10.25.2013

Love this quote from a friend 

"Apparently Ethiopia is the land where I am not meant to sleep. A place where my own soul finds peace amidst so much chaos around me.. as it longs to see with the eyes He has given me...

This is my prayer that we go in to this trip with eyes of Jesus not our flesh. It is so easy to want to go into hard places like this and want to bring special sweet things that we are just sure they are missing out on, or even "essentials" that we could not think of living without. What do they really need? What do we really need? Its life... It's love... It's purpose... It's Jesus. So this is our prayer that we bring the knowledge of the bigness of this life... of His love... that they have purpose.... and it all is about and because of Jesus. We have focused on keeping it simple so we can get out of the way and Jesus can change individuals from the inside out... it will penetrate... it will change atmospheres... change a town... change us!

A little glimpse...      There are 4 big conferences that we will be putting on. 1. Our 300 Sponsored Children 2. 80 Women formerly on the streets 3. 500 leaders and Pastors from surrounding area of Hosanna. 4. A 40,000-50,000 people Campaign open to the public. I am greatly anticipating a time I know God has to bring the people of Hosanna, Ethiopia into a deeper knowledge of the power and purposes they posses. It has been evident that God has a very specific word for them this year. The same word is resonating for all... the children, women, leaders and all of Hosanna. "To own and walk out what the Lord has called you to."  " I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."Romans 9:17

Dr. Gemechis Buba and Tim Hatt with another team of 7 will be jumping on to the end of our trip as we put on the Conference for the Leaders and the Campaign open to the whole Community. 

There is an evident and great call on the town of Hosanna! As I have been sitting and listening before the Lord in this last year and from the beginning of our work in Hosanna, God has made it clear He is raising up leaders... calling them out... teaching them... and sending them. So beautiful that He is even calling out our little ones. "I am blessed... I am a blessing" This will be on wristbands passed out to them to live and walk out. Our women will be taught to be encouragers, uplifting one another and that they have power to change another with as they reach out in love and encouragement. Our leaders and town of Hosanna will hear they were created for a purpose, they have a calling and it's their responsibility to walk it out.

                                               MORE ON OUR CHILDREN!!!

Well we are so thrilled to be blessed with a group of women who is right now working on puppets to give to the kids. Each puppet has been donated for us and each one is prayed over while the women are making them. These puppets will be incorporated in our Bible Stories and lessons on how we can reach out and be a blessing to another.  Look for more information in our upcoming Building Bridges Newsletter Coming the beginning of November.

For more information on Puppets for Orphans go to. www.puppetsfororphans.org/index.php

God is doing so much.

10.02.2013

God is doing so much.

So here we are... Lots of new news!!!

-TEAM 2013 is busy preparing to go to Ethiopia, the 11 of us leave on November 12th!

-We are preparing to start our Training Center for the Women, and in the process of purchasing our first 5 looms out of 15 for the women to start in their business of scarf making.

A-Our Sponsored kids, all 301 of them, have now been in school for 2 months!! They have received rations of food, clothing and shoes, going to church together and learning to write to their sponsors! Another team trip from us just solidifies our relationship with them and our long time commitment that we are always here.

-We have with the blessing and help of Hosanna! Church, just purchased a well/ water Point for the children at the Care-Point! Imagine these kids spend most of their day walking to get water from a river. Now they will have access to water right where they are at!!! This should be getting ready to be put in in the next few months.

-We have Dr. Gemechis Buba Traveling down to Hosanna with us to speak at our Leadership Training Conference and then at our Campaign that is open to the public. We expect 30,000-40,000 people to attend this event. Pastor Tim Hatt from Hosanna! Church will also be traveling down to Hosanna with a team of 7 and meeting our Team at the end of our trip.

Itinerary


November 14th Leave Minneapolis

Friday 15th Arrive Addis Ababa

Saturday 16th Ministry to sick in Homes.

Sunday 17th Wedding of Abinet Hailu Leave for Hosanna Ethiopia Check into Hotel and have dinner - Prision Ministry

Monday 18th Sponsored Children

Tuesday 19th Sponsored Children

Wednesday 20th Women’s Conference

Thursday 21st Women’s Conference in morning, Prison Ministry

Friday 22nd (Tim’s Team arrives in Hosanna) Leadership Conference

Saturday 23rd Campaign

Sunday 24th Campaign

Monday 25th Leave for HOME

Tuesday 26th Arrive home



-I, Would love some specific prayers as I will be staying on in Ethiopia after both teams have gone. I am going to spend some one on one time with the Women creating profiles for them, hearing and recording their stories. I am feeling led to press into more of the plight of the prostitutes ring and go visit areas where it is taking place. We visited one busy area several years ago and God brought us 80 women since. What more can we do? What is God calling us to? It will be a powerful sight bringing some of these women who have lived this life to this area and see them be used by God to help many more find freedom.

I will go, and see as God is leading. My heart for the women of this area just is so unsettled. God has given us such favor and we want to see His fullness come!


“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.” Mother Teresa

Here are the pictures of the kids receiving their shoes. For many it is their first pair of shoes. These are great "Croc Like" shoes that can be washed off, are durable, cover their feet and are all the same. We debated on us sending over shoes, but realized the easiest and best way to do this was to purchase them there. While to many it is just a pair of shoes, to these kids it means someone LOVEs them, a sense of BELONGING, and it bring HOPE. They were purchased with the money from the sponsorship program, so a HUGE thanks to all our sponsors. 

MY GOD IS STRONG AND MIGHTY, FOR HE IS ABLE, MY HOPE IS IN THE LORD, AND HE IS FAITHFUL!

Randy Rolfe and Ben Kehl recently went on a Visionary Trip to Hosanna.

Much was accomplished in our next steps in all of the areas we are working in and much progress has taken place in the several months since they have been back.

We are working on getting water-points for easier access for the children in their area. A proposal has been submitted and we are excited! 

We are partnering with FashionABLE in starting sustainable work for our 80 women. These women are literally from the streets and many of our sponsored children are children of these precious women. They are given a chance at life and becoming beautiful women who are able to bring love and change to the community as they themselves receive it from our programing and training them in the true reality of who they are in Jesus.

                                          Check it FashionABLE  www.livefashionable.com 

                   Randy and Ben were able to spend lots of time with the children and the families. 

Please pray for the upcoming plans as we undertake opening a training Center for the women. This will greatly benefit the women, the children and the whole community. We are in the deep of making some big decisions in the direction the Lord wants us to take. 

Also keep in prayer our upcoming October Team trip to Hosanna... and just maybe you are supposed to be with us on that trip! If your interested go to Hosanna's website and look up upcoming trips. The application is there for you as well. Any questions do not hesitate to e-mail me.

We hope to have pictures soon of the children who all just received shoes!!! Yeah this is just so exciting!

Thank you again for all of your love, support and prayers.

Marybeth Rolfe

Mbrolfe@charter.net

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.