One month mark

Well as of yesterday it has been exactly four weeks that our documents have been in Ethiopia and that we have been waiting for a referral. I have to admit I am getting very impatient! It is hard to have to wait!

In the meantime, I have been doing a lot of reading on related topics:

• I read a WONDERFUL book which I wholeheartedly recommend, "I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla: Raising Healthy Black and Biracial Children in a Race-Conscious World: A Guide for Parents and Teachers." Written by a black psychologist with two children of her own, it is extremely practical and offers so many insights into how children perceive race, the different issues black children will face and how as parents we can minimize those issues.

• "Codeword: Catherine," written by a missionary who lived in Ethiopia and helped the grandchildren of the late emperor Haile Sellassie escape out of Ethiopia during the revolution in the 70's. Sad but great story that offers a glimpse into the somewhat recent history of Ethiopia.

• "Too Small to Ignore: Why Children Are the Next Big Thing", by Dr. Wess Stafford, the president and CEO of Compassion, Intl. It's an amazing story that details his growing up in a remote tribe of Africa as the son of missionary parents and talks about why it's so important to help children in need, and why children need to be valued more than they are.

• And I'm currently reading "Notes From the Hyena's Belly: An Ethiopian Boyhood" , which is also pretty interesting. It is an autobiography by Nega Mezlekia, an Ethiopian man who grew up in Jijiga, Ethiopia. It is definitely more of a cynical look at life in Ethiopia, as opposed to a memoir full of warm, happy memories. It also has a lot to say about the revolution of the 70's.

Tough decision

AAI faxed us Mimi and Yonas' information today, and we have decided that, sadly, we do not feel called at this time in our lives to take on that magnitude of a challenge. Their medical conditions appear much more complicated than we had believed, especially Mimi's, who in addition to nystagmus exhibits some behavior that could potentially be autistic (or best-case related to neglect.) Our hearts go out to these kids and we hope and pray that they will find a family very, very soon. They are of utmost value in God's eyes and their special needs make no difference to their worth or value. It is comforting to know that He is looking out for them.

It is a hard call to make because the bottom line is that they need a loving home regardless of whatever problems they may have (and really, especially BECAUSE of their problems), and I also believe God will give you the strength and grace to do His work. However we have decided to wait for a more manageable situation. There will always be unknowns and challenges with children, no matter who they are and where they're from, but right now we don't feel like we are wanting to take on what could be serious developmental disorders. Someday down the line this may change, but for now we will continue waiting for a referral of somewhat healthy infant twins (though will of course remain open to waiting children as well.)

So please continue praying for a referral to come soon, and also keep Mimi and Yonas in your prayers. We will keep you posted!

And we're STILL waiting...

Yet another post to say that we still haven't received Mimi and Yonas' medicals and background info! I contacted AAI today and they said that it was mailed exactly a week ago. Who knows what happened to it? They said to let them know if it didn't arrive today or tomorrow and that they would resend it if it hadn't. I let them know it didn't come today and that I'll contact them tomorrow as well. I also asked if these papers could be faxed--Kevin has access to a fax machine at work.

We are both very anxious to look over the information and make a decision! I am hoping that we will be able to do so very soon!

Still waiting

I just wanted to write a quick update to essentially say that we have no update! Mimi and Yonas' information has still not arrived in the mail so we are still waiting anxiously. :) I would imagine it would be here today--of course I said that Saturday, too!

Mimi and Yonas

I just wanted to update you all on our latest adoption "news." We are now considering two of the "waiting children" from the video our adoption agency mailed us this past month. Waiting children are kids who are waiting right now in either an orphanage or our agency's care center in Ethiopia. (As opposed to basically us being the waiting ones for children to come into AAI's care.) They are either older children or younger special needs children.

There are two children from the video that we are looking at, a 7 month old baby girl, Mimi, and a 12 month old baby boy, Yonas. The girl has a correctable eye problem and the boy had meningitis as an infant, spent a bit of time in the hospital, and while he's currently healthy and has made great progress since coming to the orphanage, he's still a little behind developmentally (which makes sense.) Our agency normally doesn't place more than one non-related child at the same time, however they often do make exceptions for special needs kids as they are, sadly, more difficult to place.

So we will see! Yesterday our agency mailed us their lab reports, medical histories, photos, etc. so we should receive those within a few days. We will probably consult with a physician about their medical issues. Please pray that God will give us confidence and joy in whatever we decide. At this point we are very, very interested. We've always been open to special needs adoption (of course as far as we know the "needs" of these children are very minor.)

Above this post (I can't figure out for the life of me how to add a picture to this post) are pictures of little Mimi and Yonas. Mimi, in addition to her eye problem (some mild form of nystagmus we're told, which is where your eyes sometimes flicker back and forth involuntarily; she's been fitted for glasses which they say will correct the problem), is also malnourished, but she is one of the most gorgeous babies we have ever seen. Just beautiful. (The picture is taken off of the DVD so it's poor quality and you can see the reflection of our lamp on her head but oh well.) Yonas just seems full of personality and seemed to be a favorite of the person narrating the video.

We will keep you all posted and thanks so much for your prayers!

Dossier and Cruise

Some exciting adoption news: this week our dossier was mailed to Ethiopia! This means that we are now on "the list" and eligible for a referral. What THAT means is that as soon as a pair of siblings comes into AAI's care over in Ethiopia that matches our request (siblings under 2, at least one girl) and that no one higher up on "the list" is interested in, we will be notified and have the option to accept the children. Very exciting!

However, from all reports, it will probably be somewhat of a long wait. We're trying to settle in and not be impatient, though it's hard! We would love your prayers during this time, that God would be watching over our children, wherever they are, and that He wouldn't make us wait TOO long. :)

We just took our first real "vacation" since we've been married: a cruise to Mexico (Royal Carribean) at the end of September and had a fantastic time (minus what I will refer to as the "forgotten driver's license dilemma.") Lots of good food--I think we must have gained about ten pounds each! We left out of Los Angeles (San Pedro) on a Monday evening and docked in San Diego the next morning. Monday afternoon, right after boarding (thank you to my mother who saved the day by rounding up people at Creston School to repeatedly fax my driver's license to US Customs officials until they finally got a fax that was clear enough for them-boy were they picky), we enjoyed a big buffet style lunch. Then we hung out until it was time to go to dinner. We got to sit by some really awesome people, Sheila and Megan, who we really enjoyed getting to know over the course of the cruise. That evening we checked out some of the entertainment aboard the ship. We also took advantage of the late-night (11 p.m.!) Mexican buffet.

The next morning we docked in San Diego. After sleeping in (I referred to our room as a dungeon, as it had no porthole and was pitchblack 24/7 unless you had the lights on), we had a big breakfast onboard and set off to explore the San Diego shore. We got to see some really neat ships, and also went to the top of the Hyatt to see a BEAUTIFUL view of San Diego, the water, etc. We headed back onto the ship for lunch. Kevin entered a ping-pong tournament, but unfortunately lost in the third round. Most of the people playing weren't as good as him (we own a ping-pong table for goodness' sake!), but he had to play one of the best people in the third round. Kevin climbed the rock wall that afternoon as well, and we spent some time up on the pool deck. More good dinner and company and entertainment that evening.

Wednesday morning we arrived at Catalina Island. We got up early and took the ferry to the island (about a ten-minute trip)--the big cruise ship drops anchor a ways off-shore. We went kayaking and it was an amazing way to see part of the island. It was also a lot of work! We walked around for awhile, ate lunch at a cantina and went on the glass-bottom boat. We headed back to the boat late in the afternoon. I took a nap while Kevin went back to the rock wall. :) That night was formal night. We got dressed up and attended the "Captain's Gala" in the big theater. There were complimentary appetizers and drinks, which was fun. The ship's captain, from Norway, came out and talked about the ship. Not too exciting but it was fun being waited on and being dressed up. Afterwards we headed off to dinner. We stayed up late to enjoy the amazing midnight dessert buffet, complete with ice- and chocolate-sculptures. It was quite a sight to behold! We were so exhausted however that we downed our food and went to bed.

Ensenada was the final stop on the cruise. Thursday we got up early, ate breakfast, and got onto a charter bus to go to Fox Studios Baja. The studio was built to film "Titanic" and some of the sets are still up. They have the old car from the movie, for example. It was pretty neat to see all of the recognizable scenes. They also had some displays from "Planet of the Apes" and some other movies too.

The neatest part of Ensenada, however, was the bus trip to the studios. It was about an hour-long trip through Ensenada and then up the BEAUTIFUL coast. It was so neat to see a bit of Mexico and learn some of the history behind the country from the tour guide. The last night on the cruise we enjoyed some time out on the deck looking out on the vast ocean. Pretty amazing. (I think the cruise rekindled my enjoyment of traveling--I can't wait to go to Africa!)

Friday morning we returned to San Pedro, and drove home. The cruise was tons of fun but we were both so happy to get back home to Anna!!!! We missed her terribly--I think it was too long to be away. But we had a great time and she had a WONDERFUL time with Grandma and Grandpa Perruzzi. I hear she even got to treated to breakfast at Starbucks!

That's the latest news here. Please keep us, our adoption, and Ethiopia in your prayers!

Wonderful Article

This is an amazing and touching article that appeared in the New York Times Magazine in 2002. It is written by Melissa Fay Greene, an award-winning professional author who adopted through AAI (our agency). The "Enat House" that she refers to is the AHOPE orphanage that Brianna has previously written about. Check it out here.

Related Developments

A few months ago, Brianna's dad, Steve Perruzzi, seeking to start a pen-pal relationship with a school in Africa for his 6th grade class, came in contact with Peter Amunga, a teacher and school chaplain at Kisumu Day High School in Kenya. What started as simply correspondence quickly blossomed into a beautiful outpouring of generosity and real assistance, much of it initiated by the kids themselves. Click here for a write-up that the San Luis Obispo Tribune did on what has become "Project Kenya."

Since I'm not sure how long the Tribune leaves articles on its site, here is the text in its entirety:

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Posted on Sun, Sep. 25, 2005

Creston students reach out to Africa
Elementary students who started with money, now give bicycles
By Nick Wilson
The Tribune

Kenya has severe poverty and widespread AIDS, and some children run to school past wild animals.

Students at Creston Elementary in northern San Luis Obispo County enjoy the comforts of bus and car rides and drinking fountains, and they run on the schoolyard grass during recess games.

The distance between the two areas is great, and Kenya may seem like another world to Creston youngsters. But sixth-grade elementary school children in the tiny North County town feel for struggling youngsters in the African country -- and are working to help some of them in a vital way.

Students in teacher Steve Perruzzi's class started by donating their own money to support a 10-year-old girl whose parents and younger sister died from AIDS. Now, they are providing bicycles to help Kenyan children get to and from school, Perruzzi said.

Since school started Aug. 24, students have raised $79.16 for the girl and $134 for the bikes -- money that goes a long way in Africa -- after initially being asked by their teacher to bring a quarter to class each month. They call the effort "Project Kenya.

"Donations are voluntary, and the outpouring of support has impressed and touched Perruzzi.

"I'm always amazed at the heart children have for helping other children," Perruzzi said.

The effort began after Perruzzi's daughter decided to adopt two Ethiopian children. That prompted the teacher to put a posting on a Web site at www.epals.com seeking to form a pen-pal relationship with an African school.

He was contacted by Peter Amunga, a teacher and school chaplain at Kisumu Day High School in Kenya. Amunga was enthusiastic about an e-mail exchange with Creston youngsters, since lessons are taught in English at the western Kenya school.

Initial correspondences revealed to the Creston students that Kisumu City, one of the largest cities in Kenya, has among the highest population of street children in the country since a vast number of adults have died of AIDS. Of the 920 students at the school, located on the outskirts of the city, 258 are orphans.

Children at the Kisumu school range from 8 to 19 years old.

Ten-year-old Lilian Isendi wrote that she runs 45 minutes to class past wild animals such as giraffes. She joked Kenyans are among the best marathon runners because they have to run so much.

Isendi lives with her mother; her father died of AIDS. She lamented having to interrupt studies to retrieve water at a nearby lake since the school building has no running water.

In her writings, she expressed excitement over a visit from two guests from England and a feast they had together.

"I had never been so close to a white man before," Isendi said. "We gawked at them! ...We sang traditional songs. They joined us in a jig. It was fun!"

Creston students have become enthralled with the e-mails and eagerly anticipate them.

"They have to run so far to school," said student Tyler Van Tassel, 11. "I'm surprised they're not attacked (by animals)."

Compelled to help

Before the students got involved, the impressions of life in Africa led Perruzzi to personally want to help. He and his wife donated money for a bicycle for a 12-year-old boy named Oscar Onyango, who was walking four hours a day round trip to school from his grandmother's home. Both of Oscar's parents died from AIDS.

Oscar wrote he was overjoyed to get a new bike. He hopes his education will enable him to become a scientist and find a cure for AIDS.

"I chose a bicycle christened 'HERO,' " Oscar wrote. "I liked its shape and name. I hope to be a hero one time."

Amunga, the Kenyan teacher, leads a humanitarian project called Mission to the Fatherless that helps orphans by giving them meals, raising funds, offering counseling and support, and ensuring basic needs such as school uniforms.

He told Perruzzi about Lavender Bosco, a 10-year-old orphan girl who was burned in a fire at her grandmother's thatched hut. She was recovering in a hospital and needed $32 a month for food and clothes.

So Perruzzi asked his students to get involved, urging them to donate a quarter a month. Students started bringing in their spare change.

"It's good to be able to help and make a difference and learn about their lives," said Amanda Gutierrez, 11.

So far, the Creston students have donated $79.16 to help Bosco -- putting their donations in a black metal box with a slit for money, welded by Van Tassel.

The cost of a re-conditioned Kenyan bike is $50, and Van Tassel donated the entire amount for one. Students Justin Hunt and Ryan DeBusk also joined together to donate a bike.

At the end of the month, Perruzzi plans to wire about $300 for five new bicycles from staff and student contributions.

Meanwhile, Perruzzi said he has formed a long-distance friendship with Amunga, and they share the Christian faith.

"We both knew our getting together was not an accident," Perruzzi said.

The American teacher and his wife have donated money for three bikes. And Perruzzi said he hopes to visit Kisumu City.

As far as the students' efforts, "Project Kenya" will continue at least through the end of the year and into the future, Perruzzi said.

"The generosity and compassion shown by my students has been a genuine blessing to me," he said.

Nick Wilson covers North County education for TheTribune. He can be reached at (805) 238-2720 ext. 20 or nwilson@thetribunenews.com.
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There was also an article in the Atascadero News about it. (I couldn't find that one online so if anyone has a link or a softcopy of it, email it to me at kevinheldt@hotmail.com and I'll include it here as well.)

You can also read about the little girl they are sponsoring (Lavender Bosco), the "Bicycle Blessings" program (read Oscar's story), and read a story by Lilian Isendi, a 10-year old at the school here.

As a result of the newspaper exposure, several others have contacted Steve wanting to help, including a man from Kenya who resides in Paso Robles. God is definitely at work, and it is truly amazing to see Him working in such visible and tangible ways. In looking at the endless need in this world, we tend to assume that to accomplish any real good requires something far surpassing what we have. But we forget that so often God chooses to work on a small scale, in the individual hearts moved to help a fellow human being in need. And in doing that, He accomplishes so much more than moving resources from point A to point B. Just ask the kids in Mr. Perruzzi's class.

Dossier mailed off!

Well today we are mailing our dossier off! This is happening much faster than we'd anticipated. It was supposed to be a few weeks before our homestudy would be written up/notarized, but apparently the first draft is already at AAI for review and we were told to go ahead and send in our dossier!

This marks the end of any real "work" on our part (well until the children are home!) and begins the "waiting" phase. As far as I know we may be eligible for a referral in as little as two weeks, which technically means we could be matched with our children in as little as two weeks!! Crazy! It could also take months, for that matter. It all depends on what children are coming into AAI's care.

Today AAI mailed us the DVD of waiting children at the orphanage. Most likely our children will not be on this video (as infant twins or super young siblings are not generally "waiting" as there are generally people wanting to take them) but it's possible. At any rate it will be so neat to see the orphanage and see all the children we'll eventually get to meet when we travel there. Hopefully it'll be here in a couple of days!

So that's that. Thanks to all for your prayers and well-wishes. It feels good to have the paperwork behind us!

Moving Forward!

Well our homestudy is finished! We are now just waiting on the social worker to write it up (should probably be a few weeks.) She is approving us for the adoption of two little ones from Ethiopia! We are so happy to have this behind us. It's been a draining day-and-a-half, but it went well and things should go smoothly from here. God gave us the words to say and continues to bless the adoption.

The homestudy itself was a little nerve-wracking. A social worker from Ventura (actually a licensed Marriage/Family Therapist who does this on the side) came to our home Sunday afternoon. We were both a little nervous and unsure what to expect. She toured our home and asked tons of questions. :) She interviewed the two of us together and then Kevin by himself. Then today she came and interviewed me by myself. She seemed to think we did well and was extremely impressed by little Anna, who was all smiles and her usual charming self. :) The social worker shared with us a little about some issues we may face in adoption and was overall very encouraging.

In a few weeks, once our homestudy is notarized and written up and sent to our adoption agency (AAI), we will mail our dossier to AAI (miraculously it's all ready to go) and that will be sent off to Ethiopia where it will be translated, etc. Once that happens, we'll be eligible for a referral and the waiting begins!! We hope the wait won't be long but you just never know. It could be pretty much instantaneous, or could take several months.

So that's where we're at. We're thanking God that everything is going so well so far!

Homestudy update!

We officially have a social worker! She is out of Ventura and called me today. Looks like we'll be doing our homestudy on Sunday and Monday! We are so happy as this is a lot sooner than we had thought it would be. It will consist of interviews at our home. Please pray that all goes well and that we survive. :) At the soonest we could be "approved" in a few weeks I would think, and at that point we would send our dossier to AAI. At the rate things seem to be going, it appears we could possibly be eligible for a referral within a few months!

We're very grateful that we don't have to travel at all for our homestudy (our social worker's mom lives in Santa Maria so that's why she'll be in town this weekend!)

Fingerprinting

So yesterday we got our fingerprints taken at the CIS (used to be INS) office down in Goleta. Quite the experience.

Anna and I picked up Kevin from work and went over to the office. The employees were extremely unfriendly (maybe trying to be professional?) and there was fully a bouncer-type who meets you at the door to find out what you want and to tell you what to do, etc. First he said we couldn't have a drink in there so Kevin had to take it outside. (They let Anna keep her milk thankfully!) The place was dead silent except for Anna babbling away. I was worried they were going to make her go outside! After filling out some paperwork and giving them our ID's they took our prints. Kevin's went fine but apparently my fingers are too small or something, so he kept having to do them over (they do them electronically). He was twisting my pinky finger and pulling it in ways it wasn't meant to bend trying to get enough of it on the screen, which was extremely painful and my whole hand ached for a long time afterwards!

Luckily we finally made it out of there. As a result of our visit Anna can now say the President's name. There in the office there's a picture of President Bush on the wall. Kevin was holding her and said, "That's President Bush" to which Anna responded, "Bush." So now she likes to say "Bush." Very cute.

All of that to say that on our end we are basically done with CIS. Now we just wait for approval from them (our homestudy has to be done before they can give final approval).

On the homestudy front, they said that they are in the process of assigning us a social worker. I don't know how long that will take.

Those are the only updates for now. It's so nice to have the fingerprinting behind us!

Michael W. Smith and Activism

I've been meaning to post something about this but until now have forgotten. Kevin and I attended a Michael W. Smith concert at the end of July at the Mid-State Fair (yes we're fans of his cheesy 1980's pop music!) We were thrilled to learn that he had joined forces with U2's Bono to launch the "ONE" campaign which is the latest effort by DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) to save Africa from the AIDS epidemic. This is what he says about his latest CD:

"From this record, I hope people are convicted about Africa and the AIDS crisis. I hope people's hearts are prepared to receive news about the devastation in Sudan. I hope they see the hurting person next to them and are moved to act. And I hope, more than anything, that people are encouraged, that they know God loves them and because of that there is in fact hope."

We were so excited to see how the Lord had touched his heart for Africa. He wrote a song with some convicting lyrics specifically about all of it, "We Can't Wait Any Longer." The song features the Ugandan Children's Choir singing in Swahili. Listen to the song if you get the chance. In the meantime here are the lyrics:

A silent call from a distant land
Crying for a helping hand, so
How long will it go on?
Ignorance and vanity
Supercede humanity, so
How long it will go on?
I want to know
How long will it go on?

We can't wait any longer
They're crying out, doesn't it matter?
We can't wait any longer
No, no.
Too long in a slumber
Shaking up, waking up now.
We can't any longer.
No, no.

Another child is laid to rest
Another day of hopelessness, so
How long it will go on?
And every day we're on the fence
Brings another fatal consequence, so
How long will it go on?
I want to know
How long will it go on?

Yuko awezayo kusikia kilio chetu?
(Can somebody hear us crying out?)
Twaomba msaada wenu
(Somebody help us)
Aweko mwenye kuttuoka
(Somebody save us)
Aweko mwenye kutupa uhuru
(Somebody free us)

It is so amazing to see Christians stepping out and loving our brothers and sisters around the world, and fighting to help them. Just yesterday at church our pastor talked about how it's so easy living on the Central Coast of California to forget about the hurting people in the world and how we need to actually DO something to help. It was so neat to see that our pastor is passionate about our world and about reaching out to love others.

I think the fact that AIDS has become so politicized in our own country, coupled with our insulation from (and attitudes toward) the rest of the world, have caused many people (even Christians) to shy away from any activism related to the African AIDS crisis. Thank goodness that people like Bono and Michael W. Smith have taken the initiative to use their celebrity status to bring awareness to such important issues.

On a side note, the Ugandan Children's Choir, "Watoto," is worth checking out! A pastor and his wife started this ministry for orphans in Uganda. There is a huge center where these orphans come to live. Orphans from this facility make up the choir, which travels around the world performing and sharing how their lives have been transformed by Jesus. Very, very cool. They have a website, www.watoto.com.

Random update

Well on the adoption front all things are quiet. We completed/mailed off the last of our homestudy paperwork (hooray!) and so now I guess we're just waiting to hear back for an appointment for an interview with a social worker. We've compiled pretty much everything for our dossier (packet of documents to be mailed to Ethiopia) but have to wait until our homestudy is done and approved before we send it to AAI.

Sooo we're just waiting. It all seems so surreal right now. It's hard to believe that in a matter of months (maybe around 6?) we'll be going from being a one child family to probably having three little ones! I just can't wait to see Anna as a big sister playing with her new siblings from Ethiopia! It is exciting as well as I have come in contact with a woman in San Luis Obispo (30 minutes away from here and where we spend a lot of time) who with her husband is adopting two girls from Ethiopia, through our agency! The girls are 3 and 5 and they travel to pick them up in less than a month. We hope to get together at some point. I think it will be so neat for our Ethiopian children to know other children who share the same history and homeland.

At this point we are planning to adopt two babies from Ethiopia (don't know if we mentioned that yet.) Possibly twins or siblings or even unrelated children from the same orphanage. I heard that there are currently four sets of infant twins waiting to be adopted but I don't know if they will still be waiting once we're eligible for a referral. We stated that we want at least one to be a girl and that both would be younger than Anna. There is always a need for families to adopt sibling groups, as they're harder to place. I can't wait to find out who our children will be!

I guess that's all there is to report. :) Anna is currently loading up her John Deere gator (kind of like a tractor but a 4X2) with dolls and blankets and a paper clip, and is now trying to climb onto it herself. What a goofy little kid! :)

Eden and Addisalem

Well this isn't adoption news but I thought I'd share it anyway. :) I posted before about the organization over in Ethiopia, AHOPE, which is a home for HIV-positive orphans. Well, we just found out that we are sponsoring two little girls there (they are sisters), both HIV-positive and both have been orphaned. Their names are Eden (which means "paradise" and is of course from the Bible) and Addisalem (meaning "new world.") Eden is 4 years old and Addisalem is 9 years old. Their mother passed away only a few months ago from AIDS and these little girls just came into care at AHOPE. We'll be able to correspond with them through mail and I'm hoping we'll get to meet them when we travel to Ethiopia somewhere down the road to get our adopted children.

Eden and Addisalem are from Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia. They have three older siblings, the oldest who they have lost contact with and then two older brothers (ages 14 and 17.) The boys were forced to drop out of school as they couldn't afford it any longer and have been working as shoe-shiners. The people at AHOPE are looking into finding support for the boys so they can at least finish school. I'm not sure if the boys are HIV-positive as well.

AHOPE is an amazing place doing an amazing work. These children have not only lost their mothers and fathers, they are also facing life with a terminal illness. AHOPE provides them with a loving home, good nutrition, health care, and an education. They always need sponsors (each child requires 3-4 sponsors to cover the cost of care) so please prayerfully consider sponsoring one of God's precious children in Ethiopia!