. You can do so at Ellilta.org/donate if you're in the US or you can donate on our donate tab and leave a note about how you would like to support. You can be the light that we get to carry into these dark places..<br />
<br /><em>Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and His glory appears over you. Isaiah 60:1-2</em><a name='more'></a><br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-29169123359217574102015-10-21T15:43:00.001-07:002015-10-21T15:43:24.041-07:00The god of Plan B<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A quiet observation I have
made since coming back to Australia and New Zealand is that having a "Plan B"
is a big part of our culture. It's often a part of how we plan as we take into consideration </span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">the potential failure of plan A (ie. The ideal scenario).</span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;"> As we think about</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> risk factors, we "risk manage" around our plan and we set ourselves up a safety net as such. We like to call
it plan "B". B for "better not get too confident in plan A because it might not happen." People around us compound our fear of failure and confidently elude to the fact that what we have set out to achieve is far beyond our reach and should therefore be prepared for "if all else fails". Another common terminology in our lingo.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I'm not talking about the
little Plan Bs... The wet weather plan or the "if so and so doesn't show
up we will go somewhere else" I'm talking about your plan Bs for the big things in life- the defining moments, or the major life decisions...the ones you know God has endorsed Himself by a spiritual journey He has taken you on to achieve. So the "Plan B" I am referring to is more like "if God doesn't show
up, we will do something else!"
Plan B is what we save up for, store up for, buy up for. It's the thing we have to fall back on "just in case" what we originally set out to do doesn't fall into place. It's what we think about when <a href="http://aheartforethiopia.blogspot.co.nz/2015/07/were-not-where-were-going-and-were-weve.html">we're not where we're going and we're not where we've been.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Lately I've learnt that this is a space called "Liminal Space"<i>.</i></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><i><br /></i></span>
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<span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><i> "It [liminal space] is the intermediate, in-between transitional state where you can not go back to where you were because a threshold has been crossed and you have yet to arrive where you are going because it is not yet available to you. Essentially it is the hallway between the past and the future. I can tell you quite candidly, it's hell in the hallway." Bishop Mark Chironna in Leadership Pain by Samuel Chand</i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It's actually in that liminal space that we forge our plan B's. When we can't handle the heat of the unknown, we make plans to take the "Fire Exit" and we fall short of finding out what lies behind the doors ahead. We see companies market their products and services based on this mentality. They develop their advertising to further corroborate this ideal that has become a cultural norm. It's what insurance is set up for, it's why investment companies are able to function on the basis of fear, it's the reason why we all saved up water and nonperishable foods in the year 1999 in case the world stopped functioning when the clock struck midnight on December 31st. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In our own journey we have
been challenged about our plan B. What happens if this doesn't happen. If
Ethiopia doesn't happen? If the money doesn't come through or the donors don't give. There are definitely risk factors going into mission
in Ethiopia. Most of the time we don't know how we will fund our trips, our
living, our various aspects associated with living far from the normal conveniences
of Western life. We aren't always certain visas will be approved, children will
get into school, that we will cope through separations. We could build up
safety nets. We could also let these calculated risks feed the fear and anxiety
that's wanting to grow to a point where it will stand in the way of us going
with plan A-God's plan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The god of plan B is often
that thing that draws us away from having an unwavering faith in the God who
does fulfill what He has promised. The One who King Solomon wrote about when he
said <i>"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean NOT on your own
understanding." Proverbs 3:5 </i></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Your own understanding lies behind your desire to set up a
safety net, your fire escape, your plan B.</b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Your own understanding is the god that you could place above the One who has it all under control in the first place- who has a perspective on life that you don't have and who promises to do what He said He will do. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">That god of our own understanding is what caused even Abraham, the "father of faith" to
convince himself that sleeping with his maidservant would be a good plan JUST IN CASE God didn't come through. Previously he had been full of faith but in the waiting his, and the faith of his wife, began to dwindle. We read about it in Genesis 16:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Gen-16-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">N<i>ow Sarai,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-383A" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-383A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.62em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> Abram’s wife, had borne him no children.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-383B" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-383B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.62em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> But she had an Egyptian slave<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-383C" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-383C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.62em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> named Hagar;<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-383D" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-383D" title="See cross-reference D">D</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.62em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></i></span><i> <span class="text Gen-16-2" id="en-NIV-384" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">so she said to Abram, “The <span class="small-caps" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> has kept me from having children.<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-384E" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-384E" title="See cross-reference E">E</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.62em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-384F" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-384F" title="See cross-reference F">F</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.62em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span class="text Gen-16-2" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Abram agreed to what Sarai said.</span> <span class="text Gen-16-3" id="en-NIV-385" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">So after Abram had been living in Canaan <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-385G" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-385G" title="See cross-reference G">G</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.62em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span>ten years,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-385H" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-385H" title="See cross-reference H">H</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.62em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife.</span> <span class="text Gen-16-4" id="en-NIV-386" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">He slept with Hagar,<span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-386I" data-link="(<a href="#cen-NIV-386I" title="See cross-reference I">I</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.62em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span> and she conceived.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Gen-16-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">We read these verses and we think "What was he thinking?!" Abraham (or Abram as he was still called here) was trying to fulfill God's promise to him, BY HIMSELF! The god of the plan B really is ourselves. It's our own flesh that gets in the way of what God is already planning to do. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 18.4px;">The god of plan B is ME..</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 18.4px;">It's YOU..</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 18.4px;">It's US.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text Gen-16-4" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">The thing is that He will do it in His time and in His way and we just have to wait. Albeit Abraham was already old when he received the promise and ten years had already passed. Not many of us would have even lasted that long- not many of us CAN last that long. I know I have struggled in the waiting. I haven't waited well but I am learning to stand in <a href="http://aheartforethiopia.blogspot.co.nz/2013/09/its-matter-of-faith-faith-faith-ahhh.html">faith</a> and trust God to come through when He is ready. I believe He can and He WILL in His time.</span></span><br />
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The thing is we don't need to always have a plan B. Though God's plan will always be bigger than what we can achieve, that's what makes it all the more worth waiting for, believing for and dreaming for. If God has said it will be done, it will be done. We don't always see how it will be done, but He does. Trust Him. Have Hope. It's coming!<br />
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<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">For still </span><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-ESV-22752A" data-link="(<a href="#cen-ESV-22752A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">the vision awaits its appointed time;</span></i></div>
<i><span class="indent-1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Hab-2-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">it hastens to the end—it will not lie.</span></div>
</span><span class="text Hab-2-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; position: relative;"><div style="text-align: center;">
If it seems slow, <span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-ESV-22752B" data-link="(<a href="#cen-ESV-22752B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span>wait for it;</div>
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<span class="indent-1-breaks" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.42em; line-height: 0;"> </span><span class="text Hab-2-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;"><span class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-ESV-22752C" data-link="(<a href="#cen-ESV-22752C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 0.625em; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"></span>it will surely come; it will not delay. </span></div>
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<span class="text Hab-2-3" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; position: relative;">Habbakuk 2:3</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-62523736856373959922015-09-13T19:18:00.000-07:002015-09-14T15:47:51.523-07:00Reflections from Samoa: A tribute to my Nana.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have fond memories of my grandmother (or <em>Nana</em> as we would affectionately call her). Memories of her catching a bus to Auckland's North Shore where I was brought up, from her home in Mangere South Auckland where her and my grandfather lived. She would often catch a bus all the way to our house to babysit when my mum had to work or just to pay a visit. I don't remember my dad around much when my Nana came so it could have been that she came when dad was sick in hospital to support my mother looking after us. It always excited me when I would see her face appear into view. I knew she would come with treats for her grandkids (at that time maybe only two or three of us grand daughters that belonged to her fifth child, Iva).<br />
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I remember so clearly a time when she had come when I must have been less than five. Mum had gone off to work and I asked where the "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minties">Minties</a>" were and was left feeling so disappointed when she said she didn't have any. Not long after she said she was joking but she would only hand over the lolly if we would brush our teeth! The teeth brushing was preceded by a hot bath that she took great pleasure in washing us little ones with her Samoan scrub (the <a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pulu">Pulu</a>) that felt like a pot scrub on my delicate skin. <br />
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Other times Nana would meet us in the city as coming across the bridge would mean another bus to catch and maybe another fare to pay. She would either take us to McDonalds on K'road or she would meet us down at the fountain on the bottom of Queen St in the heart of Auckland's downtown. These were exciting journeys for us as we didn't get to go into the city much. I remember hiding under her arm as she would protect me from strangers who had been drinking into the middle of the day. <br />
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As I grew up and we returned from our three year stint in Melbourne, Australia, Nana's visits became more like lessons to indirectly teach me about Samoan culture. Lessons like, when someone comes around to visit you offer them a cup of tea. And when you give them that tea with some biscuit or a rock cake (which Nana seemed to love), don't be surprised if the whole pastry ends up in the cup of tea before they drink it. <br />
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Also when visitors come over, make sure you give them all a kiss when they arrive and then again when they leave. If they are all sitting around talking, then you aren't allowed to stand up as that would be considered rude. So even if all the chairs were taken, make yourself comfortable on the floor but don't forget to cross your legs and make sure you're decently dressed to do so. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6VOapreQkj5d4MCvtZSkZhOBi3s4TxBtfaiO5X0AilGGwrwMxzLZ6yar40L3xh1UL52PywKQZ9x-NN247WjmleDbVI0_etQi-ih4m0jhst0DjwKhiarEtJ9mJXXRjEG65VRIXollo6kD/s1600/InstagramCapture_590cddaf-a884-4708-9714-6474841df5d1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6VOapreQkj5d4MCvtZSkZhOBi3s4TxBtfaiO5X0AilGGwrwMxzLZ6yar40L3xh1UL52PywKQZ9x-NN247WjmleDbVI0_etQi-ih4m0jhst0DjwKhiarEtJ9mJXXRjEG65VRIXollo6kD/s320/InstagramCapture_590cddaf-a884-4708-9714-6474841df5d1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anuilagi Perese, our late Grandmother in her late 30s or early 40s</td></tr>
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For an <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=afakasi"><em>afakasi</em> </a>brought up on the North Shore in a home that was neither reflective of my father's Greek heritage nor my mother's Samoan culture but more so of the fact that they were both <a href="http://tckid.com/what-is-a-tck.html">third culture kids</a> and we had adopted the culture of the community we lived in which was New Zealand European- I desperately needed these lessons to come from someone who loved me as much as my nana did. These were lessons most Samoan children learnt from the time they were born-even if they were born in New Zealand.<br />
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Nana patiently allowed us to serve her as mum taught us how to prepare a bowl with hot soapy water and a towel to clean their hands at the dining table after they had eaten. <br />
Later in life she patiently put up with us as we slowly led her to the toilet after not understanding what she was saying as Alzheimers forced her to revert to her mother tongue. It was then that we were able to see her strong willed nature while she endured the frustration of having to depend on the physical and mental assistance of her family and then eventually the nursing homes as her physical demands increased beyond the capacity of her children. <br />
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It was a late January afternoon in 1995 when Nana finally "gave up the ghost" on the living room floor of her eldest daughter, my Aunty Paulava. For some reason, the night before, I had a strong desire to go and visit my nana after a days work at my then job, McDonalds. We knew Nanas days were short and I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible so I did what she had done so many times for us- I caught the bus to her house to be by her side. <br />
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The next day I stayed by her bed and she had visitors coming to see her and pray for her. She eventually started to cough as I and my Aunty and cousin gripped her hands and body until it became an empty shell. A picture of beauty and strength and a life well lived and lived to serve others. <br />
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As we passed the port of Apia today I recorded its beauty, unconsciously aware of its significance. Now as I lay in the hilltops of Upolu, the island my Nana came from, I am kept awake by this revelation:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKSlA2QFTpy7RXkvy1hC0GJexi_8OQEwXOuMKjqCcmnb3FAkVLqHkgRo0rTHpCoh0qRL_0fABuZa85e1fIJ6xe3H6qqC1smYI2LTE7DpwvJdCEXg4ic9gBazbTz9RS09k8DYJCr99i1IIj/s1600/wp_ss_20150909_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKSlA2QFTpy7RXkvy1hC0GJexi_8OQEwXOuMKjqCcmnb3FAkVLqHkgRo0rTHpCoh0qRL_0fABuZa85e1fIJ6xe3H6qqC1smYI2LTE7DpwvJdCEXg4ic9gBazbTz9RS09k8DYJCr99i1IIj/s320/wp_ss_20150909_0001.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driving past the port in Apia</td></tr>
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About fifty four years ago, my nana and grandpa and their seven children departed from the shores of Samoa, from this very port in Apia to embark on their new journey in New Zealand. It was a privilege my Nana had fought for- sailing many times on her own to Fiji to catch a plane into Whenuapai , Auckland to claim her right for New Zealand naturalization that was granted to her because she was a child of her father's. The New Zealand government had given him and his offspring this right in return for a service he had done for them.<br />
She set off from the shores of this small island into the great ocean waters, knowing what she was entitled to. Though she was rejected by the authorities that were in place at that time, she kept fighting for it so that she could give her children a better life. She risked life and limb to leave her country of birth, to go and get what only she could get (because it was her and not her husband that was entitled to it). Yet it was to be her husband and her children and her children's children who would benefit from it. What an amazing woman.<br />
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This island that took us almost four hours to get to by plane just a couple of days ago, would have taken her a world of courage and a heart of faith to leave. She would have travelled by the only means possible at that time, a boat that would have taken her three days to get to Fiji then a plane. Leaving her children confused and bewildered as to where their mother had gone, she knew that the price she was paying would be far outweighed once her children were living on New Zealand soil. She sacrificed so that others could receive. Not only did she do it for her own children but she also adopted so that others could have the new life they wanted in <em>Niu Sila</em>. <br />
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In some ways, I see my life as a mirror of my Nana's. Someone once said, "we stand on the shoulders of giants". This is the inheritance my Nana has left not just for me but for the many she left behind. A spiritual legacy that she paved the way for her daughters and grand daughters and great grand daughters to dare to walk upon. Just as her earthly father had given her an entitlement to a new land, so my heavenly Father has given me the right to a mission field. As her grand daughter and as His daughter I was able to cross greater seas by myself six years ago in search of this land our family could dwell in. Coming from a cultural norm that exists where the man gets the call first and goes out, I knew from a young age that this call was for me and my family. It took a strong man to let me go and explore this corner of the earth, knowing he too had a place in it but not having the history I did that enabled me to go with this assurance that we had the mandate TO go to this strange land. I can, because she did and because He empowered me to. I not only walk in the way of her path or stand on the shoulders of her great courage, I get to sit in the future of her faithful decisions. What a privilege that would not do her justice if I were to forgo it. My nana, born Methodist and married into Catholicism. A grand daughter of missionaries to Papua New Guinea and a Catholic Catechist who traveled Samoa to spread the good news, I honor you today from your homeland. <br />
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Anuilagi Vaotuua (nee Perese).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About a third of our grandparents' descendants gathering for the Vaotuua family reunion in Savai'i, Western Samoa<br />
Uli and Anuilagi Vaotuua had 7 children after birthing 12 who left with them from Samoa and have had one pass (Faiga) since their passing. Four of those families are represented here. </td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-53844124189129992952015-07-28T02:15:00.002-07:002015-08-01T01:44:03.200-07:00We're not where we're going and we're not where we've been.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Yesterday as we disembarked
the plane at Johannesburg airport, we bounced with excitement about being in
South Africa; about the beauty of the airport and about the clear blue sky that
was calling us outside. Yet in the hearts of my husband and I there were some
hesitant reservations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> See when we checked through our gate in
Nairobi Kenya on our transit, we were asked for our children's birth
certificates. We thought we had mistaken
her accent as she asked from behind the desk after she had just sent a family
home in front of us for the same reason. She repeated herself "where are your
children's birth certificates?" To which we replied "we don't have
them." "Your children cannot enter South Africa without their birth
certificates" she replied. "Well we are only staying one night in the
Airport Inn (where our friends had booked us for the night). She agreed to let
us go through since we were just in "transit". <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZxVt8X0akW_vs3t9QkOi9bcm2ufvFXBzaq4SCKLKz_qIQj6P4ya3lHPAOBCtFlok7dUB7HfuIJGI5UmZS2z55ypt7yp8apcFagounEk0TWzKP5BYPZQYn9zUikRxaIbiHD5I3BRHlH4n/s1600/WP_20150728_22_52_31_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZxVt8X0akW_vs3t9QkOi9bcm2ufvFXBzaq4SCKLKz_qIQj6P4ya3lHPAOBCtFlok7dUB7HfuIJGI5UmZS2z55ypt7yp8apcFagounEk0TWzKP5BYPZQYn9zUikRxaIbiHD5I3BRHlH4n/s320/WP_20150728_22_52_31_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But we were still not sure
what that all meant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So as we cruised our way over
the bouncy travelators' through to immigration in the O.R.Tambo international
airport, our minds wondered if we would even go through. Just before us in the
line was another mother and sure enough, as she showed her daughter's passport,
she was also asked to show her birth certificate. "Oh Lord" I prayed
"please let us go through." There was a world on the other side of the
airports glass windows I wanted to explore. From a young age I have been
fascinated with South Africa, with Nelson Mandela and his movement to bring
freedom to his people and the sacrifice he paid to do it; and the whole
landscape that inhabits incredible wildlife and encapsulates the beauty of this
country and this continent. South Africa holds so much beauty that has been
born out of brokenness'. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But this time it wasn't meant
to be. The rejection of our attempted entrance into this beautiful land and the
paid for accommodation that was sending a shuttle to pick us up, meant we had
to go back into the airport and try and come up with a plan B. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Transit airport hotels are SO
expensive.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Plan C. Sleep the night in
the airport then have a shower in the spa before we take our next 12 hour
flight that proceeds our 9 hour flight to Sydney where my mother and sister
will pick us up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This journey started at
8:30pm Ethiopian time when we left our friends' home where we have been staying
for the last week. They generously let us look after their dog and house and we
got to stay in the capital and run some last minute errands before our
departure. We had been without power for 11 days at our home in Debre Zeit so
this was heaven for us!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So their driver picked us up
a nice 6 hours before our plane was due to leave (Barak Obama was flying in
that same night so we had to be cautious of security and road blocks delaying
our arrival) and we tried to check in early but the airlines desk didn't open
till two and a half hours early. It gets really late and there's no place to
rest and we get a bit uncomfortable. For five hours. We check in and sit
upstairs with a whole bunch of other people boarding to go to Kenya.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So its 16 hours later that we
are hit with this news that we need to stay in the airport for the night. We
explore the airport. Our appetite's whet for the things of South Africa in the
souvenir shops and the classy restaurants that call us in to eat lunch. We eat,
we cruise then we find our posse where we would spend the night. The sun sets outside
the big glass windows and we get some wifi before we settle down to sleep. But
its getting cold. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">"Mum, your hugging my
leg!" I wake up to my daughter lying next to me across the four seats we
had gone toe to toe in. Now I wake up face to toe and I look down at my toes
and there's a random man sitting there! I freak out and try and go back to
sleep. My daughter informs me its 1:30 but theres a whole bunch of people
surrounding us waiting to board their flight and the noise keeps us stimulated.
The flight boards half an hour later and silence revisits. We sleep till 5am
with cold awakenings and an acute awareness that we are no longer in
Sub-Saharan Africa. We are in the winter of the Southern Hemisphere. Our bodies
wake up to a freezing cold that we tried to prepare for with all the clothes we
had for such weather in our carry on bags. But not even with all of that can we
get comfortable enough to sleep well. We have acclimatized to our nice warm
Ethiopian weather. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As I wake up at 5am I thank
God that the night was over. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And He whispers in my spirit.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">"You are not
where you were, but you're also not where you're going."</span></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Physically, we are not where
we were (the city of electricity problems and network issues that would cause
me hurl abuse at my phone). And we're not where we are going (the city that
holds my mother and sister and a society that's developed to the point of
heavenly proportions.) We are somewhere in between.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8BaSH6nIuAvV1KTtKIV61vlvODuwXc2LpgdiBVLEiFPvHscTos4lfgqhAT1xyxSwaGsTpWCVzgyPCJ8k1AhP5RgURf_b2XbAjsrB9FORlfhHSAKvF_wC5OwRS-qTojjvZiRvsNtW0tCB/s1600/WP_20150728_20_02_39_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8BaSH6nIuAvV1KTtKIV61vlvODuwXc2LpgdiBVLEiFPvHscTos4lfgqhAT1xyxSwaGsTpWCVzgyPCJ8k1AhP5RgURf_b2XbAjsrB9FORlfhHSAKvF_wC5OwRS-qTojjvZiRvsNtW0tCB/s320/WP_20150728_20_02_39_Pro%255B1%255D.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Also as we anticipate our
visit to New Zealand with our whole family for the first time, there is some
thing in the knowing that we are not in the same place as we were when we left
and an awareness that not everybody will expect that. We are also aware that the people we loved and left are not where they were either when we left. We are all on a journey and we are all a work in progress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But for those of us who are looking forward to meeting our Savior one day...THIS life is not comfortable.
We are in a place that is better than where we've been but we are still not
where we are going and where we are going is so much better than where we are
now!!! We have to persevere through the cold and the random people who
come into our lives and sit at our feet when we are trying to get some sleep.
We have to remember that the situation
we are in is temporary. Its only for a season. Yesterday I read this tweet...</span></div>
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<div class="stream-item-header" style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #292f33; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.25px;">
<a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="26327511" href="https://twitter.com/johnlindell" style="background: transparent; color: #8899a6; text-decoration: none;"><strong class="fullname js-action-profile-name show-popup-with-id" data-aria-label-part="" style="color: #292f33;">John Lindell</strong> <span class="username js-action-profile-name" data-aria-label-part="" style="direction: ltr; font-size: 13px; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="color: #b1bbc3;">@</span>johnlindell</span> </a><small class="time" style="color: #8899a6; font-size: 13px; margin-right: 5px;"> <a class="tweet-timestamp js-permalink js-nav js-tooltip" href="https://twitter.com/johnlindell/status/625252559683473408" style="background: transparent; color: #8899a6; text-decoration: none;" title="12:33 AM - 26 Jul 2015"><span class="_timestamp js-short-timestamp " data-aria-label-part="last" data-long-form="true" data-time-ms="1437906801000" data-time="1437906801">Jul 26</span></a></small></div>
<div class="TweetTextSize TweetTextSize--16px js-tweet-text tweet-text" data-aria-label-part="0" lang="en" style="background-color: #f5f8fa; color: #292f33; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; white-space: pre-wrap; word-wrap: break-word;">
In life it's important to remember the spiritual realities are the greater realities.
"What is seen is temporary..." 2 Cor 4:18</div>
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<span class="ProfileTweet-action--favorite u-hiddenVisually" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px) !important; height: 1px !important; overflow: hidden !important; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; width: 1px !important;"><span class="ProfileTweet-actionCount" data-tweet-stat-count="21" style="color: #8899a6; display: inline-block; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 4px; position: relative; top: -2px; transition: padding 0.5s ease-out;"><span class="ProfileTweet-actionCountForAria" data-aria-label-part="" style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i style="background-color: white;"><br /></i></span></span></span></div>
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<button class="ProfileTweet-actionButton u-textUserColorHover dropdown-toggle js-tooltip js-dropdown-toggle" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #ccd6dd; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px 2px; position: relative; top: 4px;" title="More" type="button"><span class="u-hiddenVisually" style="border: 0px !important; clip: rect(1px 1px 1px 1px) !important; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; height: 1px !important; overflow: hidden !important; padding: 0px !important; position: absolute !important; width: 1px !important;"><i style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: white; font-size: small; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"><br />"</span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: small; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;">Our greater reality is our
heavenly reality. We have a Father and a Brother, a Friend and
our Saviour who we can't wait to see but we are NOT THERE YET!</span></i></span></button></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Like my children who continue
to ask how much longer is our journey to "THERE", (for the last few
months up until the last few hours) WE can be so busy "counting the
days" that we forget to "make the days count."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We can't make time go faster.
We often can't change our circumstances or uncomfortable situation but CHANGE
IS COMING! Whether it comes in this life or the next, the change first has to
happen in our mind. We can either anticipate a future event and totally miss
out on the opportunities that surround us now, OR we can keep our eye on the
prize and let that motivate us to stick it through, to endure the suffering and
the pain so that we can make the most of today. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When we can look at our
uncomfortable-ness as a minor obstacle to the end destination we can thereby
retain the peace and presence God wants us to carry into those situations. </span></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">He is there, (like my mum is
there waiting for us in Sydney right now) ready to welcome us home and we want
Him to say "well done, my good and faithful servant... Enter into the joy
of your Master." Matthew 25:23. And Oh, what a JOY that will be. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Hang in there. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-63053926406526329702015-07-02T17:56:00.000-07:002015-07-04T22:07:46.211-07:00Deliver Us From Evil <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
"This work is spiritual warfare", advised the founder and director of a large local NGO who previously had a contract with an International organization to implement a project for women in prostitution in our town. "But we don't have time for spiritual warfare", he continued so as to explain the cessation of that particular attempt at meeting the needs of the local community. His subsequent advice to me - "Pray!" <br />
<br />
When Jesus was teaching his followers how to pray, He included some key components to successfully address all of the areas in which God is willing and able to work on our behalf. <br />
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"Our Father, who art in heaven... "<br />
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"Deliver us from evil" was one of those key components. Evil is real. It's out there on assignment ready to take captive those who are living unaware. Unaware of its schemes', its subtlety, its power. It doesn't work alone but it has legions of soldiers in it's army that are ranked and are ready to attack on any given victim, in any given region, at any given time. And if that civilian is unaware they are even under attack...they will be captured. <br />
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And Jesus concluded his prayer with "deliver us from evil. For Yours is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory Forever and Ever!" <br />
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The battle begins in the mind and it is won or lost in the spirit of the man or woman. It happens in agreement with the victim. Like Eve believed the lie of the serpent "did God really say?" So too when we believe the lie, <b>A</b> lie, <b>A</b> whisper of doubt or fear, even a subtle thought that we are not good enough, our lives are not "fun" enough, our body is not "beautiful" enough...so too do we fall into a trap. We sign the dotted line and miss the fine print. Evil is moving in! <br />
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Over the past few years God has taken me on a journey of discovering more about the evil that we battle against. Growing up in a home where mental illness confused and scared the living "daylights" out of me. It also welcomed the darkness of evil in. The spirit of fear took up residence for longer than I had prepared to pay for it to stay. I however, was totally unaware that it was winning this battle in my spirit and it became a part of who I was. It influenced my decisions, my relationships, and it manifested in my dreams. <br />
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It wasn't until I became a bystander of someone else's fear that I was able to face my own. It wasn't until EVIL literally came and slapped me on the face, that I was able to see it for what it really was- an enemy to be reckoned with and a resident that was overstaying in the heart and mind of the person that mattered most to the ones I loved the most. <br />
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<strong>Me</strong>.<br />
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So I cried "deliver me Lord from this evil." Well actually it was a bit more dramatic than that but we wont go there this time. It took people who knew what they were praying against and the authority they were praying with. But not every experience of deliverance is the same.<br />
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<br />
Ok so going back to the story I began with. Part of my own journey's purpose was to prepare me for what I would encounter here in Ethiopia. Every Wednesday at Zion church where I first visited on our first week in Ethiopia, people squish into the uncomfortable wooden chairs for up to six hours on end to receive a word, a healing but more often than not, a deliverance from evil. Its real and it's raw and its pretty rough. <br />
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Unlike my experience, the experience of many here; through ancestral practices or through animistic worship, evil spirits are actually welcomed in to become resident in ones body, ones home or ones family. (We think we don't do that in the west but we do - through mediums or clairvoyants, through séances or Ouija boards, through alcohol or drug abuse or very simply by just believing a lie.)<br />
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The deliverance that occur every Wednesday at Zion Church and frequently at most protestant churches around Ethiopia, are the result of a prevalent darkness that has come down through the generations as the result of curses, witchcraft, demonic worship and idol worship sometimes associated with the Orthodox beliefs that are particular to Ethiopia.<br />
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Now take that background from which most of our women come from, then add a lifestyle of sexual exploitation which often comes as a result of sexual trauma, neglect and rejection; add to the mix a hardened heart who has built up walls or strongholds against the things of Light and you can see a better picture of what we are facing. <br />
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The restoration of lives who are bound up, occupied, deceived and discouraged takes place over a period of time. A life time. So we pray "deliver US from evil" and we bring truth to undo all the lies the evil has planted to make his way IN and we seek to break down the walls that are built up around their hearts. All of us as we go into this battle together. And we see Him set THEM free as He set us free.<br />
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"<em>Transformed lives, transform lives."</em><br />
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God has called us out of darkness into His glorious light and He gives us ROYAL status. He is more powerful. He grants us freedom and victory. He desires to deliver us from evil, just as he desires to give us our daily bread. That's why He tells us to ask Him to do it, because He knows only He can. And He too has legions of a greater population that are out for our good, to wage the war in the spiritual realm where we can not go. <br />
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Gods plans for us are for good and not for evil. To prosper us not to harm us. To give us hope and a future! Jeremiah 29:11 <br />
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Please join us in this battle. Pray for our ministry in Ethiopia. Especially as we take back territory the enemy has held captive for far too long. We need more soldiers in the battle. Come join the winning team! "For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory! Forever and ever, Amen."</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-44979739756343384842015-06-12T03:22:00.002-07:002015-06-15T00:13:54.921-07:00Red Lights and Beating Drums<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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“The drums, they are summoning you in” Saba warns me as the beat entices me to see what lay behind the curtained doors. It’s the Amhara drum that’s playing and it plays fast and it plays loud. Amhara region is the second largest region in Ethiopia. <br />
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It’s home to 21 million of the most beautiful people in the world. These people are the holders of the national language and a deep culture that reaches back into biblical times. 80% of the people in Amhara are Orthodox while only 17% are Muslim born again or Protestant 0.02%. Orthodoxy has granted many men the right to marry young girls even less than ten years old for far too long, yet apparently that culture is changing. Without knowing all of the facts and figures, we know that partly due to this, we find 70% of prostituted women around the country are from the Amhara region.<br />
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It’s a Thursday night and six of us, two of the new staff for the Bahir Dar EWAR project, Mesfin (who is helping to get this whole project started as part of his outreach project with E3) and the three of us from Addis Ababa and Debre Zeit, scale the streets of the city to see the context of prostitution in Bahir Dar...at least in the case of the women EWAR will be working with over the next year. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj42eN1DRQPNHYzjqRSpjEAMO-X_m2AUBluQekE-wWU1orQ9CMIO3BypGZPfIyyRSalAIdB5_FX_0ceoRXiuIoy7Q-OSfub3wo4z2d932__1_-oU5UBPW_sfsAEKW0KIkx2Ltzl7dRCR0pZ/s1600/photo+2+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj42eN1DRQPNHYzjqRSpjEAMO-X_m2AUBluQekE-wWU1orQ9CMIO3BypGZPfIyyRSalAIdB5_FX_0ceoRXiuIoy7Q-OSfub3wo4z2d932__1_-oU5UBPW_sfsAEKW0KIkx2Ltzl7dRCR0pZ/s320/photo+2+%25281%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The women cleaning up what will be their temporary project site</td></tr>
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“The women” are the twelve we met with today. Some of these women had been approached more than a year ago by an Evangelist called Solomon who works for a local Kale Hiwot (meaning “Word of Life”) Church. While they have waited for a year for this project to get started, other ladies have since been approached and took the chance for change by coming to our drop in sessions yesterday. Here they shared their stories, what they would do once their hope was renewed and what they have in their hands to make it happen. <br />
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One lady, not much younger than I, spoke of how she had looked up to the prostituted women who worked in her neighborhood as a little girl. Orphaned and alone, she started working the street in her teens, falling pregnant and being left alone again, she kept working. For seventeen or more years….she kept working…to provide for her two children and to survive. Her desire was to be beautiful like the women she saw, all dressed up and made up. Her beautiful skin that glowed over her defined cheek bones hid her wounded heart. She has had enough now. Her youngest son is now ten and she wants better for him. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVqNiyF2fJCICa9OdkEF0wkCbA4L3jfSEpUIBgVsydMG-iCZBdPZy2B_NNptePlvXSFQnKdbeyaE9Fds0-p34mFqufFR84VWDoNPiqbON1yJmIevwd7G2V42tZW58cabOtSmIBDoz20Pe/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiVqNiyF2fJCICa9OdkEF0wkCbA4L3jfSEpUIBgVsydMG-iCZBdPZy2B_NNptePlvXSFQnKdbeyaE9Fds0-p34mFqufFR84VWDoNPiqbON1yJmIevwd7G2V42tZW58cabOtSmIBDoz20Pe/s320/photo+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mesfin (from e3) and Saba from Ellilta Women at Risk on the shores of Lake Tana</td></tr>
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So we walked down the streets that these women have worked for so long. These streets are dark and they are unpaved. They’re narrow and cold and they beg for me to look down so I don’t trip up, rather than look up to see what we were really there for. I almost wish I didn’t look up.<br />
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Red lights illuminate the muddy urine smelling paths. The men who urinate on these roads are only down here for one purpose. It’s not a thoroughfare, but rather a well designed lure for men wanting an irresponsible encounter to appease their sexual appetite. And the girls are there just waiting. <br />
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Unlike I have ever seen before, or expected to see, these girls have their OWN room. Their rooms are decorated with flashing lights and enticing bed dressings. Plastic weaving covers the mud walls and TVs blare to keep the girls occupied while they wait. The atmosphere feels so alone and so commercial. <br />
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Gorgeous Ethiopian girls (and I mean most of them ARE just girls in their teens) who grow up in a culture where life is all about community and communal living, about sharing rooms and plates and hearts, stand idle by themselves at the doors of their own little room. One girl sat looking out from on her bed that tonight she will service many men from (so she hopes) and her loneliness is tangible. My heart breaks for her and the many girls who stand alone in their red rooms and tears start to flow unexpectedly down my face. The sadness of the situation, the desperation that has caused them to give themselves away like this, causes our hearts to sink. I am not alone in this heart break. <br />
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After pulling myself together and taking a quick bathroom break, we round the corner and see these men. They’re lining the walls and seats of a local bar, preparing themselves for the night which has barely just begun at 8pm. They’re quiet and they’re rowdy, inviting us to ‘DRINK!’ They won’t stay long before all these brothels we saw with open doors and waiting girls are occupied by them. <br />
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This bar is situated on a street where a broker, known to traffic these women in from the rural areas, operates his business. Some of the women, according to Mesfin our guide, are sent to be house workers, others stay here in what is the capital of the Amhara region and work the bars, while others are trafficked into the Middle East. Others are trafficked into bordering countries North of Ethiopia and not too far from this city’s borders. Promises of a better life and better income beguile many young girls to leave their familiar to support their families. She’s not just thinking of herself but of her family and she will pay a high price for it.<br />
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The ladies who are about to enter the program tell us how much they get paid. Sometimes they will be paid as little as 10 birr (50c US) per trick, sometimes the man will take her out for a meal as his payment and sometimes the payment she gets is a beating- a night of abuse for the giving of her body. They get away with nothing if the man is so obtuse that he won’t even pay for her service. Unlike her, he’s just looking out for himself and doesn’t even want to pay for it. <br />
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Women at risk are only able to open new projects like these as local people take up the challenge and other people partner financially with the cause. If you would like to support Ellilta Women at Risks work, please go to www.ellilta.org and donate so you can play a part in empowering these women to be all that they were created to be.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-41238929532299076722015-05-25T01:26:00.000-07:002015-05-25T01:26:19.381-07:00Dear Africa...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Going through my Google Drive this morning, I found this poem I wrote on the back of my short term missions trip in 2009. It's something I wrote from the perspective of living in the first world and seeing pleas for sponsors on the TV. I remember crying at seeing a charity advertisement that was filming from Addis Ababa about a girl who had lost both her parents and was looking after her brothers and sisters in the slum. I wondered how many people would respond to this advertisement that would have taken a lot of money to make. The organization would have seen it as an investment but would they have gotten a good return. This was my return...<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Dear Africa,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Thank you for your invitation for my transformation</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But without having some substantiation</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I regret to decline in my reply</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How do I really know that what you offer is real</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Even though my heart was touched by your appeal</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My feelings of guilt I must deny</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Yes you say that you have no food, no clothes and dirty water</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But why don't you just get a job to supply for your daughter</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You really can't expect to get handouts all the time</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And about that AIDS thing - who's fault is that really?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We tried to tell you, gave you condoms and showed you clearly</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The remedy is not hard to find.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You know I would contribute some money to your plea</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zEQv_IuyUnLbL4DYA8RgNtAS4g8W5p57x48Gwo1OXgv1KCC5dHbXl-w-1xePmSpgoMxDJKDdNBZkDFwptBcYtkjZk9lE6aClZmVUxDG8tHhNSuPN95ytfYP0lj1XncIBBG3At3uqAvCO/s1600/images+%25288%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zEQv_IuyUnLbL4DYA8RgNtAS4g8W5p57x48Gwo1OXgv1KCC5dHbXl-w-1xePmSpgoMxDJKDdNBZkDFwptBcYtkjZk9lE6aClZmVUxDG8tHhNSuPN95ytfYP0lj1XncIBBG3At3uqAvCO/s1600/images+%25288%2529.jpg" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If only I had just won the lottery</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But money is so tight even in our country right now.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You can have my affection, my good motives are many</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Upon my reflection I can see it's you in need- if any</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But as much as I would love to give, I just don't see how.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Though I may look rich to you, I'm struggling myself</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It's hard living in a society where it's all about wealth</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You gotta keep up with the Jones's out here in our town</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Gotta pay for my house, my car, my hair do</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My cell phone, my ipod, my kids nike shoes</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If I don't get them what they want, they will soon frown.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The credit company and banks are on my back </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I have to keep up payments and not get too slack</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There's harsh repurcussions if I give my money away</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But as soon as I get myself out of this rut</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I'll revisit your proposal and see what's up</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Surely I will give you some money one day</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">But until then I'll keep putting money into</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The stock markets, housing and term deposits too</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So that one day I'll have riches and plenty to spare</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Please be patient Africa, I'll be with you soon</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">To clothe you and feed you with a really big spoon</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And then you will have more than enough to share.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lots of thoughts</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The First World.</span></div>
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I am in a role now again (I say again because I have done fundraising in New Zealand), where I am fundraising for this organization I have fallen in love with. It's an organization that beats the heart of God. Caring for women who have been so hopeless and desperate to provide for themselves, often for their families, that they sell their OWN BODIES. Thinking they have nothing else to give.<br />
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I don't believe in giving hand outs to people who are in need, unless it is what God has specifically put in our heart to do in that moment. But coming alongside an organization that is working to EMPOWER the women to be all that God has created them to be-<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Whole: Creative: Productive: Happy: Hopeful</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">And I read back on this poem and pray that those who are blessed would sow into these ministries working to help the poor, AS God has instructed us to do so SO many times in His word. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Recently a friend posted on FB a saying that said, "When God blesses you financially, don't increase your level of LIVING, increase your level of Giving." And I added, "That's why He does it right?" </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Doesn't God bless us to be a blessing to others? That's what He said to Abraham when He blessed Him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">One friend replied, "He does it for both." </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">And I believe that to be true, but I personally believe that it depends at what level you are living in the first place. I don't believe that God wants us to live in extreme prosperity while others are living in extreme poverty (and those are both relative terms). <i>That is, for me, the definition of injustice. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">This weekend, the Christian Church celebrated Pentecost which instagated the Holy Spirit empowered church. Not long after this happened we read about people in the church .. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="text Acts-2-44" id="en-NKJV-26994">Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, </span><span class="text Acts-2-45" id="en-NKJV-26995"><sup class="versenum"> </sup>and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. Acts 2:44-45</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Acts-2-45" id="en-NKJV-26995">This is what I am talking about! The sharing of what we have so that there is no more INJUSTICE but there is EQUALITY. But most of us Westerners think...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="text Acts-2-45" id="en-NKJV-26995">"WE WORKED HARD FOR OUR MONEY!<i>"</i></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Acts-2-45" id="en-NKJV-26995"><i>So, You don't think African's work hard? They do, but their money is not what yours is. . For varying reasons. Ones I don't want to go into here.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Acts-2-45" id="en-NKJV-26995">But what I do want to say is that in my last job I had in New Zealand I worked for an organization that was government funded. One of the biggest funded programs dealing with parent education. I was paid $25NZD per hour. In one hour I got paid what some people get paid here for a whole months worth of daily labour. Their work being much more strenuous, in more difficult situations for a whole bunch less money. THEN I would get paid a government allowance to help with our mortgage payments and our children. Who works harder for their money? Them. Where did MY money come from? The people of New Zealand's compulsary giving within the context of their tax. Something which I also paid as I worked. There is an injustice that I still struggle with today.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Acts-2-45" id="en-NKJV-26995"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Acts-2-45" id="en-NKJV-26995">You are blessed to be a blessing. When God blesses you, it's not just for yourself. He does it so that the needs of <a href="http://aheartforethiopia.blogspot.com/2014/04/imagine.html">others</a> are met through His children. I believe that from the bottom of my heart. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Acts-2-45" id="en-NKJV-26995"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Acts-2-45" id="en-NKJV-26995">So don't sign the letter I wrote above. Africa is developing, it's not defined by poverty, but there are needs here that need to be met the rest of the world CAN definitely do somethng about. How about you do something about it NOW :)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Acts-2-45" id="en-NKJV-26995"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Acts-2-45" id="en-NKJV-26995"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Acts-2-45" id="en-NKJV-26995"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Acts-2-45" id="en-NKJV-26995">You can donate towards our ministry here in Debre Zeit through this <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RedeemingLoveWorldMissionsFund/app_208195102528120">link</a></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Acts-2-45" id="en-NKJV-26995">Or you can donate towards Women at Risk through this Paypal <a href="https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=oe9RJ_WGp-pLeCEChdqd-w68KuvY_mdq_Ac7HtjU-HQpfMA6nPePekbO94u&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8d99e4111b56ef0eae45e68b8988f5b2dd">link</a> here. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Acts-2-45" id="en-NKJV-26995"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Acts-2-45" id="en-NKJV-26995">Be blessed! If you have anything to contribute to what I'm saying, feel free to comment below :)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text Acts-2-45" id="en-NKJV-26995"> </span><span class="text Acts-2-45" id="en-NKJV-26995"><i> </i></span><i><span class="text Acts-2-45" id="en-NKJV-26995"></span></i> </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-42919679784945280172015-04-22T00:37:00.000-07:002015-04-22T00:37:49.627-07:00This Side of Africa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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On my return to Ethiopia and my workplace, sitting around
staff devotions with our five staff that were present, I relayed some of the
stories of my time in Uganda and Kenya and there they echoed a sigh of relief. I realized then that I was representing my
team as well as the people of Ethiopia as we visited some amazing projects in
Nairobi, Kenya and in Jinja, Uganda. <o:p></o:p></div>
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One of the things I had not expected in visiting the
projects in our neighbouring countries was hearing stories being conveyed that
resonated with issues and situations we had been facing in our little town of
Debre Zeit. There are some similarities in the work we do. Both projects had
been set up with the EWAR project model first being investigated here in
Ethiopia. So here were two thriving
ministries a few years down the line based on that model in a context of their own. We are all different bodies doing the same work in different countries yet the blood that runs through the veins of our
project is the same type. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7s1NP0btZKc7FdvAmiVeM71nmofFV-Bd2r0wXDGVi5e4vZFmEWnOHR58eIulh5DF_gGQqHGWFFJcm3LgO2jGU0xi-5jmjSrryrug5BPFPa75Pj7PJ_VNvvYPG6vhkRjqLS5w5EqBZODOf/s1600/WP_20150316_13_14_32_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7s1NP0btZKc7FdvAmiVeM71nmofFV-Bd2r0wXDGVi5e4vZFmEWnOHR58eIulh5DF_gGQqHGWFFJcm3LgO2jGU0xi-5jmjSrryrug5BPFPa75Pj7PJ_VNvvYPG6vhkRjqLS5w5EqBZODOf/s1600/WP_20150316_13_14_32_Pro.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry, I and some of the Kenyan staff</td></tr>
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In terms of the women we work with, I could see these three
commonalities:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Poverty:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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One of the systemic contributing factors to the women in
East Africa entering into a life of prostitution is poverty. It wouldn’t be right to say that ALL women
enter into prostitution because of poverty but for those who do, I would even
go into saying that it’s extreme poverty as poverty is such a loosely sung
lyric these days. The women here are in SUCH a state of poverty that working
other jobs or selling things on the side of the road, don’t earn them enough to
make a living. We’re talking about those less than $2 a day jobs that qualify
them for the “extreme poverty” category. They don’t have education and they
don’t have the business know how to get their income up to a standard that
provides their own needs, let alone the needs of their family- children,
parents, brothers or sisters. Their families extend wide. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>The kind of poverty our African women face causes fear and anxiety and
once a remedy is given for it-even if it is based on a “hand up” and not a
“hand out”, makes them susceptible to dependence.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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So in Ethiopia we give allowances for the women while they
are in our program, a component of our program that was adopted in Kenya and
Uganda. However, the Kenya project has changed their strategy because of the
dependency that has been created in the past. Now they offer small business
opportunities for the women so that they can help themselves and save up for
bigger micro enterprise projects. This has meant however, less time in the
program and more time out making money by other means than their former life.
There is this struggle we face and something we do have to adapt to make it
work for the best outcome for the ladies. In Kenya this seems to be working
well. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Witchcraft/Idol or Demon Worship: <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Working in Debre Zeit means that we are at the cold face of
witch craft and Idol Worship. Unfortunately it is something that our city is
well known for in local circles. It’s partly animistic practices that exist
around the lakes here but it’s also something that is attached to Orthodox
beliefs throughout the country. Even though people class themselves as
“religious” and say they worship “Egzabiher” (God) they are often caught up in
some kind of Idolatry practices that invite spirits of darkness to take up
residence in their customs, their traditions and in their lives. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In Uganda I heard stories of the women who they are
connecting with on the streets. Many of these women are using drugs in their
smoking pipes to put their clients under a spell so as to take their money away
from them while they are zoned out and in their presence. They won’t inhale the
drug but rather puff it out into the faces of their clients once they have them
to themselves.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Even as we left
Uganda we were warned on the bus not to smile or talk to the men at the border
who could potentially have drugs hidden under their tongue they could breathe
into our mouths to put us under a spell. We have had some stories like this
reported to us in Ethiopia as well.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When working in societies with such prolific darkness
manifesting itself in so many different ways, it adds another dimension to the
holistic services we need to offer. It takes time and it takes discernment to
understand what is of the women’s own backgrounds and what spiritual forces
that are underlying their behaviour. There was another NGO working with women in
prostitution in our city and eventually they gave up after a cycle of
non-successes. As I met with the director he said to me that “this work is
spiritual warfare, and we don’t have time for spiritual warfare.” This is a
large NGO who work with tens of thousands of children and their families. His
advice to me was to pray.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Abandonment issues:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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As the HIV rates drop in Africa, the ages of the orphaned
children go higher. Women we work with are often orphaned, abandoned, given
away or trafficked in a domestic setting. Along with these oh too common terms,
there are difficult issues to go through. Issues that stem from the
abandonment, the lack of parental bonding at critical developmental stages, the
fear of rejection and the lack of healthy relationships never being modeled in
their lives. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Recently we had four women join our program from Addis. The
main reason they needed to come into the Hope House was because they wanted to
leave the street but two of them were orphaned and had no family to turn to
whatsoever. Women who were not so long ago orphaned girls who never got the
chance to find another family, who maybe ended up raising their own family and
ended up on the street to feed their family- these are the women who are spread
across the streets of East Africa. </div>
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Women
who’s stories would make your heart bleed and yet who’s hearts themselves have
hardened so that they can survive. These are the women we see.<o:p></o:p></div>
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From the inside looking out, we see also commonalities in
terms of the programs we run. As I stated earlier, both the program in Nairobi
and the program in Uganda came to Ethiopia many years ago to see how Ellilta
Women at Risk was being run and they contextualized that model into their own
settings. The program in Uganda even adopted the name Women at Risk and is
still running true to the model, yet in a residential setting a lot like ours. There
are some things they do differently. Many years later some things have worked
and some have been adjusted yet some things have remained the same.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In terms of the projects we run:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The spiritual component.</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Our sister project in Nairobi is unashamedly Christian-
being run by the Mamlaka Hill Chapel Church in the city, this church desired to
reach out to their community and in response to the needs they found in a close
radius, <i>Full Circle</i> was born. Their
amazing team is made up of staff and volunteers who have come out of their
church and who are skilled and qualified for their roles. In Uganda too they
are trying to work with pastors and are staffed according to Christian values
and beliefs. Something that’s so important in combatting the darkness-bringing
in the One who IS light to dispel that darkness.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="color: #5f497a; font-family: BlackJack; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themeshade: 191;">But YOU are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, God’s special possession, that YOU may declare
the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His Wonderful Light! 1
Peter 2:9<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Last year we came together at the ICAP (International
Christian Alliance on Prostitution) Conference and we worshiped in a style
that can only be African. One that was full of life and singing and beat and
dancing. We worshiped in the African way- the way we worship in the settings
of our own places where this is the norm and where it brings freedom. Freedom
from the bondage that would keep our women silent against their struggles. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9kSSkRIN2wmQ2US6eFj7abIzli28bp9o5Fikt56Mb6DHTu3Ua1_2NE-pilVoayBYNnS4FQkKdeWv3GhU7KNwckgcCe-d5vjkX-gttDnQptDLZG5kQEr4LA9oiNHMRdRP94LOKcURUwwvu/s1600/WP_20150320_14_24_35_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9kSSkRIN2wmQ2US6eFj7abIzli28bp9o5Fikt56Mb6DHTu3Ua1_2NE-pilVoayBYNnS4FQkKdeWv3GhU7KNwckgcCe-d5vjkX-gttDnQptDLZG5kQEr4LA9oiNHMRdRP94LOKcURUwwvu/s1600/WP_20150320_14_24_35_Pro.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the beaded products the ladies in Uganda have made</td></tr>
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<b>Lack of market and job opportunities: <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Once the women have graduated from our programs, often we
have given them tools and taught them handcraft skills that can help them to
produce marketable products. But the market and the employment opportunities
are hard to find. Not just for them but even for the educated, the graduated
and the ones with great ideas. Unemployment rates are high and in comparison to
the western world- a whole lot higher. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And then there’s the added complications and extra
preparation that goes into transitioning women whose lifestyles and mentalities
have lacked dignity and discipline for so long into a productive life. This is
our struggle as we tailor our programs for them and desire only the best for
these women who often find it hard to decipher what is best for themselves.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What I saw in Uganda was an array of finely handcrafted
beads that were turned into necklaces and earrings, purses and bracelets. They
had carry baskets the ladies had all lined up by their beds they are making in
their spare time as well as table baskets that would sell for a good price in
the western market. Yet here they are in the middle of Africa lacking the
market and the marketers to be able to get the ladies some money for their hard
work.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The challenge of funding. </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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While funds are obviously coming in to keep our projects
running, there are definitely areas that could be strengthened with the help of
additional funding. But like many NGOs who are running on a vision and passion
to reach the unreached, the work gets done without time taken out to source
additional funding to help improve services.
And then while funding is available out there by major organizations, it
doesn’t get down to grass roots programs like ours who work on a small scale. We
heard the same stories in these two countries of needs going unmet because of
lack of funding. </div>
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At the same time, each of our projects have a side IGA or
income generating activity to provide sustainable income for the projects. But
sustainable income that will bring in enough money to run a project seems
unrealistic when all is taken into account. Overheads, staff needed to be hired
to oversee the business, the payment of wages for the ladies we desire to hire
to make the products…it all adds up. It’s like asking a successful business man
to put all of his profit into funding an NGO. Not ever likely to happen unless
there is another stream of income coming in somewhere else. For an NGO, that’s
grants and funds.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDeNYWa6rlKm_abWAAHlPYuQPg8xKaDkjj_AaL-gAOu8NzAikre6Cq0M6O1IefnRI3qW9SIWBQIEq-YDUkNxZptM-IxmaRyKPLo0kxD8aqe7lHwxU154GU-92fF71l2O8q4zllqVMNP0d/s1600/WP_20150316_14_01_35_Pro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQDeNYWa6rlKm_abWAAHlPYuQPg8xKaDkjj_AaL-gAOu8NzAikre6Cq0M6O1IefnRI3qW9SIWBQIEq-YDUkNxZptM-IxmaRyKPLo0kxD8aqe7lHwxU154GU-92fF71l2O8q4zllqVMNP0d/s1600/WP_20150316_14_01_35_Pro.jpg" height="320" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heri Nuts from the Full Circle Project</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRk-5MZBDyo1TPSOlbferhTSNnDZ4a3pUXDtqs-BBkM5bPB6X67f0wqb_3FG8wyFDrVrMsmsJj05jQSt3L4LMnIq4o_F1TAndZuvCPErYNi1X3BU_TFputBDZjUZ43hlAarNSwcAdRzrsK/s1600/WP_20150320_007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRk-5MZBDyo1TPSOlbferhTSNnDZ4a3pUXDtqs-BBkM5bPB6X67f0wqb_3FG8wyFDrVrMsmsJj05jQSt3L4LMnIq4o_F1TAndZuvCPErYNi1X3BU_TFputBDZjUZ43hlAarNSwcAdRzrsK/s1600/WP_20150320_007.jpg" height="320" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friends Mary and Eunice in their newly established hair salon in Uganda</td></tr>
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My heart was overwhelmed during our little excursion to
Kenya and Uganda. I was as happy to encourage as I was to be encouraged and
there was definitely more of the latter. I have sisters who have become closer
and I hope that this work we do will collide more often as we look to the
future. There are projects out there longing to join our fellowship, I know.
There are women out there looking to join the projects. I know this too. And as
our family grows bigger, pray that our battles will be won, our needs will be
met and our markets will broaden. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #b2a1c7; font-family: BlackJack; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themetint: 153;">And God <i>is</i> able to make all
grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all <i>things,</i>
may abound to every good work 2 Cor 9:8<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-57554500477115486592015-02-21T09:05:00.000-08:002015-02-21T09:21:34.913-08:00Daniel and his diet. My fasting experience<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Yesterday I was sitting in a crowded
minibus next to my seventeen year old son on our way back from a hot day of
adventuring around the capital. It's the second to last day of a twenty one day
fast our church in NZ were participating in corporately and I had been doing
here. My personal fifth time starting the year off like this
after reading the Jentzen Franklin book <i>Believe That You Can</i> in 2010. I read this book with my husband
after we missed out on a mission trip we were meant to take to Ethiopia on boxing day 2009 and retreated with this book a friend had given to us to encourage us. And it did. It showed us that there was a process to God given dreams and that FASTING may be an essential part of the process that we may have been missing out on. God
had better plans then the ones <a href="http://aheartforethiopia.blogspot.com/2009/12/delay-in-our-trip.html?updated-min=2009-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2010-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=2">these we had come to regret</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It's fasting season here in
Ethiopia as it heads into Fasika- the Orthodox Easter which this year will be
celebrated a week after our Easter. Fasting food is easy to find therefore yet
the Daniel Fast requires us to not only to abstain from meat and dairy but also from yeast, sugar, stimulative
beverages and anything that is processed. IE. No coffee OR chocolate! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">After eating my falafel wrap
for lunch with its dressings that I knew I shouldn't have consumed (but was believing for God's grace to cover), my stomach
starts to make funny noises as the sun and dust fill the van. My son is quietly
listening to his music and I tune in to the radio discussion that is going on
in Amharic. It's filling the van and drawing my attention to it as it speaks of one of my favourite subjects- FOOD!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This particular radio
discussion was being facilitated between the DJ and a guest chef. He was
sharing a recipe then went on to talk about the fasting that most of the
country are doing right now. Its the fasting that closes down all the butchers in our town for 54 days. Here it requires abstinence from meat (red and white) and dairy.
He was discussing the benefits of a vegetarian diet. He mentioned that Thomas
Edison and Bill Gates were and are vegetarians. We all know how amazing these
two men are. Their imaginations and abilities to invent actual world changing
apparatus' are evidences that something in their way of life MUST have been
right. Then my mind switches to Daniel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Here was a man who was living
in a time where Jews were being persecuted and their way of life was being put
to the test. At one particular time they were being forced into submitting to
the Kings way of living even though it flew in the face of the morals that they
held. Instead of succumbing to their ways immediately, Daniel courageously
offered an ultimatum to the governing officials and sought to prove that his God's ways would not only be beneficial for him but potentially for all if
they would only SEE what results would transpire. He made a predetermined
decision not to forgo the ways of HIS King. The story is found in Daniel
chapter 1.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>8 But Daniel purposed in his
heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s
delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the
chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. 9 Now God had brought Daniel into the favor
and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.
10 And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the
king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces
looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my
head before the king.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>11 So Daniel said to the
steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please test
your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to
drink. 13 Then let our appearance be
examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of
the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” 14 So he consented with them in this matter,
and tested them ten days.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>15 And at the end of ten days
their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who
ate the portion of the king’s delicacies.
16 Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine
that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>17 As for these four young
men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel
had understanding in all visions and dreams.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">A few years ago I went to
hear a man called <a href="http://www.dontolmaninternational.com/">Don Tolman</a> speak after seeing him on the Good Morning Show. I was captivated by what he had to say in a short amount of time. This man had ONLY ONCE IN HIS LIFE attended church; a Sunday School
class when he was 8 years old and he had heard this story. He had heard it in
the King James Version and instead of saying "vegetables", it said
"pulse". The curiosity of this young boy as to what "pulse"
was never left him as he saw it as THE thing that led Daniel to being the most
wise and knowledgeable and being able to interpret dreams and visions. So he went on a seventeen year journey that took him to 33 countries to discover what exactly Daniels diet
consisted of. What this man discovered was mind blowing. He was speaking on the
harbour of Auckland city at an exclusive event and his topic was whole foods. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In his journey of discovery he had found out that the ancient Egyptians
recognized that our bodies were made up of three parts. (In more than one way were we created in the image of the Creator-3 in 1) Our head, our body and our legs.
They recognized that EVERY fruit, vegetable, seed and grain was CREATED to
match certain parts of our body. Not just in their appearance but in the cells they consisted of. That every thing that grew in trees was good
for our head, that foods that grew on the ground were good for our body and
inner organs and that food grown under ground was good for our legs and feet
and their functions. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The whole talk was jaw dropping as I realized the
awesomeness of a God who doesn't do things halfheartedly. He talked about how
our bodies were created with the ability to heal themselves. He had
testimonials of people he had applied what he had learnt who had been healed of
cancer. His theories about why cancer is so rampant now make more sense than I
can describe in this blog. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">BUT the thing that astonished
me about this man, was that even though he referred to the "Judeo
Christian literature", he had never come to believe in the God of Daniel.
His interest was only in what he ate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Daniel only ate what he ate,
however. because he had an intimate relationship with a loving God who wanted
the best for him and showed him that what he CONSUMED was important in him
achieving that best. This was not a 21 or even a 10 day stint on Daniels
behalf. This was a lifestyle. It was something he had "purposed in his
heart" to keep his body from being defiled which would result in his mind,
soul and spirit being in tune with God and with others so that he could deliver
on the promises God had given HIM to deliver. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Oh, how we defile our bodies. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Oh, how we miss out on the so much more just in the way we EAT. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My own personal
struggle and journey with food meant that when FASTING first came on my radar
as a Christian, I trembled with fear at the thought of not having to eat at all
or even to not eat my favorite things! Honestly, in that first year that I felt God
was calling me to fast I was having anxiety attacks and FEASTED on all the
things I was afraid of missing out on the night before I went into the fast.
And that year I decided to go into a FULL fast for the first three days then
continue the Daniel Fast for the remaining eighteen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">BAD.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">BAD.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">IDEA. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I lay flat on my back for
three days. Talk about detoxifying your body with a sledge hammer. This is what
it felt like. But after learning about all the toxins in our body and their
potential affects on your system, I knew this was a good thing and I pressed
on. It was a struggle though. The whole 21 days. But through that time I got
clarity and vision and God showed me what He wanted me to do with this whole
Ethiopia and Asaua situation. He wanted me to LET Asaua GO by himself so that I
would LET go of trying to force this THING to happen. It worked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">My sister had also decided to
join me in the fast that year as we were doing Bible College together. She was
particularly praying that our oldest sister would get pregnant after many years
of infertility. She had received what is called a "word of knowledge"
from God and He had even told her to tell our sister that within a year, she
would be pregnant. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>#scary</b></span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I felt her fear as she asked
me my opinion. But she got her confirmation and she courageously stepped out in
faith and shared this message to our sister. That year passed and again the
next year we did the Daniel fast for 21 days. This time our church was
corporately fasting too so we were surrounded by support to do this thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> SO Much Easier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Two days before our 21 days (and the year that was prophesied) was up, we get a text message from our
sister saying...wait for it...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">"I'm pregnant!"</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Sweet Jesus. He reigns
Faithful and True. I'm in the laundry doing my washing and I lock the door and bow down and worship the One who does this which commands us this response.. </span></div>
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<h2 style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: lighter; line-height: 30px; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">He makes the barren woman to keep house, <em>and to be</em> a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD. Psalms 113:9</span></h2>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Many times since then I have
done this fast. I wish it was a lifestyle for me but it is honestly too hard. Even though I FEEL the results, both physically and spiritually. And when I am desperate for something and want to go deeper in God, I sacrifice
the things I love FOR the One I love. And that sacrifice never goes unrewarded.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Last night after a long day
in Addis and a power cut that went on for hours, we went out for dinner at a local restaurant. I am
eating injera (which some might classify as having yeast although its not
really yeast) and shiro (which is powdered chick peas cooked with spices.) My
son is questioning me about what you can eat and what you can't and the reasons
behind it. My response to him is...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">It's not about the "can"s and "cant's" of what you eat, it's about your heart and its about the results. </span></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The proof is in the fruit. </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: -12px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: -12px;"><i>(<a href="http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/John-15-4/" style="color: black; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: -12px;" title="View more translations of John 15:4">Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.</a> John 15:4)</i></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I reminded him of two years
ago when I did the Daniel Fast here after my foot was broken and on the last
day of my fast. my still broken bone that had been taken out of its cast prematurely had
miraculously healed. To the point where I walked to my breakfast table limping
and walked away jumping up and down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I reminded him that normally
God comes through on the last day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We went home, straight to bed
as the lights were out and we were all tired. I listen to a message by Bill Johnson about tithing and God's desire to bless us in the spiritual when we obey Him in the physical. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And I wake up at 2:30am to an
email on my phone. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Here I am praying and believing for big things this year!
Most of what I am believing for COSTS money- including the running of our
ministry in Debre Zeit which had been burdening me for a while. This is my
responsibility to raise funds for our project! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I open my email in case its
our friend who sits on the board of Redeeming Love World Missions, (our
partnering charity in the States) who was on her way to Chicago to fly to
Ethiopia today. Instead I find out its her counterpart letting us know that she
had received a donation from a church her husband had overseen a couple of
years ago for four months. She was asking if we had any needs we could put this
money towards. Though she did not see our needs, God saw that we were needy. We
were in need of His provision for this great work He has invited us to
participate in. And since it is His work, He has the responsibility of
resourcing it. Not just with the people but with the financial provision that keeps giving us the ability to move forward. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So He does. Not just as a result of my fasting and praying but as a result of His Heart of Love to give HIM Glory that reminds us that HE is True and Faithful. That He is the Source and that we are just the channels. That He holds in deep regard those who are crying out for rescue. That's my God.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-90160683576318038962014-11-06T09:46:00.000-08:002014-11-06T09:46:35.057-08:00The things we have learnt to live without...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For the last three years we have learnt to live WITHOUT..<br />
<br />
Without guarantee of water or power when we wake up in the morning or go to bed at night - knowing we have food in the fridge that is likely to go off and dust laden children and clothes that need a wash.<br />
<br />
Without privacy or space at home or on the road as people manned our gates, cleaned our house, came to visit.<br />
<br />
Without our favourite foods and convenient supermarkets in which to purchase them on a frequent basis. We learnt to do with substitutes.<br />
<br />
We have learnt to live without family get togethers and seeing babies born. <br />
<br />
Without sending invitation texts to sisters and brothers for our next Child's birthday party.<br />
<br />
Without earned income and payslips following suit<br />
<br />
Without eftpos payments at any store<br />
<br />
Without our own personal car to drive around in<br />
<br />
Without the convenience of being able to speak English at important times of communication <br />
<br />
Without a consistent education level for our kids<br />
<br />
For periods of time we have lived even without our eldest child and less importantly without hot water in the house, furniture, water coming through our taps, access to calls overseas, internet access for days on end...<br />
<br />
Yet we have also learned to live without other things too...<br />
<br />
We have lived without mortgage payments and overdue rates letters<br />
<br />
Without petrol expenses and the knowledge of how much it costs <br />
<br />
Without a boss who keeps our hours and keeps us from our kids <br />
<br />
We have lived without the question of "what if I die and I never lived out my dream?" <br />
<br />
We lived without the fear of being held accountable for not doing what we have always known we should do<br />
<br />
We lived without questioning if God could use us in Ethiopia <br />
<br />
We lived without a boring day.<br />
<br />
We lived without doubt that God would provide our every need <br />
<br />
And without limiting what He is able to do <br />
<br />
We learnt to live without an excuse for not doing anything, not helping anyone, not making our life count.<br />
<br />
We lived without the materialistic lifestyle that used to keep us bound.<br />
<br />
We lived without attachment to the things of this world that didn't really matter<br /><br />We learned most of all what we could not live without...<br />
<br />
We cannot live without the Love of God.<br />
<br />
AND His Love poured out into us and overflowing into others. Now THAT we can not live without.<br />
<br />
All the other things we can live without. All the other things have taught us a valuable lesson <br />
That a life lived in His love is a life that demands sacrifice but that sacrifice does not go unseen <br />
<br />
What are you learning to live without?<br />
"If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." 1 Cor 13:1-3</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-32676527004644773082014-10-18T05:58:00.000-07:002014-10-18T05:58:05.233-07:00The Scarlet Thread...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>"Behold, when we come
into the land, you shalt bind this line of </i><i><span style="color: red; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">scarlet thread </span>in the window which you let us down by:
and you shalt bring your father, and your mother, and your brethren, and all your father's household home to you." Joshua 2:18 <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The scarlet thread was to be a sign for the rescue of Rahab
and her family in the days that would bring destruction to her city. She, by faith, had hidden these spies in her
house so that they could spy out the land for Joshua and their people. It was the beginning of the overtake of
Jericho by the people to which God had promised the land. Yet the method they
used to enter the city was to go into the house of a harlot.
A prostituted woman. A
prostituted woman who lived in a brothel on the wall of Jericho.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">SHE "straddled the fence"- literally. The Bible said she
had her brothel on the top of the walls of Jericho. She saw the desert
and the Jordan River and she saw the land of Jericho that in her heart, she
knew was one day going to belong to the people who worshiped this One True God.
The God of Israel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><i>This week we learnt about the different stages of women in prostitution breaking away from their lifestyle. There are four stages and they are really not representative of their physical stand point- whether or not they had left the street, but where they were psychologically with the whole situation. One of them was the "turning point" stage. Rahab, was literally straddling the fence of this stage and the previous stage. She had seen the advantages to starting a new life yet was still tied to the lifestyle she currently owned.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yet this “prostitute” had heard of this great God and the
things He had done for His people. This
is the reason for her co-operation with these men. She vowed not to tell of their visit or
spread a word about their business. She
was fully willing to risk her life for the life of these men because she knew what they knew. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i>Joshua 2:10-11 "For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt… And as soon as we had heard these things, our HEARTS DID MELT, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath."</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I love this story for a few reasons. It shows us the tenacity of these men to go
into a brothel. Not something many men
of God would do or even women for that fact.
It may bring the “appearance of evil” and therefore many stay away. BUT GOD used this medium for the rescue not
only of this woman but for His people from the desert. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It also shows the bravery and intelligence of Rahab. She didn’t fear upon the arrival of these two
men and she knew how to make the best of the given situation. She knew how to navigate her way around their
hearts. She also wasn't afraid to open a
window to her heart.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
She believed without fear.
She heard and then, she believed. And then she acted on that belief. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She went to the 'turning point' stage. She was thrown a lifeline in return for her bravery and faith. The lifeline was her rescue not only from the destruction her city was about to face but it was from the lifestyle she had led up to that point. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rahab went on to live with the Israelites, the book of Joshua tells us. But other parts of the Bible (such as Matthew 1) tell us that she went on to marry. She married a man called Salmon and they raised a beautiful baby boy who ended up becoming a kinsmen redeemer over some land. One day Rahab's son (otherwise known as Boaz) met a young lady gathering the leftovers in his field. He had heard good things about this lady and showed her favor. This young lady was widowed and away from her homeland so her mother in law suggested she go and seek a relationship with this kind gentleman. They ended up marrying and having a son called Obed. He also married and had a son named Jesse. Jesse went on and had eight sons- one whom he called David. David grew to become King and so the story goes on. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God totally changed the destiny of this woman. She sits in the lineage of not only the King of Israel but the King of the Jews. The Son of David. The Great Messiah, who by His blood would rescue souls. By His Scarlet thread that ran from His Veins to rescue us from our destruction.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We are rescued to be rescuers. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This Scarlet thread is being thrown out today for some ladies who find themselves in brothels with the view of what God is able to do with their lives. They are straddling the fence but they are willing to risk their lives for the life of others- often times their own children. But they need a way out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I think of the ladies I met in Nazaret in 2009 and how they offered rescue to me. On hearing their stories and hearing how God had rescued them, my life was rescued. In restoration phase myself, I found myself repenting of my selfishness and pride that had built up over years of self-righteousness. They rescued me from myself. From my own self destruction so how else could I repay them but to provide their rescue in return.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So a couple of weeks we had a staff retreat out in Koka to evaluate and plan for the upcoming ladies who will enter our house. We talked about Night Visits and the team decided our goal was to let every prostituted woman in Debre Zeit know that there is hope for her through our program. The idea was raised to order some plastic wrist bands that displayed the words that hold our vision : Renewing Hope. But written in Amharic so that every woman would remember that there is hope for her. Especially when she feels hopeless. This is her scarlet thread. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMlwPsPtrovrzNHDHTxQP1V9x99UZS2HIyqOVVQp2y9M5bDQHaENm-o65dzKvXSdGAliTfKI5axJ739bp2lO-FA6tZ06UFHVNHbHk2cQImuLSzwcyhJho4wLX3bXvNiY3cHHYiQhhTi2d/s1600/wristband.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMlwPsPtrovrzNHDHTxQP1V9x99UZS2HIyqOVVQp2y9M5bDQHaENm-o65dzKvXSdGAliTfKI5axJ739bp2lO-FA6tZ06UFHVNHbHk2cQImuLSzwcyhJho4wLX3bXvNiY3cHHYiQhhTi2d/s1600/wristband.png" height="162" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">It's not scarlet but it's orange which is the Ellilta Women at Risk logo color. This is a draft of what we want to produce! </span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You too have an opportunity to throw out a scarlet thread today. Help support the distribution of some of these wristbands for us. We not only want to order some for Debre Zeit but for every city our organization exists in- including for now Addis Ababa and Nazaret. For every one we sell for $2, we can give away 11 to women who need to know there is rescue for them. If we have 80 orders, we can distribute 1000. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you would like to buy one, contact us by email and we will send one out to you. Postage and packaging not included. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Contact michelle.tiatia@gmail.com</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Be blessed!</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16763899519101973918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9213912381414791110.post-16785995879959338762014-09-23T00:14:00.000-07:002014-09-24T07:15:50.530-07:00Transformation <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">From the rural villages of the vast expanse of land that
is Ethiopia, girls travel for miles, for days, from family and familiar to the
door steps of urban settings to find work and a better life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">They are often forced into this situation due to poverty,
large families and lack of educational opportunities. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">They are desperate. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">They
are destitute. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">They are deceived. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Deceived into thinking that this life will be better than
the life they lived before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Often they find work as child slaves, forced into domestic
services without pay, forced out of education with time spent on preparing
food, looking after children and keeping house while their
"employers" work. Often times it's their own families who send them away to help with the work of another family living in the rural setting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As these young girls grow, they try to find work. No
longer able to sustain a living in the home and often ousted because they are
too demanding on the household income. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So they go out onto the street looking for jobs. Work for
an uneducated, inexperienced GIRL is not easy to find. She can get manual
labour but even then she may be rejected.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One of our girls was. "You're too young" she was
told. Maybe by international child labour laws, to work for a internationally
seen institution, she was too young. "Go look for work in a bar" this
young, naive teenage girl was advised. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>Huh. You are too young to chip at cobblestones but you are
not too young to work at a bar.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In this particular case, a case not too uncommon, the girl
was raped. Introduced to drinking and sex by a "friend" who she had
found on the street. This preceded her finding work in a bar where selling
alcohol earned far less than selling her body.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This is actually the typical case study - one that was portrayed last year at one of the Addis Ababa sites of EWAR. One drama that was giggled at by women who knew the story, oh, too. well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Chvt6bjDp8vhGCANKAezVOKVM969iw1dFFn9iW2_V6qinPikESIbjA9L8GE7lPQyHKdrq_nCUH4W9aie1FHoZrj3CAFMUqPSvI3atKkAID8XAZWnNWnd05GKo1uBHO63HwfHxY5MVxUW/s1600/22+ladies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Chvt6bjDp8vhGCANKAezVOKVM969iw1dFFn9iW2_V6qinPikESIbjA9L8GE7lPQyHKdrq_nCUH4W9aie1FHoZrj3CAFMUqPSvI3atKkAID8XAZWnNWnd05GKo1uBHO63HwfHxY5MVxUW/s1600/22+ladies.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It was a story of a girl who came from the rural village to find work, discovered she was incompetent at city life then was befriended by someone who took pity on her. She was raped, she was deceived and she went on to find hope at EWAR. It was a story of survival.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When survival outweighs knowledge, one has to succumb to
survival. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Though they know better. Though they are worth more, if
hope is lost, survival strategies take first priority.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I remember attending my first training with Ellilta Women
at Risk. Unbeknownst to me, it was an ICAP Africa training and it was based
around trauma. There were some amazing speakers there from the Seattle School
and they were preparing the participants on how to deal with trauma in their
ministries. I heard stories that would make most horror films I had seen, sound
lame. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But they were TRUE stories! How could such evil exist? I
thought. And my question was answered over the couple of days I was there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Evil was sent to destroy what Good had intended for all.
It came to destroy beauty. It came to destroy sexual pleasure that displays the
glory of the One who created it to be enjoyed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But I had never anticipated that I would engage with such
stories. That the women who stood outside the houses that lined the streets of
Zion Church would be carriers and victims of such gross evil. In my total
naivety, I never would have imagined that such horrific events would have led
such innocent girls down the path of sexual commercialization. Not JUST the
selling of their bodies, but the giving away of their souls. For free. At a
price that they themselves have paid. Some for years and some since they were
just babies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So, in His intricate design, this Bringer of Hope, placed
together the right people and the right community to rescue these girls from
their despair. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In Debre Zeit, it happened like this. That this broken
mother of five from New Zealand would be flying across the Indian Ocean to join
a team she had met thru a post on Facebook, to join an entourage of ten from
America to be introduced to an organization called Ellilta Women at Risk. Two
years later her and her family were planted in a city where a church who was
desperately trying to reach out to the women working in their location were
needing some extra support. As she had been introduced to EWAR, she then in
turn introduced them. So an alliance was formed against the enemy and the
battle begun in Debre Zeit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPY3XzFwB88cnVAiMMiKsSTue9cVeW7nCkyR2sFPMDs3AWnDTXKc_hlClFXioiXlBUIfpNNwLzmjxg14KT7H84WSnQwEnWp3RVP9-IsED5D1vn8rD_kh9XYOEXGLTt9G7ZbDnai8lvOg9p/s1600/Milestone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPY3XzFwB88cnVAiMMiKsSTue9cVeW7nCkyR2sFPMDs3AWnDTXKc_hlClFXioiXlBUIfpNNwLzmjxg14KT7H84WSnQwEnWp3RVP9-IsED5D1vn8rD_kh9XYOEXGLTt9G7ZbDnai8lvOg9p/s1600/Milestone.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The model was applied into the context of this community
where women enter into their brothels with nothing and they leave with nothing.
So a 24/7 rehabilitation centre was planned and eventually implemented. The
team comprised of workers from Addis Ababa EWAR and staff from Zion Church (aka
Tsion Mekane Yesus Church). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The "team" also expanded across the globe as
people gave to support the cause. Ladies took up responsibility for their
Ethiopian sisters and set up fundraising campaigns, from head shaving ideals,
to yard sales, formal galas and glass blown necklaces with the word
"HOPE" stamped on the front. Their community of support multiplied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiosMMtLK_1c-AvmYHJ3YX-gDyv6fYKO1gAYFhLziS4TzZRLoYFB2rtHrzogyDYZfoofdcKPoCZp5dS5wIpOnlwETXw3WWvCZdJQr58e63ZnjcJSDS0DeQt8_8QLRThN6i1mcw9FyubX5i/s1600/Women.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiosMMtLK_1c-AvmYHJ3YX-gDyv6fYKO1gAYFhLziS4TzZRLoYFB2rtHrzogyDYZfoofdcKPoCZp5dS5wIpOnlwETXw3WWvCZdJQr58e63ZnjcJSDS0DeQt8_8QLRThN6i1mcw9FyubX5i/s1600/Women.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our first drop ins with the ladies who are now graduating from our house</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">On the ground, the EWAR leadership assigned Abrehet (who
was originally a part of the staff in Nazaret who I had met in 2009) to oversea
our site. She put together plans and proposals and instigated our licence
application (and saw it thru up until our latest report.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We had counselors with years of experience come on a
weekly basis to have one on one time in trauma counselling sessions. Other
staff came to deliver the 12 step rehabilitation program, health, skills and
work training components as well as parenting and basic maths skills.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">From the get go we pushed relationship and showed a love
that demanded nothing in return. Nigist (Pastors wife from Zion Church and
social worker in our Hope House) not only executed this policy but also taught
our illiterate girls how to read and write in a short amount of time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We also added a fitness component at the girls request. My
darling husband would leave home at six in the morning to reach the house by
7am to train the girls in resistance exercises and boxing. They. Loved. It.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We ate together, laughed together, cried together and
examined ourselves TOGETHER. We were vulnerable together. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">If there's one thing I love about what Cherry (aka Serawit
Friedmeyer) has taught me and that we have tried to implement in our work, its
that we are all equal. We serve each other equally. We admonish each other
equally. There is no one who is above anyone in our project site.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> If God has created
us all equal, then surely we should act like it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Here is a clip of the work we have seen Him do over the
last seven months. Thank you to all those who have contributed so far! God is
so good!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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