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News 12/1/04 - iCARE is excited to be exploring a new ministry where we will attempt to provide support for up to 100 children, 50 in Mettu and 50 in Jimma, who have lost their parents to HIV/Aids. We are extremely pleased that Rev. Bill Cox has agreed to come on board to lead this part of the iCARE ministries. Bill is the newest member of the iCARE Steering Committee. The Partnership and iCARE Steering Committees are exploring details and options necessary to define and resource this ministry. More information will be made available when we have the details and plans together and are ready to launch this ministry. February 26, 2004 Dear iCARE Sponsors and Friends, I write this with Ethiopia still fresh on my mind. Just a few weeks ago I returned from a trip to that ancient land of great beauty with four others from Harrisonburg’s First Presbyterian Church - two pastors, a deacon, and a pediatrician. We traveled from Addis Ababa to Jimma where we signed a partnership agreement with the Mekane Yesus Church. Our adventures were many and we beheld many strange sights: the nostrils of a hippopotamus coming up for air in a river before plunging back into the watery depths, a village woman being dragged across the rocky road by a mule, a naked man wandering the streets of Jimma, a man riding a horse while carrying an umbrella, and a woman with rabies who was so hydrophobic that she flung out her arm to ward off a bottle of water. Some of us were casting out demons while others of us were swaying to African chants. One pastor found humor in being asked to carry a lost chicken in his lap on our road trip to Jimma while another, when speaking to university students, was chastised for speaking of dating (it seems that dating is unacceptable among respectable Ethiopians). We found many reasons to smile and many reasons to cry in this land of sharp contrasts. And through our laughter and our tears, we developed a fierce love for the people we came to know. Surely God has bestowed great blessings of spiritual richness on the Christians of Ethiopia. But it is mostly of the Gore Home near Mettu that I write. And the most important fact about the Gore Home is that BRIAN IS KING. This is written tongue-in-cheek, of course, but it is true that Brian Gilchrest is known and admired and loved all over Ethiopia and especially at the children’s home. The home’s on-site administrator, a tall, lanky man named Alemavu, pointed out the water tower, beehives, kitchen, laundry and toilet and bathing facilities, and girls’ housing facility that Brian designed and built. Brian and his wife. Telile, are currently enrolled at Eastern Mennonite University, and it is their deepest wish to return to Ethiopia to work out God’s plan for them. Once I asked Alemayu what were the greatest needs of the home and without hesitation, he said, “Computers. Computers and books.” So perhaps this is a project in which we can involve ourselves some day. The children attend a government school in the highland village of Gore, but Brian set up a small library inside the home’s compound where the children can gather to study. I was surprised to learn that the government does not have enough textbooks to go around, that each book is shared by four or five students. It makes sense, then, for the children to have a place to gather for study. Alemayu and his wife live on site and care for the children much as parents would. Mrs. Alemayu (well, I didn’t catch her name) is especially sensitive to the physical and spiritual needs of the female students and holds regular devotionals for the girls. Members of our church were able to gather vitamins, first aid kits, eyeglasses, and school supplies to deliver to the home. I think Alemayu was a bit overwhelmed by the huge volume of vitamins, and he did have questions about distributing the eyeglasses without benefit of an ophthalmologist, but the needs there are great, and we felt like we were contributing in a meaningful way. One of the greatest challenges of serving on the iCARE Steering Committee is having to refuse offers of help - sponsors want to send extra money, gifts of clothes and books and toys and medicines - so it was a great feeling finally to be able to bring these much-needed supplies to the children. Lynn Connette, who works with the Presbyterian Hunger Program, is traveling to Ethiopia in late March. She has agreed to hand-deliver any letters our iCARE sponsors might want to write to the children we sponsor or even to Alemayu. Please enclose your letter in an envelope marked with your child’s name and “Gore Home,” then put it in a larger envelope and mail to: Reverend Lynn Connette Please have your letters to her by March 20 so she can pack her things accordingly. Also, please remember the general rules of writing to your child: Keep letters short and simple as they will probably have to be translated. Talk about (and send pictures of) your family, children, work, hobbies, your relationship to Jesus, your church and your involvement in it, the weather, and aspects of natures. Ask your child about his/her life and about school and church. Avoid talking about material possessions, politics, or the possibility of your child visiting the U.S.A. Acceptable gifts to include with your letter include pictures, greeting cards, book marks, or pages from a coloring book. Are you intrigued enough
about Ethiopia to learn more about it? An opportunity for greater
understanding of this culturally wealthy country is coming our way
soon. Mark your calendars for September 17 when the Reverend John
Haspels, missionary to Ethiopia, will be speaking at the Annual Partnership
Banquet in Winchester (more specific details TBA). Members of the
iCARE Steering Committee will be present at the banquet to discuss
any concerns you might have. Also, I plan to have a picture of each
iCARE child with me at the banquet to distribute to sponsors. Hope
to see you there!
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