VISITING A LOCAL ORPHAN SPONSORSHIP PROJECT

Visited an American Adoption Agency today who is offering sponsorship programs to local kids here today. Met a young girl who was about 10 and is in grade 4. Both of her parents are deceased and she is being cared for by a neighbor or friend of her mother's who was complaining that she can't keep her and wants her to have a family. She spoke some English, telling me her age and her grade and saying "I'm fine thank you." This U.S. agency is sponsoring 19 kids who are orphans but living with grandmas or aunts and uncles. Some kids were living with servants from their parents' house. Many of the kids who were with their guardians to receive their 200 birr (about 24 U.S. dollars) also have siblings. This little girl did not have siblings. Another little girl was 7 and had a 3 year old baby sister and was living with her mother's brother. I asked the man why this U.S. agency does not place these children and he said their criteria is 5 and under to be sent to Addis for adoption. There is highest demand for this age group. Anyway, after I asked the question inquiring about their criteria, the man started telling me all the chidlren's bad situations like "this one has both parents dead and her grandmother here is very ill" or "this is his father, he has an older brother who is 10 and a younger brother who is 3...he is 7. His father has HIV and is dying and their mother has already died." Anyway, it is becoming so much more apparent that while there ARE babies and toddlers in Ethiopia needing homes, there are an over-abundance of children with stories like these...much like the kids being promoted this week on the radio broadcasts in the U.S. They deserve loving famlies...so I am praying more famiies are moved to action. The man, in front of this little girl, looks to Steve and I and says, "can you find her a family and we can process it?" Steve and I didn't know what to do other than to take her picture. It made our hearts hurt. I'm so thankful for everyone's efforts on behalf of orphans. Our church holds a 5K tomorrow to raise funds. Surely God is moving