Precious Ones

Thank you to my new followers. There have been a number of you lately and I am very blessed by that!

I finally had the chance last week to organize the correspondence and little things I save for sending to my sponsored boys in East Africa.

These little ones, and one not so little one, are precious to me and I enjoy receiving their letters. Though it is hard to believe, I think they also enjoy receiving my letters and the little things I send to them. It lets them know that someone far away cares for them and is praying for them and their families.

My newest sponsored boy is actually now a young man. His name is Haile and he lives north of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. He has a father, mother and 5 siblings.  Haile is 20 years old and will continue to be sponsored until he is 22 years old. He writes to me in in his native language which I think is Amharic.  Someone translates his letters for me to read.  When I send him my letters in English, someone must translate them for him to read.

Haile has a different financial sponsor and I volunteered to be his correspondent sponsor because for whatever reason, his financial sponsor does not write him. I'm blessed to be able to write to this young man and encourage him in the faith.

Haile will soon be on his own and fending for himself in the world but for now he lives with his father and mother and 5 siblings.  He has been asking me to pray about a dam that is going to be built on the Nile. I think the young men along the dam route are hoping that they will be able to find work on the dam.

In this photo you can see Haile's letters in his language. At the top is a photo of the tall young man he is turning out to be. At the bottom is a post card of Canada's animal which I will send to him in a future letter.

Next is John. He lives in one of the slums of Nairobi Kenya with his mother and father and siblings.  John is 8 years old and  has a younger brother.  A baby brother was recently added to the family so there are 3 boys altogether.

John loves numbers.  So among other things, I bought him some number stickers. He will be able to practice counting and mathematical tables.  John is the second child I decided to sponsor with Compassion International Canada. I am his financial sponsor not just his correspondent and I am hoping that I can be a great encouragement to him over the years.

See the organizer. It has several tabs so I am able to keep stickers, letters, writing paper and envelopes and correspondence from Compassion International Canada  organized and easy to find.

The third boy I sponsor is Peter.  Peter lives in a village located north of Nakuru, Kenya. He lived with his father, mother, 3 sisters and 1 brother but sadly his mother died recently and so there are now 5 young children with no mother.  I feel very badly for him and his siblings and pray that all will be well with them. I hope my letters can encourage him and show him motherly love and concern.

Peter also loves numbers and wants to be a pilot.  I bought him some plane stickers.

My letter last week to all the boys included some appropriately themed paper gift bags (I didn't take photos of them). The bags will be a good place for the boys to store their letters, stickers, post cards and other little paper gifts I send.  This might seem like such a small and insignificant thing.  But in a poor village, you will not find these kinds of "extras" in a humble home.  Small incomes have to be spent on top priorities like school and school clothing and food.

I hope you've enjoyed learning about my boys.  I hope to write about them here from time to time, and about the wonderful work of Compassion International.

A letter and drawing from Peter.

If you have ever though of sponsoring a child, I can tell you that Compassion International (CI) is a wonderful organization to consider doing it through.  CI really goes the extra mile to try and make it easy for you to correspond with your child. You can check them out at their website here. There you will also find links to Compassion International offices in many different countries around the globe.

Wings of Eagles

And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

Isaiah 11:12

Did you know that there are Jews in Ethiopia? I did not know that until the first time Israel flew black Ethiopian Jews from Ethiopia to Israel many years ago in approximately 1984 . In that year, Operation Moses airlifted 15,000 Jews who had fled to refugee camps in Sudan to escape starvation and took them to Israel. Then in 1991, Operation Solomon, flew 20,000 Ethiopian Jews from Ethiopia to Israel. There are still a few thousand Jews left in Ethiopia and they all want to return to their biblical homeland.

Today I watched a television fund-raising program with Rabbi Eckstein on this very issue. In the process of watching I learned more of these dear people and their desperate situation in Ethiopia.

As I watched I could not stop sobbing with a deep groaning for these people who for so long have been "lost" in Ethiopia. I literally could not stop even if I wanted to. The tears simply flowed.

The Ethiopian Jews have fled to the northern reaches of Ethiopia to escape persecution and death. In the north they live desperate lives of poverty and disease but they continue to practice their Jewish faith. These people are said to be the descendants of the lost tribe of Dan and though many have been returned to their biblical homeland, many others remain behind in Ethiopia.

I was deeply moved by the scenes of these Jews practicing their faith after generations of exile and their deeply held hope of getting home to Israel. Scenes of rescued Jews, dropping to the tarmac and kissing the ground once they landed was also very moving. The sadness and grief I shared over the heart wrenching goodbye scenes between friends and family members was very real. Not everyone gets to go to Israel from one family at the same time due to the lack of funds.

Many have waited a decade to be able to go to Israel. In that time, untold numbers of people have died due to sickness and disease aided by poverty. Once they say goodbye to their loved ones, they do not know when or if, they will ever see one another again. This kind of knowledge is simply overwhelming. Not just to me but more so to the people who must experience it.

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) is working hard to raise funds for the repatriation of Ethiopian Jews to Israel. If you can help another Ethiopian Jew to return to Israel, to their biblical homeland, please do so. You can do so here and when you do, I am sure that God our Father sees you and is well pleased.

I leave you now with a story of one young man's return to his biblical homeland and his experiences in Israel. This excerpt comes from the IFCJ's website.

Naga: Returning from Exile

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Naga, 23, came to Israel with his parents from Gondar, Ethiopia. Despite the fact that there were few Jews in Gondar, his parents always stressed the importance of their faith. “My grandfather used to tell us stories about how our people were exiled from the land of our ancestors and that one day we would return,” he says.

In Ethiopia, Naga and his family faced much anti-Semitism. “People called us ‘strangers’ and ‘exiles’, and looked down upon us,” he says. “My father remembers during his childhood that people refused to drink from the same cup as him because he was Jewish.”

Because of this persecution, Naga says that Ethiopia never felt like home. He always dreamed of living in Israel – and, thanks to your support of On Wings of Eagles, that dream came true.

On Wings of Eagles not only funded aliyah (immigration to Israel) for Naga and his parents, it provided them with klitah (resettlement) assistance that helped them become full, productive citizens in their new home. Upon arrival, Naga and his parents were brought to live in an absorption center with other Ethiopian families. There are social activities as well as counselors who teach them how to use modern technology and integrate into Israeli society.

Naga is deeply grateful to The Fellowship’s On Wings of Eagles partners. “Coming back to Israel is something people have worked for their entire lives, and have even died for,“ he says. “I know that your donors are working hard so that every Jewish person can come home, and I am so grateful.”

There are still many Jews in Ethiopia and around the world like Naga who dream of one day coming to their biblical homeland, where they are free to worship as Jews. Please give to On Wings of Eagles today – and help that dream come true!