Babies, Blankets and Blessings

Our Ethiopia Team was organized with fundraising well on the way. Then it was time to decide how the rest of us, you know, the folks back here at home who do not go on the mission trip, well, how can we help?  Pretty soon we started having requests from ministries in Ethiopia for more of our handmade baby dolls and so we set to work.

First came days filled with sewing, stuffing and attaching hair to close to 100 of those precious dolls.
Faye Terray painted a sweet face on every single one of them. Jeanette Harmon and Anne Miles worked like crazy to make a top and matching pair of pants for each and every doll.

Our final work session was so much fun!  We dressed every baby doll and more than a few had a kiss our two from the absolute delight we found in seeing their incredible outfits.
Next the girls dolls went to hairdressing where bows of every color were tied and more kisses and hugs were supplied.

Then came the most amazing time of all.  Each of us filled our arms and our laps to overflowing with every doll and then we closed our eyes, opened our hearts and went to the Father. 

There were tears and words of love seeking the Lord's blessing on each baby.  We could make the dolls but only He could fill them with His own love so that each child would know their own baby was made and sent with love and lots of it.

Finally, each baby was wrapped in a soft blanket provided by the Ladies' Impact Class of First Christian in High Point.

Next the swaddled baby dolls were snuggled into their own little tote bag before leaving us for Ethiopia.

Finally all the babies were packed in huge suitcases and headed for Ethiopia 

with our Orphan Care Team.   Continued next blog post.

Babies, Blankets and Blessings Part II

Our story continues.  The Team has made it to Ethiopia and now they are spending
time at Adora where our sweet baby dolls are to be given as gifts.  First the dolls
are given to the mothers, one for each of the 55 of them.

Then the Mothers gave the baby dolls to their children. 

Look at those happy faces!

 

Thanks to each and everyone who helped design, make, send and deliver

these baby dolls.  Thanks to our Heavenly Father for answering our

prayers and allowing us to be His hands and servants.

 

Giggles, Games and Goodies

On an evening in May, we invited some 350 people to have dinner, games and lots of fun with us.
First Carole Batten and her hard working team moved tables and chairs until there was space for one and all.  Of course Carole wanted everything to look pretty so out came colorful table cloths and paper flower centerpieces.

Then Ellen Mandell and her cafeteria wizards cooked barbecue chicken and pork and hamburgers and hot dogs with fixings and sides too numerous to count.  They fed us all and fed us well.

While the meal was going on, the Main Worship Center was being made over into
a place filled with four inflatables from Noah's Place and 21 carnival games.

Bouncy inflatables were not enough so we lined two walls with some of the wackiest
games we could think up.  The one below is called the "Toilet Toss".  Can I say
toilet paper was tossed all over the place!


Now games, prizes and bouncy things are grand and lots of fun but when you add

CLOWNS that is absolutely over the top!  See "Circus Daze" below.



The evening was more fun than any of us imagined and more work than some had
considered but without a doubt as the giant room filled up with incredibly well-mannered
children of every shape and size, all ready for fun and bubbling over with laughter
and excitement, we were blessed and honored to share the evening together.

Guess what I learned....among other things,  you know when you want to take
pictures of kids and they turn their faces and ruin the picture?  Well for privacy
sake, I tried to take pictures of kids without showing their faces!  You know what?
Most of my pictures cannot be shown because some little darlin' was looking
toward the camera but take a quick look of some pictures that I can share with you.

There was some spectacular face painting and some pretty cool balloon animals.

And there were some silly games with giant flamingos,

fishing poles with prizes to catch, duck ponds,

and every kind of ball or bean bag to toss that you can imagine. 





All in all it was one really fun event that the Lord allowed us to

share with each other and with some incredible kids and

their families.  I wish you could have heard the laughter, seen the smiles, and

enjoyed seeing hundreds of kids overflowing with fun.

May the Lord bless each of you who made this special evening possible.



Back to Africa!

As of today, First Christian Church has a team going to Ethiopia

this summer with Brighton Their World. 
Let me introduce you to the team:

 

 

This is Regina Gause.  She has blessed more teenagers at

First Christian than we can even count!

Now she will bless the young ones in Ethiopia.

Regina - welcome to the team!

 

 

This is Robert Miles, a man who most often has a camera

around his neck or in his hands.  His photography talents will

be enormous blessings to the children he meets.

Robert - welcome to the team!

 

 

This is Beth Lilley on the right with her friend Jeanne Baker.

Beth is loved by everyone she meets especially at both

High Point and Kernersville First Christian campuses.

Her gentle, loving spirit mixed with a bit of wackiness will

be a blessing to the Ethiopian children and the team.

Beth - welcome to the team!

 

THE NEXT QUESTION IS...

HOW CAN EACH OF US HELP THE TEAM?

 

Starting Sunday, February 24 the Orphan Care Ministry will

be selling handmade bracelets, many of which feature acacia

beads or wrapped paper beads made by the women of

Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda.  Bracelets are only $10 each

with every single penny going to help Beth, Regina and Robert

fund their trip.  

 

To purchase a bracelet see Laura Vera in High Point or visit

the Orphan Care Ministry bracelet table in Kernersville.

Bracelets also available from sandra.ward@earthlink.net

Both campuses will have bracelets available THIS Sunday.

 

 

Another suggestion....you can make a donation to their trip

by sending a check to Brighton Their World, PO Box 1975,

Powder Springs, GA 30127.  Please mark the check

"Ethiopia mission trip"

Donations are tax deductable.

 

Questions?  Respond to this blog

or email orphancarefccm@earthlink.net

 

 

Thank you Beth, Regina and Robert for answering the

call of James 1:27 and going in our place.

 

Thanks to each and every person who supports the team in

in prayer and financially.  Some go....some send.

If we are not going, let's join together to send them.

 

Bracelet anyone?