With the start of the new year, Casey and I are gearing up for a new project, one that we’ve been praying and thinking about for several months. As we’ve said many, many times before, God has used Africa, Ethiopia specifically, to change us. We will never be the same.

But we’ve discovered, as we sink back into the softness of home, that “never being the same” is more of an action and a choice than it is a state of being. We could quite easily set aside all that we’ve seen, and become again what we used to be. Part of the way we are avoiding that is by staying active in our pursuit of justice for the poor and oppressed.

To make a long story short, as we were preparing to bring Evelyn home, we began conversations with our friend Aaron Klein about pursuing some mission work in Ethiopia. Aaron was planning a vision trip to Africa, and promised to come back with a plan.

While in Ethiopia, Aaron was introduced to a new primary school in the village of Adami Tulu that is in great need of assistance. The Adami Tulu school opened in January of 2010, the result of a partnership between Lifesong for Orphans and Adami Tulu Meserete Kristos Church. They currently serve about 80 children.

Many of the students at Adami Tulu are single or double orphans, living with their one living parent or with extended family. All of the children are at-risk children, living in severe poverty. As part of the school day, the children are given a hot breakfast and lunch. For many of them, this is the only food they get, and being able to eat at school allows their parents or extended family to continue to support them at home. Otherwise many of these children might be relinquished to orphanages.

The education they receive emphasizes English and computer literacy, a skill-set that will hopefully lead them to more prosperous lives than their parents lead.

Here’s the problem: the Adami Tulu school needs to grow. They have had to turn many children away because they don’t have room. We will be joining Aaron and Cacey Klein, along with several others, to raise $35,000 which will be used to build a new four-room classroom building for the school. This will allow them to double enrollment, educating and feeding even more at-risk children from the community. Casey and I have set the goal of raising at least $7,000 of that $35,000.

You can read a little more about the project here.

Then in August, we will travel to Ethiopia with a team to assist in the construction effort, run a small medical clinic, and perhaps host a VBS-type program for the kids.

These children live only miles away from the villages where Josiah and Evelyn were born. We cannot help but see our precious kids when we look into their faces. We are so excited to have this chance to help them.

Are you interested in helping us? If so, please let us know. There are many ways to be involved.

If you want to make a donation toward this cause, you can donate through Paypal directly to Lifesong for Orphans for the Adami Tulu project at this link. This is a tax-deductible donation.

We already have several fundraising projects in the works and will be sharing more info soon.

Donate Now!