Rejuvenated

I am not clear if I am just prone for roller coaster rides, or if that’s pretty much life for most people. After an amazing season of joy, blessings and so, I entered a pretty brutal two month stretch. Well, that stretch is behind me and my team. My team and I are rejuventated and excited about things to come.

So why is that?

Not in an order,

Our boys finished their second full year of school with us. To see the pride and joy in their face after finishing another year and getting through exams is all the rejuvenation a person should ever need. Love it. Bihilu has stood out to me. He is one of our shyest and quietest boys. After exams though these last two weeks he has been off the walls, playing around, laughing, and so loud. Love it.

We have 8 boys on the night school/vocational track. Like our faith expected, we are seeing great things happen with these 8 boys. With different boys trained in different things from finishing work to cooking, each has found an apprentice ship opportunity in the last two weeks. Almost all of them have been offered paying jobs either immediately or after the apprenticeship. Girum stands out in this category because he has always been a tough nut to crack. HE LOVES his cooking training and went out just today eagerly to seek employment. His proud recounting of his experience today was the best!

Another piece to my refreshed spirit is what I believe to be a huge directional blessing from God. My mind is consumed with dreaming, researching, and pursuing some ideas on the business front. I am not ready to spill the beans yet, but I can’t iterate how much this is an answer to prayers and it has giving me so much energy.

Last but not least and definitely the hottest reason, is Sunshine is coming to visit. This is the exact dose of Sunshine I need during Ethiopia’s rainy season. This is just another reminder of God’s provision and His utilization of the amazing support group I have at NCC and beyond. I can’t say enough about how grateful I am and how foolish I feel after spending a couple months fighting self pitty!!!

On a daily basis I wish people could witness, learn, see the things that unfold in our line of work. I get frustrated from wishing everyone had a chance to see the truth about God’s love and grace. Most people who read my blog have seen it I am sure, which makes me pray I will figure out a better way to reach those who have not seen the truth of it all.

PS: I couldn’t figure out how to make the photo’s look better. Oops

Girum is practicing some of his new skills of cooking. He is really good and eager to learn more.

An oldy of Bihilu showing up Brian.. This kid has changed so much.

Big Ermias, myself, Muleken, and Masresha leaving for a needed trip out of the city. I can’t say enough about Ermias, great friend, mentor, brother. Big things are going to come out of our relationship.

SHE IS COMING BACK. Me disheveled, her puuurty as usual in a taxi, through rain the last time she was in Addis.

Compilation

Losing Lilly : Lilly had struggled with the structure of our house over the last couple months. He took off one day, returned, only to take off again. We have not seen him since. Lilly was the boy that showed me his home in a sewer during my fateful trip in March 2009. Losing one of my favorites who I had so much hope for is a punch in the gut. Actually each boy that chooses a different path is a punch in the gut. I sometimes question my sanity, signing up knowingly for such a hard demographic to reach.

Direction: My mind and consequently my teams minds are flooded with ideas to start a social entrepreneurship venture that would solely benefit boys like the ones we work with. The dreaming is exciting, various, and intense as we wait for answers on which direction to take. There is huge opportunity for our boys and the ministry. Networking, researching, partnering, and brain storming is our priority right now. Can’t wait to prove the impossible to be possible via God’s power. We need people’s help in a major way. Resources regarding small business, HR practices, international business, loans, donors and more are just a touch of what I am spending my time on researching.

The Little Things: I am learning to find solace in the little things as I tough out this rough season. Mango’s, Avacodo’s and fresh coffee are just my beginning to taking better care of myself(motivated to do so by approaching marriage). Mango’s represent joy, they are so fun to eat since I learned how to really enjoy them from the boys and their very “unique” way of eating them. Avacodo’s are nostalgic, since the first time I ate them fresh and pealed by my own hands was soon after we and the boys were kicked out of our first house. Coffee.. Represents my dabbling of culture. Coffee began in Ethiopia and I have recently began to buy the beans fresh, roast them, then pound them into powder. It’s a very enjoyable process that the boys often enjoy with me, creating fun banter.

Rainy Season: It fast approaches. It truly is a rainy season, but what compounds it is the seemingly forever without Sunshine. We are praying for a miracle gift for Sunshine to visit me during rainy season. The flights are obviously ridiculously expensive and way out of our budget, but our emailing, Im’ing, skyping (when it works) is wearing on us. Seems like a lot to ask, until I remember what I gave up to be here. So humbly, almost meekly

I am asking

.. Anyone got a spare $1700 laying around?

Boys expressing the values they hold dear through creative arts

This was a great day making coffee by hand as a punishment as we bonded, just a week before two of these boys decided to leave the house. Ugh.

Through the last few months in the house we are teaching a host of life skills to the boys. This is nurse Hanna, volunteering her time to teach them about health.

These three boys are learning finishing work. It is actually a great training and great opportunity for them. Its prob near the best training we have been able to find.

This is not the awesome way they taught me how to eat mangos. They love them as much as I do!

ALEX! I know how to do it!

Burnt Out

This describes me.. I wish I had enough outlets in Ethiopia, but I don’t. Luckily the three guys that live in the house plus Big Ermias, a friend, are going out of town for two days. It is a small but more then needed trip. Leaving the house to the boys is a good challenge for them and it communicates how much we trust trust them.

We introduced Foster Care to parts of Beza and are waiting on the Lord.

We unfortunately lost two of our favorite boys.

We are praying and hoping for other divine ways to build up these boys. The business arena seems to offer many opportunities in Ethiopia. I am moving in that direction in expectant faith, but need God to step in so clearly. It is so fun to dream, but some of the first steps are hard to discern.

Include my burn out in your prayers. I try avoiding it affecting others, but I see it in my relationship with Sunshine, coworkers, and a tiny bit with the boys.