A Personal Aside

Warning:  this post doesn’t have a whole lot to do with water or sanitation.  However, it does have to do with Ethiopia, and God-given relationships, and redemption so read on!!  Last summer when I was in Ethiopia I got connected to an orphanage in Awassa, Ebenezer Grace Children’s Home (check out their website here).  This amazing ministry is run by Argaw and Rachel Ayele who I am thankful to call good friends.  When I arrived in Awassa last summer Ebenezer Grace had 13 orphaned and abandoned children they were caring for.  When I left Ethiopia last summer after 10 weeks they had 20 kids, and currently Ebenezer Grace has 32 kids!!!  I had the opportunity to visit the orphanage a few days ago, and it is simply bursting at the seams with happy little babies and joyful kids running all around.  When I have down time in Awassa one of my favorite things to do is go and play with the kids at Ebenezer Grace!

With some of the kids at EGCH last summer

Playing with the girls

Emanu, just one of the precious kids at EGCH

One of the children who is dearest to my heart at Ebenezer Grace is Rut (English version is Ruth).  Rut is one of the children who came to live at Ebenezer Grace last summer when I was in Awassa.  At the time, Rut was 10 years old and had been found wandering the streets of a nearby town all alone.  Rut is deaf and when she was brought to Ebenezer Grace last summer she was extremely malnourished, ill, and had to have her head shaved due to lice.  My heart broke for Rut because I couldn’t imagine how frustrated she must have been not to be able to communicate with us and how scared, confused, and lonely she must have felt.  Maybe it’s because I’m a person who’s ok with sharing silence with others, but last summer Rut and I bonded as I would sit beside her holding her hand, smiling at her, and sometimes looking through the pages of a book.

Me and Rut last summer

On this trip back to Awassa I’ve gotten to reconnect with Rut and it has been so awesome so see how God has grown this girl and changed her in the past year.  Though I’m not sure Rut remembered me at first glance, she was soon smiling at me and hugging me as we worked on a jigsaw puzzle together!  Where Rut used to be frustrated and socially out of step, she is now joyful and gets along great with the other girls her age.  This past year Rut has been attending an Ethiopian Sign Language School in Awassa which has helped her in many ways!  The kids at Ebenezer Grace have developed their own style of informal sign language to communicate with Rut as well.  Rut has found her place in the Ebenezer Grace family, and it’s so cool to see the way she communicates and interacts with the other children!

Me and Rut a few days ago

Being with the Ayele's and at Ebenezer Grace really is like a home away from home for me here in Ethiopia :)  I love this country and there is such a rugged beauty here in the people and the land, and I love being a part of the local community here.  I believe that God is using us at Water is Life to break cycles of poverty and usher in individual redemption, and it's incredibly encouraging to see another ministry that is advancing God's kingdom here by loving orphans and broken families!