What a week in Ethiopia with Compassion International

Here are some interesting factoids that we learned this week during our visit to Africa. Some of these facts will amuse, some of these facts should alarm you...

Ethiopia celebrated the millennium last September. That's right. The year is 2000. I hope that they are Y2K ready. Ethiopia is seven hours 'ahead' of North Carolina's current time.

Ethiopia was under harsh Communistic rule from 1974-1991. During this dark time, Christians met in underground churches. Democratic elections were held in 2005. The government is stable and people can relatively worship openly.

Ethiopia is located 3 degrees above the Equator and is in its rainy season. Temperatures this week in Addis Ababa (the capitol city where our Compassion Team was located) was mild, in the lower 70s.

HIV / AIDS, poverty and war have killed millions in Ethiopia. 123 out of 1,000 children never make it to their 5th birthday.

The birthplace of Coffee was in southern Ethiopia in the Coffa region. Coffee served with popcorn is a traditional way to invite guests into their home for fellowship. I'm hooked!

80% of the country's people work in Agriculture. Some of the staple crops: Coffee and roses.

Let's go shopping: It takes roughly 9 Ethiopian Birr (dollars) to make up one US dollar.

Most of the population is desperately poor. The average income is just $120.00 a year. Most families live on just $2.00 a month or $24.00 a year!

Ethiopia has skyscrapers, lots of shopping areas, an ever improving interstate road system and internet cafes. You'll also find massive poverty.

Compassion International (along side the local evangelical Christian church) is making a positive difference in Ethiopia...

In Obi Kale, one local evangelical church has grown from 200 to +2,000 members within 12 years since Compassion added a Student Center at their site. From this one church in Obi, three additional churches have been planted. From one child, many families are being transformed. Nearly all of the Compassion sponsored students at the ET-115 project have been baptized as believers in Christ.

When you sponsor a child through Compassion International you literally 'releasing a child from poverty in the name of Jesus Christ'.

"Speak up for the unspeakable, help those in need"

Proverbs 31:8-9

WBFJ will be sharing more in the coming days, weeks and months about how you can become a child sponsor through Compassion International. My family sponsors a young man in Southern India. Pray about getting involved.

Verne Hill (WBFJ News) LIVE from Addis Abba, Ethiopia (Africa)

Ethiopian Runner Takes Gold in Women's 10,000 meter

Go, Ethiopia! Boy, did we have the Olympic fever this afternoon. Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia won the Gold in the Women's 10,000 meter final in Beijing. On top of that, Dibaba also broke some type of world record! How exciting! Here we are in Ethiopia and we get to experience one of their favored athletes take the Gold! Yes, we must admit...we were pulling for her. :)Congrats to Shalane Flanagan of the USA on taking third place and the Bronze.

The Compassion team hurried back to the hotel to watch the much-talked-about Olympic event with some of our Ethiopian brothers in Christ.

Verne Hill (WBFJ News) LIVE from Addis Abba, Ethiopia (Africa)

Friday, August 15, 2008

It has been a unique experience this week, not only seeing the Projects that Compassion International helps to fund, but the way people live and DRIVE as a whole. I believe these people could be some fantastic NASCAR drivers. It is more or less, whoever can make it into the intersection first, has the right-of-way and they are within inches of each other. What should be a two lane road suddenly becomes a four to six lane road. Or a two way road will all of a sudden become a one way road. Not counting the animals in the center of all this chaos. They all seem to know what they are doing, so we duck our heads or hide our face in our hands and pray for the best. It is amazing that I have not seen one crash site. I do know the most important safety feature on a vehicle - THE HORN!!!!

It has been a fun, heart breaking, heart warming, loving, hugging, crying, eye opening experience for not only me, but also the men that are on this trip. The Project today (Friday) seems to be one of the really nice ones, but that is only compared to the others. This does not say they do not need help, because they need many things to help the children grow. The children we saw today were all three years of age and under. There were 50 mothers and 50 babies. These children and their mothers live in an industry area where the mothers are actually not married and some make their living by prostitution. They may have four children, all who are by different fathers. Therefore, the children grow in that kind of environment and when they get to be early teenagers and see what their mothers are doing, they see that as being the way of life and begin their journey in the same direction. Compassion not only tries to find funding (by way of sponsorships) for these children, but they also teach them about Christ. They do not force the issue, but they do teach the children and talk to the mothers about coming to know Christ and how He can make an impact on their life.

I have heard many times this week by older kids, that if it had not been for Compassion, they would probably not be living. A couple of these kids have just graduated from college this year and have already found jobs. One is a Veterinarian and the other is a Water Supply and Environmental Engineer. Both have been sponsored since they were very young. One of them got to meet his sponsor on graduation day. Is that not an awesome ending for a great life rather than no opportunity and no life? Please continue to pray for us as we travel home! Hope to see you soon!!!

The Lord God is my Strength, and he will give me the speed of a deer

and bring me safely over the mountain. Habakkuk 3:19

Cindy Davis (WBFJ)

LIVE from Addis Abba, Ethiopia (Africa)