The Cost of Compassion!

The Cost of Compassion

“Let us not underestimate how hard it is to be compassionate. Compassion is hard because it requires the inner disposition to go with others to a place where they are weak, vulnerable, lonely, and broken. But this is not our spontaneous response to suffering. What we desire most is to do away with suffering by fleeing from it or finding a quick cure for it.” ~ Henry Noweun   

     

Isaiah 58:the BIG IF

Did you know that compassion literally means, ‘to suffer with‘?

Another definition of compassion is ‘sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.’

                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                            

When we sing in church, “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord… I want to see You.” Compassion is His answer. You want to see God? Go to the hurting, sit with the broken, help the hungry. You WILL see & feel God all around you. The strongest most beautiful moments with the Lord for me have been when I am with the least of these. Praying with the broken hearted, helping an orphan, speaking truth into the lost, or a gentle touch and a sweet whisper of the Name of Jesus. It was then that Jesus was right before me… as my teacher. This is it!! What we were created for.

I am utterly grateful for a God who SO longs to intimately love & know His people that He allows for nothing besides Him to fill the void, to fill our longing hearts. Do you get that? How crazy He is for you… for those around you?

 I assure you we never feel God’s love more than when we empty ourselves, than when we throw aside temporal things to show His love to the wounded, the lonely, the hurting.

The above Henry Nouwen quote is so true. As wonderful as this journey has been, it has not been an easy one. That’s okay, because God did not call us to a ‘soft’ life. What on earth are we here for if not to love the lost, lean into the forgotten, and lay down our comfy lives for the broken, so that they may ultimately know Him?

For each of us, active compassion will take us down many different roads (not necessarily to Africa!). But all the roads lead to loving more, giving more, and ultimately leading a broken world into the compassionate arms of Jesus.

The cost of compassion…

If it means living a ‘smaller’ life…

If it means having less time for TV & less money for manicures…

If it means giving up vacation time to go love on some orphans half a world a way…

If it means suffering with the forgotten & lonely…

I’ll humbly pay it over & over again, knowing that my Jesus paid the ultimate price.

Let these words encourage you, for what you have done is a great blessing. Continue to let God use you in your everyday. THANK YOU for your commitment and obedience to change lives for the town of Hosanna.

Marybeth Rolfe

His Abundant Love

Isaiah 63:7

“I will recount the steadfast love of the LORD, the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love.”

The abundance of His steadfast love

God has more than enough love for you. It won’t run out. It’s in never-ending supply. It’s always there, it’s always fresh, it’s always available.

This reminds me of the deep, love of Jesus, and the constancy of God. It is vast, unmeasured, boundless and free. 

 This video is just a small glimpse of the vastness of Gods goodness, love and promises for our precious loved ones in Ethiopia. His love is real. His love Shapes. His love Shakes and His love never stops.

As I sit and take in all that God has done in the last 4 years to bring two communities together, I can't help but to think of His great Love. I am overwhelmed at how much He loves. He loves the people of Ethiopia, His heart breaks, His heart yearns for them to know how precious and honored they are in His sight. Then I can't help to feel the joy of His crazy love for me... for US. To walk this path, to see the work of His hands. To BE. Be His hands and feet. Nothing compares. 

A glimpse of His love. 

Just since November Gods hand at work:

1. 71 men women, and children Baptized in the new church we started from our Care Point. 

2. 2 more babies who were in great trouble and need, added to our sponsorship... 2 more families saved. Makes 302 children!!

3. Looking into purchasing a motorcycle for our Care Point. (Can't wait to share about this... God is so cool!) This is to reach the kids that are all over the country side.

4. Muslims are hearing being affected by our care-point and coming to the church!

5. Proposal for our Land was written and sent to the Mayor of Hosanna and excepted!

6. Randy and I just returned from the Africa Partners' Conference at Children's Hope Chest Headquarters in Colorado Springs. The sponsorship coordinators from around the country met with Hope Chest staff and the Africa Country directors from Uganda, Swaziland , and Ethiopia. This was a time os crazy God encounters, God stories, Gods encouragement and GOD"S LOVE. Blessed to say the least. 

PRAYERS FOR OUR UPCOMING TRIP

-Randy will be leading a small team of business minded men who will be assessing the need with the Mayor of Hosanna and prayerfully considering what God wants to do with the land. It's about 10-15 acres and there is so much potential. EXCITING! 

 PLEASE PRAY FOR COMPLETE CLARITY FOR WHAT GOD WANTS TO DO WITH THIS LAND HE HAS GIVEN.

-We are also looking into partnering with a women's ministry form Adis. They teach women to make scarfs and train them in a holistic way. We are excited about this as this will help out 80 women we are working with that have come off the street and now following Jesus. (you see them in the video) :)

-Encouraging the Pastors and leaders in Seminary

-Assessing further needs of the children and the Care-point and a "Daddy's blessing" as the men go and love on the children.

             high marble summits I can see you there,

On the wild churning ocean I can feel you there,
On the cold autumnal air I can sense you there.
During my loneliness – I know you are there.
Through troubled waters you hold me there,
In my darkest hours I can see you there,
And when we reject you – you are still there.

Food distribution

      

                                                          

Here are a couple recent picture of the kids at the Hosanna Care point receiving their monthly portion of food. They portion out many types of rice, beans, wheat, flour and Teff. This is enough food for a household to eat for a month. They are given what they need to make injera. Injera is a type of food made from Teff (Wheat.) It is rolled out like we would think of a tortilla and their main meal is placed on top. They tear a piece of the injera off and pick up the food with it and eat it like that. Injera is eaten for Breakfast lunch and dinner. 

Children!

Wonder

 Stories

Life

JOY

Sweetness

Song

Chosen

Blessing

Togetherness

Fun

Friendship

Healing

The women!

BelovedBeautiful

 Wanted

Loved

 Clean

Healing

New Creation

A spoken Blessing

A touch of Blessing

Bonding

 Queen Esther

 "Such a time as this"

 His presence fills 

Hope Restored

 Prayer 

Surrender

Highlights of our trip

Wanted to say thank you for all the prayers and support to those who have been there for each one of the 2012 team to Ethiopia. They were felt that is for sure. What a trip! God did far more then we could have ever dream or imagined! 

A few highlights are.

1. Passing out care packages to the 300, teaching them about Jesus and getting to know and love on them all. We actually spent 4 days with them, what a blessing!!

2.  Meeting with over 60 of the Seminarians and bringing words of love and blessings from Hosanna, Lakeville to the Hosanna Seminarians. After the big meeting with the Seminarians, 3 of us met with the 9 Seminarians that we are sponsoring. It was such a joy to hear their stories and what they are going to do as soon as they graduate. It was a blessing to get to know the Seminarians that we are sponsoring to go to school.

3. A Transforming Women's Retreat. See excerpt below from my blog. (a highlight to say the least)

4. When at the hotel a couple from Texas greeted me. They had been following our ministry for the last couple of years. They apparently knew we were coming and hoped they would see us in Hosanna. I was amazed at the God connection and more amazed when I heard their hearts. They have three children and are currently living in Addis. They have started a ministry in Addis with women off the streets now making beautiful scarves that are being sold in stores like Nordstoms and Macy's. I was so excited as getting the women in jobs so they can be sustainable are our next steps we have been praying about. This is something we have been working on for 2-3 years, but everything seemed not feasible, or not the right timing. We introduced them with our women staff and then went to meet their ministry when we were in Addis. We will continue to keep in contact to see what the Lord does to see if we can bring the scarf making to our 80 women.

5. In a matter of two days I got to speak at the church service of a wedding in Hosanna Ethiopia and skype in at Hosanna! prayer chapel, for dear friends wedding who had just come to know the Lord recently and wanted to renew their vows. How fun is that!

6. The mayor of Hosanna came and presented to me a plaque for Hosanna, Church for all we have done for the town. He offered to give us any land we wanted to pursue our work!! This brought me to tears, as buying any type of land in Ethiopia is a difficult process. Humbled to say the least as we see Gods hand and favor over and over. 

7. With the sponsorship money and building that is being rented, a church was planted out of it as well! Yeah God!  I was very impressed with how they were very strategic on picking the children from all over the country side as to reach out to the Muslim area, and then to hold church services for all the children women and anyone in the area. Pastor Solomon is now the Pastor and his wife Fantu is the women in charge of bringing the 80 women to the Lord. They use this building for the children women and the church. Our vision for it all coming together is happening.

8. Met with Tesfa from Hope Chest and discussed much about the project. I walked away thrilled and excited about all of it.  I learned that out of the 20 care Points we are by far the largest one most are only 150. We enjoyed so much getting to know the Hope Chest staff, Alex who was our translator and helped us with the children. Impressed with them and so thankful to partner with them, and God connection for sure.

 9. Many healings inside and out. See below.

10. God is strategically placing people to work with us in our ministry that are solid and steadfast in Hosanna and in Addis. I am so thankful for this. We have such a "family like" connection to many and it just feels so right and is so needed as we continue to work in Hosanna from so far away. God is making it all possible and with a "holy ease."

11.Last but not least our team was incredible! All brought gifts and used them to be stretched and used by God. We did not have our luggage for 4 days, it was all apart of what God was doing in each and everyone. Everyone handled it amazingly as we remembered the words I kept feeling God was telling us before the trip. To be flexible and simple. LOL kind of fits doesn't it.

I had a word from Gemechis before I left on the trip. That my faith would be stretched, and that he saw me talking to Jesus and asking Him how will I know when to step, and Jesus answered just follow me. This is truly what this trip was like for me. I went from one thing to the next knowing full well He was with me, and confident in what it was HE wanted to say and do in and through me with the team, speaking and working with people. I think I said on several occasions. Jesus is our teacher, and I kept feeling Him in front of me. I was never tired, slept like a rock and at peace the whole time. 

Again Thank you for all your help support, love and sponsorship to help us further His Kingdom.