tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997554206704439402024-02-08T06:12:10.569-08:00Peter A Kidd - A Father's EyesA transforming journey through the gift of an orphanAndrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-26797537928091080222009-12-25T17:56:00.000-08:002009-12-26T05:26:34.819-08:00A Christmas Story - Part IEach Christmas brings with it a story that is often told yet rarely truly heard - a story of an adopted baby (adopted by his father Joseph) who came into the earth in the most humble of circumstances, yet ultimately proved Himself to be the Light of the world.<br /><br />This Christmas I'd like to share a story about another adopted baby who came into this world in the most humble of circumstances, yet ultimately has proven herself to be the light of her father's eyes. This story represents merely a fraction of my own life experience, but has evolved into such a prominent part of my life story. My purpose for writing this Christmas story is the hope that in some small way it will bless your Christmas season as much as it has blessed mine.<br /><br />This story explores the life of a child, just like yours, except for the fact that she was born into poverty. There are two main components to the tale - what is, and what might have been. Clearly any discussion about 'what might have been' is by definition speculative and therefore fiction. So let me call out the fact that while this story is fiction - it is based on facts. Much like a CSI detective must put the pieces of a crime together based on both hard facts and circumstantial evidence, I assembled this story based on a combination of my own first hand facts, personal investigation and research while in Africa, as well as the experience and stories of other adoptive parents who have encountered similar circumstances. The result is story that is fiction yet very real at the same time.<br /><br /><span style="color:#000099;">Who Is To Blame?</span><br /><br />Like THE Christmas story, this story starts with the birth of a baby. Just over two years ago, in September 2007, a beautiful young mother gives her first birth to an equally beautiful baby girl. Born into the cold clenches of poverty - on a dusty old bed in the one and only room of a tin can shack in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - the baby girl rests her almond shaped eyes, as her bundled body lays unaware of her meager surroundings and her odds of surviving until her fifth birthday. In spite of their brutal circumstances, the baby's mother radiates with joy and relief at the sight of her new baby, the spitting image of her mother. The joy of her baby's birth overshadows the fact that the 'relations' which led to this very moment were never welcomed - now she is sick, she is poor, but at least for the time being she is not alone....<br /><br />Several weeks go by and the reality of her situation settles in. Her joy has melted away faster than an April snowfall, though little hope of spring blossoms exist on her horizon. She is unable to provide for her child's basic needs, she is hungry and her child's primary source of nutrition is drying up as a result. Her government has little support to offer her and the countless others like her. As a woman with limited education, her choices to earn enough Birr (Ethiopian currency) for her new family to survive are extremely limited and for a brief moment she considers selling her only personal asset, but even her daughter's hunger is not enough to convince her to cross through the dark threshold of prostitution.<br /><br />The days pass by and though her situation deteriorates, she still struggles to reach a seemingly inevitable decision. One morning at the break of dawn she is finally brought to her knees by the weight of her anguish and emotional burden - she is broken, her hands and knees are firmly planted in the dirt floor of her home and she looks up through the tin roof into the morning sky and prays to a God that she hardly even knew - until now. She feels His compassionate response and listens intently to His direction. Comforted by His wisdom and counseling she finds herself at peace - for she now knows that she is not to blame and she knows what she must do.<br /><br /><span style="color:#000099;">Goodbye</span><br /><br />Later that night at the outer gates of the Addis Ababa Sheraton she begins her final good bye. She's chosen one of the finest hotels in all of Africa to offer her daughter a chance at a better life. She spent a number of months as a maid at the hotel and is keenly aware of the regular security details around the perimeter of the grounds. She also knows about their significant experience working with local authorities while dealing with 'abandoned' children on their property. But make no mistake about this 'abandonment - hers is an act of devotion, heroism and Love.<br /><br />Her dark brown eyes, swollen from the steady stream of afternoon tears, possess a look of focus and purpose as she goes about the most challenging event any mother could ever face - giving her baby UP in the hope of a better life. Her falling tears spread across her baby's face creating an almost angelic appearance as the distant flood lights shimmer on her little girl's brown cheeks. "I will always love you sweet girl - and I promise that I will see you again some day".<br /><br />As she walks away from her now orphaned baby, her grief is consoled by a welling up of peace, hope and faith within her aching heart. She is at peace with her decision, she has hope that her daughter will have a better life, and she has faith that her new found God will find someone who loves her little girl as much as she does.....<br /><end><br /><span style="color:#000099;">End Part I</span><br /><end>Andrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-4806881262411482992009-12-11T11:09:00.000-08:002009-12-12T14:49:44.047-08:00A Walk On The Lighter SideAdmittedly my past several posts have been a little 'heavy' at times - which is easy to do when you're in the environment we were in. So I wanted to take the time to share with you just a few of the lighter moments of the trip, of which there were many. Because for each an every heartbreaking experience there seemed to be an offsetting amount of levity and laughter - I don't know if that was intended to keep us sane or what, but ultimately we all had an absolute blast on this trip. Here are a couple of clips that will round out the intensity of our Children's HopeChest (hopechest.org) Vision Trip:<br /><br />This video was taken from within our bus, moments after we struck and killed a small cow (originally reported to be a goat). Now my PETA brothers and sisters may think us heartless, but I'm sorry, this was hilarious and provided a much needed reprieve from the heart breaking scene we experienced at the Kumbolcha Care Point facility:<br /><br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lbec1mHN3TA&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lbec1mHN3TA&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xl0-vWwYeJA&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xl0-vWwYeJA&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />This next video was shot as we were crossing over a treacherous mountain pass in the fog and mud of an unpaved road. The video doesn't really do justice to the minimal margin for error we had between safety and disaster. We may have been laughing in this video but trust me, it was scary...<br /><br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Jsw0OSUMzcQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Jsw0OSUMzcQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />This next video was shot in the middle of a tunnel (Ethiopians call this it a cave which is probably a better description), no lights, no pavement and potholes the size of boulders.<br /><br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RXUIrYb9dFQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RXUIrYb9dFQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br />Finally the next video was part of an air guitar/drum session we had with the kids at Hope For The Hopeless. Chris Tomlin's 'God Of Our City' song proved to be a lead track on our trip soundtrack. Check out the looks on the kids faces - they were so into this impromptu jam session. Also, take note of the scars on the head of the boy holding the music player - we are left to wonder about the cause.<br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gwa3KZglLDo&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gwa3KZglLDo&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object>Andrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-25621708748245152062009-12-09T17:23:00.000-08:002009-12-09T18:26:30.900-08:00Home Sweet HomeHome sweet home.....<br /><br />We left our guest house in Addis Ababa at 10:30 am yesterday, and I arrived home at about 10:30 am today. A 24 hour trek that was about as smooth and uneventful as I could have possibly hoped - a sharp contrast to the exciting twists and turns that we experienced abroad. <br /><br />For now it is time to rest, recover and to be with my amazing wife and three children. After the last 10 days I can honestly say that I am wiped out both physically and emotionally. Tonight, for just one night, I want to my mind to stop processing all that I saw, heard, touched and smelled over the past 240 hours.<br /><br />I don't want to see the scars on the scalp of the otherwise handsome street child who was abused in a way that you and I can't even fathom. Or the picture of kids eating grass to fill their stomach's in some way to ease their hunger pain.<br /><br />I don't want to hear another heartbreaking story by an orphanage director about how their kids are hungry and their parents are dying. Or the haunting and ever persistent voices of the children in the streets begging for food or money to survive.<br /><br />I don't want to think about feeling the bones protruding through the skin of the kids at Grace Baptist Church in Kumbulcha.<br /><br />I don't want to think about the toxic smell of the stream directly behind the Kind Heart Care Point facility that nearly sent me vomiting (truly the most disgusting odor that I've experienced). Or the inescapable fumes of the diesel engines that dominate the streets of Addis Ababa.<br /><br />For tonight, selfishly, I just want to be home. <br /><br />But I can not....<br /><br />My mind can not stop thinking, seeing, hearing, feeling, and smelling all that was - because it still is - and is to be - unless we do something about it. Just because I'm 10,000 miles away doesn't mean it's gone away. Does it? Just because I'm a resident of a different continent doesn't mean it's someone else's responsibility. Does it? Just because the children aren't in our direct line of sight doesn't mean we have an excuse. Do we?<br /><br />It is good to be home tonight. It is so very good to be with my family. And at the same time I can honestly say that in my mind I've already started planning for my next trip. <br /><br />If you were at all touched by what you read on this blog over the past week, I sincerely hope that you'll at least consider joining me. If there is something inside of you that knows that you are being called to do something I would love to share this life changing experience with you - life changing for you and for the kids that we will have the privilege to impact. Contact me at <a href="mailto:pkidd@resultedge.com">pkidd@resultedge.com</a><br /><br />Thank you for your consideration, thank you for all of your prayers and support. Good night.Andrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-43864436888016854512009-12-07T09:05:00.000-08:002009-12-07T09:22:00.411-08:00Amazing Encounter<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:13px;"><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Body_Content">Today was a day like no other...<img src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs099.snc3/16664_232688339551_791064551_4469857_2753809_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs099.snc3/16664_232692904551_791064551_4469931_3065737_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /></div><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Body_Content"><br /><br />This morning I departed from the rest of the team to join Tom Davis and a small team to visit a very special project in the village of Nazaret (a.k.a. Adama) about 1.5 hours from Addis Ababa. While there we visited the Look Development Association care point - a facility that currently services approximately 100 orphaned and extremely poor children in the area. <br /><br />The circumstances of the children in Nazaret is no different than what we've seen in Addis Ababa and the surrounding regions - extreme poverty & HIV/AIDS. I don't want to diminish the need here by summarizing it as simply as I have, but I have limited time to write and I feel like I've covered the need in my previous posts. Simply stated, human beings are suffering and dying slow deaths right in front of our eyes. They have committed no crime but they are paying the dearest price. I could provide more detail, and I will at some point, but for now I'd rather write about the 'hope' side of this equation vs. the death. Justice vs. injustice. FAITH vs. fear. ACTION vs. analysis.<br /><br />Today I met a woman who genuinely embodies these virtues of HOPE, JUSTICE and FAITH - and I can sincerely say to you that I was humbled to be in her presence. Her name is Yemeserachkeab (good luck on the pronunciation - we'll call her Yeme for short). Yeme was described to me as the Mother Teresa of Ethiopia, a tall claim to make, but after spending two hours with her I can tell you that she is unlike anyone I've ever witnessed. This is a Holy Woman - which is a phrase that I do not use loosely. I can not pretend to tell you her amazing story in a simple blog post, but I will share a few points so you might have a little insight into this inspiring leader. <br /><br />Yeme started this care point facility several years ago with nothing but a vision from God and FAITH to act on it. Not because she is a kind person, she claims, but because God shared a vision for her life. Yeme is a beautiful and distinguished Ethiopian woman who radiates a spirit that I can not adequately describe with my limited words. She has big brown eyes that convey sincerity, conviction and love. I was so comforted by her presence and her quiet but powerful way of communicating her story in her native language of Amharic (her brother in-law provided the translation). <br /><br />Yeme was fifteen years old when the fascist regime in Ethiopia was persecuting Christians throughout the country. Her father was a leading evangelist in the country and was thrown in prison, along side of his daughter Yeme. While in prison they were tortured and beaten in an attempt to intimidate and break them from sharing the Gospel. She would only share so much of the torture stories with us but one thing she did tell us was that they used to make her and her father 'walk' five kilometers (approximately 3 miles) from one town to the next, in nothing but their under garments.........on their knees. She spent one year and eight months in prison...<br /><br />One day while she was being tortured (whipped) God spoke to her and showed her that her oppressors will some day give way - it was as at this time that God did a work in her heart and she began to really follow Him in her life. Here compassion for the poor grew in the days following her release from prison. She vividly described visions that she received from God on multiple occasions and the actions she took in spite of her fear. Actions to serve the poor and care for the oppressed, "the least of these". <br /><br />As I wrote earlier, there is so much more of this story to tell but I just don't have the time - but I am working With Childrens HopeChest to share the amazing details of this story with you and others. I will tell you that I was as much inspired by the beauty of the children at her carepoint as I was her amazing story.<br /><br />So here's the bottom line:<br /><br />1. Andrea and I came to Ethiopia because we were convicted to do 'something' - though we didn't know exactly what that was. <br /><br />2. During my first days here we were convicted of what that was - to support poor children and their families (not limited to orphans, though there are plenty of them here). <br /><br />3. Today I was convicted of who we will work with - Yemeserachkeab and her team. Beyond Yeme everyone I met with (Board Members, Staff, etc.) were amazing, compassionate and trustworthy. These are the kind of people that we will be honored to work along side in this mission.<br /><br />4. Now we are convicted to build a team in the States that will partner with us. A group of caring souls who are not willing to just sit on the sidelines while these kids die of hunger and preventable disease. Yes this means you! <br /><br />It takes very little effort to support a child and I will explain the details for you at another time, but here are the basics: 35 dollars a month per child, intermittent correspondence, and if you have the heart and are willing - come to Africa with us to get up front and personal with these amazing kids (this is not required - but it will change your life for ever). Check out this amazing organization at www.hopechest.org<br /><br />Our next step is to sponsor approximately 100 children at the Nazaret Look Development Association care point. Please join us (email akidd@resultedge.com) in changing the live of these kids. I promise that you will not regret this decision. Thank you and God Bless!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_ReferrerLink" style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-size: 9px; color: rgb(119, 119, 119); "></div><div class="GBThreadMessageRow_Body_Attachment" style="font-size: 11px; "><div class="attached_item clearfix message_attachment" style="margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 7px; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(224, 224, 224); overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; "><div class="share_media clearfix external share_ext_misc attachment"><div class="ext_media clearfix has_extra has_thumb"><div class="title" style="font-weight: bold; "><a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.hopechest.org&h=85c0f85cfcc8ddb25bbd3d00c2f1125e" title="http://www.hopechest.org" target="_blank" style="cursor: pointer; color: rgb(59, 89, 152); text-decoration: none; ">Children's HopeChest - Colorado Springs</a></div><div class="url" style="color: rgb(85, 85, 85); font-size: 9px; padding-top: 1px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 6px; padding-left: 0px; ">Source: www.hopechest.org</div><div class="story_posted_item clearfix"><div class="extra" style="float: right; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 8px; "><div class="share_thumb" style="width: 100px; "><a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.hopechest.org&h=85c0f85cfcc8ddb25bbd3d00c2f1125e" target="_blank" style="cursor: pointer; color: rgb(59, 89, 152); text-decoration: none; "><img src="http://external.ak.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?d=829aa8a04c658402ce3b6c64dd07fc7d&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hopechest.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2009%2F05%2Fbrandiflorence.jpg&w=90&h=90" alt="" class=" " onload="var img = this; onloadRegister(function() { adjustImage(img); });" id="share_thumb_205266668672" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; " /></a></div></div><div class="story_content_excerpt textual" style="float: none; width: auto; "><div class="metadata"><div class="summary" style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; color: rgb(119, 119, 119); ">The Children's HopeChest programs have helped bring children out of the isolation of orphanhood and into the joy and warmth of family programs.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span>Andrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-9253493650089756182009-12-05T11:59:00.001-08:002009-12-05T12:26:57.270-08:00Ethiopian Orphan Project Day 5<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:13px;"><img style="" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs104.snc3/15157_193184427228_143036337228_2849601_2023850_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs084.snc3/15157_193183852228_143036337228_2849596_1561093_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><br />Greetings from Addis Ababa Ethiopia! It's getting late and we've been running on (diesel) fumes over the last couple of days so I'm goint to keep this short. Any of you who've been to Addis understand my diesel reference - the pollution in this city is unbelievable. While driving you are constantly sucking the fumes from the tailpipes in front of you - you simply can't get away from it. I'm guessing the reason they don't have Malaria problems in the city of Addis Ababa is because the mosquitoes to busy coughing to bite. Nasty.<br /><br />Today was another jammed packed day. We got up this morning and headed to a town called Wiloso, a mostly Muslim community located about two hours south of Addis Ababa. While there we visited the Wiloso Immanuel Orphanage - a facility that cares for 43 orphaned children (25 boys and 18 girls). This place is unique than any of our other visits in that it was situated in the middle of expansive farm land with (an estimated) 3 plus acres of their own land. While the setting for this facility was different than others we visited, their urgent need was no different. A couple of things stuck out to me about this place:<br /><br />1) Babies. They had three of them there and they are not equipped to handle these babies (no diapers, no formula ) can you imagine? One of the babies was brought in by her mother, a fifteen year old girl who was unable to care for a baby she never wanted - she was raped. The mother stayed in the orphanage for a short while (after all she was just a kid herself) but eventually fled. Another one of the babies was clearly malnourished, they claimed she was one month old, she was about the size of a one month old, but clearly she was exhibiting signs of at least a three month old. I guess you can say that malnourishment distorts time. The babies had no mosquito nets on their beds and Malaria is ever present in this part of Ethiopia.<br /><br />2) Children. The kids in the orphanage were so laid back - just really enjoyable and almost relaxing to be around. We played volleyball, hacky sack and soccer with them and they had a great time. At one point my friend Shilo had most of the girls huddled up under a makeshift umbrella (for shade) and we played music for them on a portable ipod speaker. It wasn't long before twenty kids were huddled around the ipod - they just loved it! We listed to an Ethiopian Gospel signer by the name of Sophia (thanks to my Ethiopian friend Ted back in the states). It was just so enjoyable to observe them consume every note like it was a fine wine. Then is was their turn - we all piled into their on site church (a converted barn) and the kids led and unbelievable worship service. As with a lot of things around here, it's difficult to put words on certain experiences. How do you explain a room full of kids with no parents (dead or otherwise), with limited food, 3 mile walk to school each day (one way), mosquito nets with holes the size of a DVD - signing worship songs and praising God from the bottom of their hearts? Why aren't they angry at God? No musical equipment except the sound of their voice and a small drum - yet they filled the room with as much (or more) worship as any 6 piece praise band? How do they do that? What can I learn from them? What could you learn from them now?<br /><br />I am humbled by the experience... <br /><br />Thank you all for continuing to follow along and pray for me and this team. I really appreciate your support.<br /><br />- Pete<br /><br />p.s. We stopped for lunch at a lodge that had wild monkeys all over the place. I don't know about you but monkeys kind of creep me out. However, I knew my daughter Isabelle would have been so disappointed if I didn't get as close as I possibly could. So I allowed one of them to eat cranberries out of my hand - then followed up with huge dose of hand sanitizer. <br /><br />No Isabelle, I'm not bringing one home.<br /><br />- Daddy</span>Andrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-77696462841376311482009-12-04T10:36:00.000-08:002009-12-04T13:57:35.175-08:00Today, A huge Day<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(100, 95, 94); white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:verdana;font-size:10px;"><object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7978706&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7978706&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/7978706">Going into an Orphanage</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2710494">Tom Davis</a> </p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); white-space: normal; font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:13px;">So my plan today was to write about the adventure of driving 20 hours on a bus over absolutely ridiculous roads, dodging livestock (donkeys, cows, goats) camels, and human beings all along the way. Ramming and killing a small cow (originally thought to be a goat) with our bus, getting pulled over by an Ethiopian police man, getting stuck in the mud and being pushed out by a few good Samaritans, driving through a river to get to our hotel, witnessing the most expansive and spectacular views mountain/valley views, seeing a village funeral procession with the men carrying a dead body on a stick strecher, crossing over a treacherous mountain pass with (at times) less than a foot to spare between us and disaster (apparently the guard rails are on backorder), observing people living in their mud huts and stick shacks, seeing hyenas on the side of the road and a man stopping traffic when he parked his truck right in the middle of the road to urinate (presumably because he was afraid of the hyenas that lurk on the side of the road). But today was so much more interesting than that.....<br /><br />We started our day by visiting a facility called Hope For The Hopeless (HFTH) which is a ministry and 'rehabilitation' center for street kids. Boys and girls ages 5-15 who live in the streets of Addis Ababa. HFTH has staff members working the streets and identifying kids to come to there facility. If the kids choose to stay, they remain in the home for 3 to 6 months while they are rehabilitated (my words not theirs). Just to be clear, we're not talking about drug rehabilitation here. These kids get messed up and seriously abused on the streets (emotionally, physically, sexually) and HFTH takes them in and prepares them to live in an orphanage. Many of the boys are scarred from the abuse. One boy had scars covering his head - we are left to wonder what a nightmare that must have been. After living in the orphanage for about a year HFTH seeks to place the kids into foster care. Their ultimate objective is to get these kids into HOMES not just into an orphanage. That is key here - the ultimate goal is a family - not an orphanage if at all possible.<br /><br />We visited what I view as their stage one facility which is where the (former) street kids begin their 'rehab'. They receive a bed, food, Christian education, counseling and hope. In an environment filled with so much chaos, this facility was incredibly organized. The pastor of the orphanage was so clearly genuine - the type of guy you love after meeting him for a minute. Currently this facility cares for 15 children (13 boys and two girls). Some of who you should have seen in the video posted above.<br /><br />So we spent a couple of hours with these kids, learning about them, talking to them and playing with them. I was particularly taken by one boy who told me that he loved music (keyboards) - all of the other boys told me that they loved futbol or other games but this guy was different. After 20 minutes of all the kids playing I tracked him down and asked him if he wanted to listed to some music (I brought my ipod and a portable speaker system) - he was all over it. Over the next 20 - 30 minutes he and a small group 'jammed out' together. We had the kids playing air guitar, air drums and air keyboards. Some of the music was Ethiopian, some was American - they loved it all!<br /><br />It was then time for us to leave, we had another facility to visit. So we gathered the kids up in a tight group, circled them with member of the team and prayed for them and their care takers. Then we hit the road.....<br /><br />We went to this other facility (which I don't have the time or energy to get into right now) and hung with some younger kids. At the end of our visit we were all meeting as a team and once of the teammates voiced her concern for HFTH. She got the stong sense while we were their that they needed food - which we later confirmed with a phone call that they had little to no food. So after a brief discussion we decided to head back across town, buy some food for them so we could be certain they'd have some immediately, and give them some cash to buy more. We stopped at a market and bought 10 kilograms of bananas, oranges, carrots and some bread - then we headed back over to the Hope For The Hopeless Facility....<br /><br />From then on the scene is very difficult to put into words and I'm a little hesitant to do so because I know I can't do it justice. What I can do is tell you the facts, but I'll never be able to fully describe the deep emotions of humility, gratitude, awe that we felt - and the spirit that was so ever present and visible like steam in a amazingly hot shower. We entered the facility courtyard and gathered up the pastor, staff members and some of the kids along with our team. We presented the pastor with the food that we bought and a wad of cash. One of our teammates explained that the cash was not just from the people present but from all the people back in the states who supported us with donations. The pastor, filled with emotion, went on to explain that they were out of food and they have zero funds in their bank account. I know that sounds hard to believe, but trust me, come over here for a few days and your belief systems will shift (radically) - and you will appreciate how this can happen. The situation here is desperate. He said that they prayed TODAY for help, for food. They received enough food and cash to keep the kids well fed for a just over a month.....<br /><br />God's presence was so vivid in that courtyard today and I felt so humbled and honored to even be there. <br /><br /><br /></span><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); white-space: normal; font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:13px;">In many ways this city/country is a disaster - poverty, orphans, disease. But the irony is that God's presence is more apparent here than any other place that I've ever been. If you feel led to do so, please partner with Andrea, me and Childrens HopeChest to make a real difference. The video below was shot a few months ago but provides excellent insight into our mission here.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(100, 95, 94); white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:verdana;"></span></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); white-space: normal; font-family:'lucida grande';font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(100, 95, 94); white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:10px;"><object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3565906&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=3565906&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object></span></span></span></p><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/3565906">Ethiopian Orphans</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/scionka">Simon Scionka</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p></span>Presenting the money<object width="400" height="225"></object><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(100, 95, 94); white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:verdana;font-size:10px;"><object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7986744&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7986744&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/7986744">Hope for the Hopeless Orphanage</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2710494">Tom Davis</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p></span><p></p><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/7986744">Hope for the Hopeless Orphanage</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2710494">Tom Davis</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p><img src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs104.snc3/15157_192474122228_143036337228_2845034_1960901_n.jpg" alt="" class=" " onload="var img = this; onloadRegister(function() { adjustImage(img); });" style="width: 460px; " />on <p></p><p><img src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs104.snc3/15157_192474822228_143036337228_2845043_2667730_n.jpg" alt="" class=" " onload="var img = this; onloadRegister(function() { adjustImage(img); });" style="width: 460px; " /><img src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs104.snc3/15157_192474307228_143036337228_2845040_2141818_n.jpg" alt="" class=" " onload="var img = this; onloadRegister(function() { adjustImage(img); });" style="width: 460px; " /><a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/"></a></p><br /></div>Andrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-54390529324581818872009-12-04T05:07:00.000-08:002009-12-04T05:12:14.983-08:00Some Pictures<div>Pictures from Tom Davis's Facebook update:</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><img style="" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs099.snc3/16664_230191039551_791064551_4446416_4085951_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs099.snc3/16664_230191054551_791064551_4446417_645111_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_230190234551_791064551_4446389_6915067_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs099.snc3/16664_230192614551_791064551_4446429_5664154_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_230191094551_791064551_4446419_111867_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs119.snc3/16664_230191074551_791064551_4446418_6540495_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs099.snc3/16664_230190304551_791064551_4446391_5566458_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs099.snc3/16664_230190999551_791064551_4446415_4439011_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs099.snc3/16664_230190984551_791064551_4446414_2137122_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs119.snc3/16664_230190959551_791064551_4446413_5130594_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_230190929551_791064551_4446412_1259610_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_230190879551_791064551_4446410_5260856_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs099.snc3/16664_230190839551_791064551_4446408_2510982_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs119.snc3/16664_230190804551_791064551_4446407_1803525_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs119.snc3/16664_230190759551_791064551_4446406_5436726_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs119.snc3/16664_230190724551_791064551_4446405_1554093_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs099.snc3/16664_230190619551_791064551_4446401_4656314_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs099.snc3/16664_230190539551_791064551_4446398_6100039_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs119.snc3/16664_230190504551_791064551_4446397_8130752_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_230190399551_791064551_4446394_1250595_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs099.snc3/16664_230190339551_791064551_4446393_6385287_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs099.snc3/16664_230190314551_791064551_4446392_8012082_n.jpg" id="myphoto" />Andrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-48557474518182883712009-12-03T15:18:00.001-08:002009-12-03T15:38:40.787-08:00Day 3 Kombolche<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family:'bookman old style';"><br />There is so much to say about the last 48 hours so let me start with the describing the kids that we met with in Kombolche and then I'll follow up tomorrow with a post about the 20 hour driving adventure (over a 36 hour period) of getting to and from. <br /><br />The facility we visited in Kombolche was a Baptist Church with an accompanying school. The school educates over 1000 kids from grades K through 8 with 8 teachers on staff (how's that for a student to teach ratio?) Of the approximate 1000, 125 are double orphaned with <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1259882078_0">AIDS</span> being the most common culprit. These kids do NOT live at the facility, they typically live with an extended family member and are dirt poor. In other words they don't eat much, if at all, in any given day. <br /><br />As an example one of my teammates witnessed some of the kids eating grass (the kind you can't digest), but they tried to hide it when they noticed she was looking. One other little boy showed severe signs of malnutrition as his hair was white - his body was not producing the pigment for his hair. I put my arm around a number of the kids and I could feel nothing but skin and bones through their clothing. Now please don't get me wrong. Not every child at this facility looked emaciated, sick or near death. Some of them looked to be in decent health as far as I could tell. But many of them were clearly in bad shape - and obviously these are the ones that stand out in my mind.<br /><br />In spite of their respective physical conditions, ALL of these kids wanted to have fun and be loved my members of the team. They treated us like rock stars, cheering for us as we drove in on the bus and swarming us wherever we went. They wanted to be noticed by us, they wanted to matter to us. These kids have not had a group visit in over eight years! They absolutely love to have their pictures taken and especially like seeing themselves back on the digital cameras. I don't know this for a fact but I'd be surprised if any of these kids ever sees themselves in a mirror - so imagine what that would be like...to actually see yourself.<br /><br />We broke the kids up into four groups and did different activities with them (parachute, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1259882078_1">arts& crafts</span>, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1259882078_2">bible study</span>, and other classic games). They absolutely had the time of their lives. WE absolutely had the time of our lives.<br />Myself and three other team members (including a translator) manned the parachute station - the kind you used to play with in grade school. You remember? The game where everyone grabs the outer edge of the parachute and you shake it, bounce balls on it, run under it etc. If you didn't have this experience as a kid then call me up and come over my house when I get back and we'll hook you up. The kids had such a blast - if I could have extracted 10 watts of energy from each smile I saw, I could have lit up their entire village for a week. <br /><br />The highlight of this experience for me occurred when we were starting to organize our final parachute group. My friend Shilo came up to me and said that there was one girl left who didn't get a chance to play with the parachute, (leave it to Shiloh to recognize this). Oh and by the way she can't walk - she's in a wheelchair. So we wheeled this little girl up next to the parachute, and simply put, her reaction was pure <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">JOY</span>! I'm getting chills just thinking about it. We would raise the parachute up and have all the girls run underneath - and we would wheel her right in, giggling and screaming all the way. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Joy</span>! When the games were all over, she cried. I asked what what was wrong and the translator told me that she was crying because she was so happy. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Joy</span>! Are you kidding me? <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Joy</span>! Imagine this little girl for a moment, the poorest of the poor, without the use of her legs, confined to wheelchair, and we brought <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">JOY</span>? Wow I gotta tell you, that experience will do a work in your heart. <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1259882078_3">Praise God</span> because that's Him at work, not any of us.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'bookman old style';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: 'bookman old style'; line-height: 20px; ">At the end of the day, our group presented the pastor of the church with $2000 to buy food for the kids. This money came from the donations from the friends, families, and churches of the people on this trip. We also left three large suitcases full of clothes, toys, crafts, and medical supplies. Thank you all for your donations.</span><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family:'bookman old style';"><br />There's so much more to tell, but for now I'll leave it at that because it's really late here and I'm spent. I can't wait to share more with you about the journey!<br /><br />Thank you to all of you who are following this trip. I especially appreciate your thoughts and prayers.<br /></span></div>Andrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-17805727139911808642009-12-02T11:30:00.000-08:002009-12-02T11:56:42.246-08:00Day TWO<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;font-size:14px;">This blog update is coming from my phone while lying under a mosquito net deep in the heart of Ethiopia so please excuse the brevity.<br /><br />Today was spectacular, comical, heartbreaking, treacherous, educational and humbling all mixed together - a cocktail of emotions, of which words alone can not describe, which left a bitter sweet taste in my mouth and left me wanting more.<br /><br />The ride to Kombolche was simply crazy - 11 hrs vs 6 with no 'traffic' to speak of - other than the constant threat of a collision with a goat, cow, camel or human (more on that at another time). The 'roads' at times were ridiculous and treacherous but the scenery at all times was absolutely spectacular. We reached as high as 10K feet and the expansive mountainous views were panoramic at times. cont</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 48px;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 48px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; ">Blog cont...<br /><br />We finally got to visit with the kids (120 of them) most of whom appear to be double orphans (mom and dad dead) but you never know and it really doesn,t matter when you are with them face to face - they are dirt poor and they are struggling to survive. They are not at fault - but they are paying the price...<br /><br />I have much to say about these children but little time here. So let me use a few words to describe them - beautiful, loving, polite (unless toys are being given out - then they can get crazed!), survivors, hopeful, hungry and very dusty <br /><br />One beautiful little girl, Irache, told me her name and her brothers' and sisters' names four times (at different times) in broken English. She wanted so badly to impress me - she did. Looking forward to seeing her and the rest of the kids tomorrow...<br /><br />Good night<br /><br />We're going back tomorrow for a few hours </span><br /></span></div>Andrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-37659712820583271862009-12-01T07:55:00.000-08:002009-12-01T11:56:06.548-08:00Day ONE and Pictures<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family:'bookman old style';"><img style="" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_227938134551_791064551_4427802_5663297_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs099.snc3/16664_227928344551_791064551_4427607_1565408_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_227932254551_791064551_4427732_909012_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_227933514551_791064551_4427772_1603449_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs099.snc3/16664_227933034551_791064551_4427768_3047590_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_227937279551_791064551_4427787_224925_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_227942629551_791064551_4427881_8228674_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs099.snc3/16664_227942844551_791064551_4427887_5006778_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_227942684551_791064551_4427882_7269206_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs099.snc3/16664_227942334551_791064551_4427879_872735_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs099.snc3/16664_227942779551_791064551_4427885_4475187_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs099.snc3/16664_227942794551_791064551_4427886_4594073_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_227942899551_791064551_4427888_1710507_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_227942964551_791064551_4427889_6570953_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs099.snc3/16664_227943049551_791064551_4427891_631833_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs099.snc3/16664_227943179551_791064551_4427892_5878596_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_227933719551_791064551_4427773_7704869_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_227932704551_791064551_4427747_4348864_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_227939314551_791064551_4427840_185540_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_227937819551_791064551_4427801_8199080_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_227936964551_791064551_4427786_3004129_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_227935684551_791064551_4427784_4684912_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_227935249551_791064551_4427779_3609347_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img style="" src="http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs119.snc3/16664_227929204551_791064551_4427697_4489950_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /><img src="http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs099.snc3/16664_227928094551_791064551_4427605_1289371_n.jpg" id="myphoto" /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family:'bookman old style';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family:'bookman old style';">So today was a very good day! We arrived safe in sound in Addis Ababa after about 19 hours door to door (15 hours of flying time). Being six foot one on Ethiopian Airlines is a bit of a liability but overall I got say it was a great flight. The highlight of the flight was an impromptu choir concert that broke out while we were sitting in Rome refueling the plan - it was awesome, the whole plane was into it. Wish I could speak Amharic, because I didn't understand a word that was said. But as a nice woman at the bathroom reminded me, praise is praise.<br /><br />After a quick lunch with the team (fried chicken??) we headed over to a carepoint/orphanage by the name of Quary (sp?), and spent a few hours with the kids. Some of the kids there are orphans others are just receiving day care so to speak while their mothers go out and work. This facility teaches the mothers a skill/trade (like basket weaving or sewing) so that they can earn money.<br /><br />We had a blast with the kids. Spent some time playing games with them and just, well, hanging out with them. One of the highlights was a parachute game that we brought, the kind we use to play with in grade school. The kids loved it and laughed the whole time. One little girl 'Milky' took my heart when she gave me a kiss on my cheek (I'm a sucker!) I was ready to scoop her up and take her home with me.<br /><br /><span>Ultimately, we determined that this facility is not one that Childrens HopeChest will sponsor, due to the fact that many of the kids are still living with their mom (or dad) and the others are adoption eligible. Adoption eligible kids are not a part of the HopeChest model (<a target="_blank" href="http://mail.resultedge.com/hwebmail/services/go.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hopechest.org">www.hopechest.org</a>) for good reasons that I don't have time to discuss now.</span><br /><br />Bottom line, we had a blast, the kids had a blast and we are here!<br /><br />Tomorrow we take a 6.5 hour drive to a city Kombolcha, north of Addis. We're told the situation is pretty dire there so we'll see.<br /><br />For now it's time for dinner and a much need night of sleep!<br /><br />Peace out! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.<br /><br />PK<br /><br /></span></div>Andrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-55058128031988873872009-12-01T04:23:00.001-08:002009-12-01T04:44:45.477-08:00Day One in Ethiopia<div>This is Andrea blogging for right now. Pete has arrived in Ethiopia, and just sent me a message that said, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 0, 0);">"At our first orphanage now, kids are beautiful!"</span></span> </div><div>Oh, my heart! Right now the team is at the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Promising Orphanage</span> in Addis. </div><div><br /></div><div>Tomorrow they will be getting up early and heading 6 hours north of Addis to <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Kombolcha. </span>It is a VERY needy area, with at least 400 children in dire need of food and care. </div><div><br /></div><div>Also, Tom Davis, who is leading the trip for Hopechest, has a camera crew with him as they are doing a lot of filming while there. He is going to be putting up daily film as well as pictures and updates. You can see a brief snapshot of where Pete is staying in his video clip this morning at <a href="http://tomdavis.typepad.com/">Tom's blog</a> </div><div><br /></div><div>Will you pray right now? </div><div><ul><li>For the rest and recovery for the team as they sleep tonight. After traveling for almost 24 hours, they jumped right into their first orphanage today (happily), so they will be looking forward to falling into bed tonight, I'm sure. <br /></li><li>For the children they are loving on right now. Will you pray for the hearts of the orphan-that they will not be afraid, but that they will accept the team's love, be filled with hope, and see that they are worth something, and that someone does care. That their bodies are filled with warmth and protection as they get hugs and kisses today from mommies and daddies who were sent to care for them today. That they may have a glimpse of what unconditional, unwaivering, true love is. That they see and feel the love of God through this team. </li></ul><div>More to come.....</div></div>Andrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-62482758911161228462009-11-29T23:22:00.000-08:002009-11-29T20:31:19.753-08:00Discomfort ZoneA little less than a year ago my wife Andrea and I attended a holiday dinner party at the home of good friends of ours - the Smiths. In the classic tradition of this excellent hostess, each of the eight dinner guests was presented with a card containing a thought provoking question. Our task was to reflect upon the question and then answer it in front of the group. Now I know that some of you out there can't stand these types of dinner party 'games' - but I got to tell you - I love 'em! I absolutely love listening and learning about people and getting a deeper understanding of what makes them tick, what they love, what they hate. To me, there's no better way to spend an evening with friends.<br /><br />I quietly read my card to myself at the dinner table (<em><strong>What do you want out of 2009?</strong></em>). "Ah, that's a softball question". I thought "It'll be easy to come up with an answer for that one". I put the card back down on the table without giving it much thought and continued with the dinner conversation. Over the next couple of hours we ate, talked and laughed as we listened to each of the guests answer their questions and share their ideas.<br /><br />Finally it was my turn to read and answer my question. I was the last one to go and I realized that I got so caught up in listening to everyone else that I hadn't spent any time thinking of an answer to my question:<br /><br /><strong>What do want out of 2009?</strong><br /><br />At this point the clock was ticking and I was on the spot. I'd squandered my prep time and left myself with no time to come up with witty, cool or funny answer. So I had to answer the first thing that came to my mind - the truth:<br /><br /><br /><strong>"During 2009 I want to be more comfortable being uncomfortable." I said.</strong><br /><br /><p></p><p>What the heck does that mean? Well, please allow me to explain...<br /></p><br /><p>What I'd come to realized is that for many years of my life, the primary need of my life had become the pursuit of comfort, security, safety and order (in other words <em><strong>certainty</strong></em>) for myself and for my family. I craved certainty and was addicted to it much like an alcoholic craves a drink or a gambler graves a game. Certainty that I could provide for my family, certainty we wouldn't be harmed, certainty that I could protect myself and those I love, certainty that everything was going to be just fine.........</p>Now let me totally clear, I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with pursuing and having the feelings of comfort, security, safety and order - but if this becomes your primary focus in life and your way of getting it is by trying to control the world around you, avoiding taking risks and holding back from God's plan - you've got a serious problem. And your problem is that you're not walking by <strong>FAITH, </strong>rather you're walking by <strong>FEAR</strong>. And if you're walking by FEAR and not by FAITH then you (like me) will never live the life that God has in store for you.<br /><br />And that was my problem, the details of which I'd be happy to share with you at another time in another blog post. Suffice it to say that God has an amazing way of reshuffling our emotional decks until we finally get His message. Fortunately for me, God used my love of children and the gift of international (African) adoption to break the chains of certainty in my life and provide me with greater comfort with uncertainty<em>,</em> ultimately shrinking my <em><strong>Discomfort Zone</strong>.</em> Because as anyone of you who've been through the trials and tribulations of a third world adoption knows, you better check your dominating need for certainty at the door and hang on to God Himself because the ride is intense and sometimes He's the only one who has a clue as to what's going on.<br />I write this today, as a recovering certainty addict, in hopes that you'll give some consideration to these words. Not for my benefit! But because I truly believe that God's vision for your life rests in the certainty of FAITH in Him and comfort with the uncertainty of this world.<br /><br />A very wise man recently taught me that that the <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" class="Apple-style-span">quality</span> of a person's life is directly proportional to the amount of <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" class="Apple-style-span">uncertainty</span> he/she can comfortably deal with. Isn't this true in your life? As I think about the most memorable and amazing moments (and feelings) of my life, they were almost always immediately proceeded by a significant amount of uncertainty: the birth of my first child, the adoption of my first daughter, dating my now wife, going away to college, giving my life to Christ.......<br /><br /><strong>What do you want out of 2009?</strong><br /><br />I said to the dinner guests that night, during 2009 I'm looking for more opportunities to be uncomfortable (i.e. uncertain) and praying for the wisdom to feel comfortable (by FAITH) in the process.......<br /><br />So on that note.... tomorrow morning a small team of caring souls and I begin a 10 day journey to Africa with an organization by the name of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Childrens</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">HopeChest</span> (<a href="http://www.hopechest.org/">http://www.hopechest.org/</a>); a journey to demonstrate God's unconditional love to the children of Ethiopia; a journey to do something to impact the lives of orphaned and impoverished children whose lives have been ravaged by AIDS, malaria, poverty and other disease. A journey to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ Himself - and honestly - a journey that is filled with a significant amount of <strong>uncertainty</strong> for me, my teammates and our families.<br /><br />Overall our group objective is to establish a meaningful long term relationship with several orphanage and care-point facilities, such that we can provide for the basic physical, educational, emotional and spiritual needs of these beautiful orphaned/impoverished children.<br /><br />The road towards meeting this objective is ripe with <strong>uncertainty</strong>. We are <strong>uncertain</strong> about what to expect on this trip, we are <strong>uncertain</strong> exactly how we'll react to the sight of starving children (do you?), we're <strong>uncertain</strong> how we're going to handle the sight of children dying with AIDS with no mother or father to comfort them (would you?), we're <strong>uncertain</strong> how our bodies will hold up under the physical stress and emotional stress of this trip, we're <strong>uncertain</strong> how we're ultimately going to fund our long-term mission....... <strong>BUT</strong>, thank God, we have certainty through FAITH that God will show us the way.<br /><br />So in closing I have a special request for you - please pray:<br /><br />Pray for our team:<br /><br />- For abundant wisdom in handling all challenges and circumstances<br />- For our emotional/physical/spiritual strength<br />- For safe travels to and from Ethiopia<br /><br />Pray for our families:<br /><br />- For the safety of our families back home<br /><br />Pray for the orphaned and impoverished children we'll be visiting:<br /><br />- That they would experience God's unconditional love and find hope in our mission<br /><br />Pray for yourself:<br /><br />- Please prayerfully consider becoming apart of our team (learn more at <a href="http://www.hopechest.com/">http://www.hopechest.com/</a>)<br /><br /><br />Thank you and God Bless!Andrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-8466190148704543092009-11-12T20:34:00.000-08:002009-11-13T10:18:39.434-08:00Adoption RodeoThis blog post goes out to my fellow adoptive fathers, particularly the first timers (i.e. rookies) out there who are just getting rolling on the craziest emotional ride of your lives. Oh no, I'm not referring to the ups and downs of the adoption process itself. I'm referring to being <strong>married to an expecting adoptive mom</strong> that's experiencing the ups and downs of the adoption process! My objective here is to inform and prepare you guys for what you might expect from your wives over the coming months.<br /><br />Let me frame this right out of the gate by saying that beginning today (i.e. right now), and continuing each and every day until your beloved wife finally clenches your new child in her arms, I need you as an expecting adoptive father to think of yourself as a <strong>professional bull rider</strong>........and……your wife is the <strong>BULL</strong>!<br /><br />For those of you who are unfamiliar with this sport, bull riding is a dangerous rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a large bull and attempting to stay mounted for at least 8 seconds while the animal attempts to buck off the rider. The rider tightly fastens one hand to the bull with a long braided rope. If the rider falls off the bull he risks severe bodily harm (e.g. pierced, broken, crushed). In fact bull riding has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in all of sports."<br /><br />Now at this point I’d like to go on record as saying that being married to a passionate (expecting) adoptive mom is “the most dangerous 12-36 months in marriage”. So climb into the saddle gentlemen and get your hand firmly fastened, because the adoption ride lasts for much longer than eight seconds and if you fall off your bull, you just may get trampled!<br /><br />I'm sorry ladies, I don't mean any disrespect here but I need to be straight. I sincerely believe that as a whole you adoptive moms are the most amazing and passionate human beings on earth! I'm convinced that this crazy passion is absolutely necessary because it fuels you through all of the ups and downs of the emotionally draining adoption process; from the first piece of paper 'chased' all the way through the moment you finally see your child face to face, feel the warmth of their embrace, and hear the sweet sound their voice. It's also this crazy passion that makes you, well... ….<strong>CRAZY</strong>….… like a bull.<br /><br />Having said all that, here are a few tips for my fellow cowboys to assist you on your adoption ride with your beautiful wives:<br /><br />1. Hold on tight!<br /><br />No matter how wild and crazy the ride gets you must remain strong and hang on. No matter how hard she bucks, your wife <strong>must</strong> know that you’ll always be there for her. She deserves it and she needs the certainty of your strength during this incredibly vulnerable and uncertain period. Bottom line – when she bucks <strong>do not retreat</strong>, hang in there and ride em cowboy!<br /><br />2. It’s not about you!<br /><br />I know it’s hard at times and yes you feel the brunt of the bucking, but she’s not bucking AT you, she’s bucking TO you. And let me be completely clear - <strong>she does want you to feel her pain!</strong> I don’t know why she does, but she just does, so suck it up and hang in there. I know you didn’t do anything wrong - it’s not about you! She’s just bucking and you happen to be the one she’s most comfortable expressing herself to and being vulnerable. This is a hard concept to get because we assume it’s something that we did (or didn’t do). So let me repeat it – it’s not about you, even if she tells you it is!<br /><br />3. Take heart, you’re not alone!<br /><br />Remember that you’re not alone in this sport and this challenge and it’s not unique to your wife. There are plenty of us cowboys (and rodeo clowns) out there doing our best to stay on the bull. Pray for each other!<br /><br />4. Harness the awesome power of the bull!<br /><br />You wouldn’t blame an eagle for flying, so don't blame the bull for bucking! They’re just doing their job, and remember you need to harness their energy and passion in order to get through the ride. Keep your eye on the ultimate prize!<br /><br />5. Praise God!<br /><br />When the ride finally ends (and it will) and you experience the joy of seeing your child in your wife’s arms (where he/she belongs), take a few moments to praise God and give thanks for the awesome passion of your wife. A passion that produced one of the greatest gifts imaginable.<br /><br />Then, take a few deep breaths and prepare yourself.……....because there's a really good chance……… she’ll want to do it all over again!!Andrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-62620446871825933392009-11-05T19:48:00.000-08:002009-11-05T20:02:27.418-08:00What are you going to do about it?Nearly three years ago, shortly after making the decision to adopt a baby girl from Africa, Andrea and I had an after dinner conversation that ended up laying the foundation for a mission and a passion that we never could have imagined.<br /><br />As we sat around our dinner table that night, we were just beginning the process of getting informed on the basics of the country that would present us with our third child - Ethiopia. We had just begun learning about this poor landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa - bordered by Eritrea to the north, Sudan to the west, Kenya to the south, and Somalia to the east. We learned of a third-world country roughly the size of state of Texas that had been ravaged by HIV/AIDS, famine, poverty, drought and flood, and home to an estimated five million orphans. That’s right, five million orphans.<br /><br />And one of them was my baby girl Gabrielle.<br /><br />As we sat around the dinner table that night, we discussed what Gabrielle might want to know someday about her native country, her culture, her heritage, the circumstances, and the reasons. We vividly imagined the day that Gabrielle would approach us, look into our eyes, and ask us THE question:<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc66cc;">“What happened to my mother and father?”</span><br /><br />As we speculated on how this conversation may unfold, we realized that although we might not have a specific answer to this critical question (unfortunately it’s very common for Ethiopian orphans to be left without a trace of his or her family history) we recognized that we could at least explain the likely circumstances leading her to becoming one of the five million orphans: poverty, disease, hunger. Strangely, this gave us some level of comfort - comfort that we could provide Gabrielle with a rationale (as awful and evil as it is) that might satisfy her need for answers at some level.<br /><br />BUT our comfort evaporated when we thought further about her next logical question:<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc66cc;">“What did you do about it?”</span><br /><br />WHOA…. the thought of that question stopped us right in our tracks! It was at that very point that Andrea and I started to realize that this adoption was just the beginning of something much more than simply adding another child to our family.<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc66cc;">“What did you do about it?”<br /></span><br />Can you imagine getting that question from your little girl and not having an answer? We had to have an answer, a good answer! We could no longer ignore the massive injustice and problems occurring on the continent that was to provide us with our daughter. We now had skin in the game….<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc66cc;">“What did you do about it?”<br /></span><br />Can you imagine having an awareness of the fact that there are five million orphans in Ethiopia alone and doing NOTHING about it?<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc66cc;">“What did you do about it?”</span><br /><br />Can you imagine knowing that 5500 Africans die every day of AIDS (a preventable and treatable disease) and doing NOTHING about it?<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc66cc;">“What did you do about it?”<br /></span><br />Can you imagine knowing that nearly a million Africans die each year of Malaria and doing NOTHING about it?<br /><br /><span style="color:#cc66cc;">“What did you do about it?”</span><br /><br />I plan on having a really good answer to this question when it comes out my little girl’s mouth. And if it goes well with Gabrielle, I may just repeat my answer the day when I meet God face to face and have to give Him an account.... <br /><br />What's your answer? (<a href="http://www.hopechest.org/">http://www.hopechest.org/</a>)Andrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-22689760523449619332009-10-30T20:04:00.000-07:002009-10-31T06:02:07.626-07:00Painfully WaitingThe following is an excerpt of an email that my wife Andrea sent to an expecting (adoptive) mom to help her deal with a key pain factor of international adoption – WAITING. I believe this email is relevant to all of us who are WAITING for anything in one way, shape or form. More specifically this mom is waiting for notification of a court date that will ultimately finalize her child’s adoption from the foreign country’s perspective (this is a big deal!). For those of you who have never experienced a situation like this or for those dads out there who, like me, are not totally in touch with the emotions of a passionately expecting mom; imagine this situation more like this:<br /><br /><em>Your wife has given birth! After cutting the umbilical cord the nurse takes a quick picture of the baby and hands it to you and your wife along with some very basic/cryptic medical results. They are taking YOUR child (over 7000 miles) away from you to a third world country while they finalize some paperwork through the government system. As the nurse hustles out of the room she lets you know that you’ll be contacted at some point (“don’t call us, we’ll call you” she shouts) once they’ve completed their “process”. Then you can get on a plane and travel around the world to finally embrace your child in your arms. </em><br /><br />That’s literally what this expecting adoptive mom is feeling – this maybe what your wife, friend, daughter or sister is feeling.<br /><br />I hope Andrea's response will comfort you in your 'WAITING' as much as it did this expecting mom. Here is Andrea’s response:<br /><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">I remember feeling the SAME feelings you have right now, and nothing really helped- until one day Pete talked to me about something that actually made me feel better. Not sure if it will work for you, but here goes: </span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"></span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">He first wanted to make sure that I agreed that God was in control, which I did. I told him in my mind it made sense, but my mommy heart could not accept it- I NEEDED TO BE WITH HER, and that was all there was to it. He then asked me if I thought God would take us through this whole journey, up to that point, and then leave us hanging. This one I felt a little more, and said no I did not think God would abandon us. He then pointed out that God has reasons for everything He does, even the time that I had to wait and could not be with Gigi. I could not accept that she would ever be better off without me, her momma, and that was that, so he needed to explain further. </span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"></span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">So......Pete described how he had this very strong feeling that God needed Gigi to be there (i.e. in Ethiopia) during that time, he ached for her to come home too, but somehow God had laid it on his heart that it was meant to be. He said it was like Gigi will have a story one day, she will become the person and woman God intended her to be, and the time she is in Ethiopia is part of her story and is building her to be the person she will become. He described how those few months in the transitional orphanage was the only time she would ever have in her childhood in HER NATIVE country. He said, "Allow her to see the Ethiopian faces, to connect with them, to hear the language, to recognize it, and to smell the smells, and embrace them." </span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"></span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">WOW, that made sense!!! A mommy always wants to protect and be with her child, but I knew that that time she was there was VERY, VERY special to her and would make her the Ethiopian/American person she would become. To this day, there are characteristics in her that I KNOW were formed from her time there. The times she is so willing to be patient, or the times she shows her fighting spirit, or the times she says things that we swear have an accent to them, reminiscent of her native language. I hope this helps in some way......I do know the mommy pain, and it will not go away, until that day she is placed into your arms, but maybe you can view this time or appreciate it an a new way- one that makes sense for your daughter. </span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"></span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">Prayers with you today and for that court date! </span>Andrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-17935046366451698072009-10-07T21:15:00.000-07:002009-10-07T18:18:09.452-07:00Meeting my daughter for the first time<p>This video was taken a little over a year ago in Ethiopia when we were blessed to meet our third child (Gigi) for the first time. This ranks as one of the most magical moments of my life and I can't wait to experience this feeling again when I meet my son (Matthew) for the first time. We're hopeful that we can complete our adoption and bring him home sometime late next year. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz6UI7Dsag1d_5TAkq7iZAsrP1kahfkla-hltIMgqlX0UEprTuu9RklL10GN46MARYnSjU2FzaSce00d_qrPw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p>Andrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-671891080685042522009-10-01T18:41:00.000-07:002009-10-07T18:28:32.081-07:00Adoption: Not Immune To The EnemyI was informed of this article from today's (10/1/09) NY Daily News related to an <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2009/10/01/2009-10-01_long_island.html?page=0">adoption Ponzi scheme on Long Island.</a> It's an unfortunate example of the fact that even the most beautiful of expressions is not immune to attack. I can't even imagine what these prospective parents are feeling after being ripped off (financially and emotionally) in this scheme. This serves as a powerful reminder to choose your adoption relationships (e.g. agency) carefully and prayerfully.Andrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-91147485916516744592009-09-30T16:59:00.000-07:002009-10-07T18:33:41.873-07:00Adoption: Loud & Proud!During the past 15 months as an adoptive father, I've been in countless social situations (grocery stores, ball games, birthday parties etc.) with my little girl (Gigi) and have noticed a strange pattern in our culture. People (this includes anyone from friends & family to the average Joe on the street) have a bizarre tendency to talk about adoption as if it's some sort of solemn secret - in fact the volume of their voice will noticeably decrease when they say the words 'adopted', 'adoption' etc. It's like you can be talking to the loudest guy in the room and the conversation will go a little something like this:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Loud Guy: </span><span style="color:#ff0000;"><span style="color:#ff0000;">"</span>Wow that little girl's beautiful, where's she from?"</span></strong></span><br /><span style="color:#000099;">Me: "Thanks. She's from Ethiopia."<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="color:#ff0000;">Loud Guy:</span> </strong></span><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff0000;"><strong>"Ethiopia, oh wow awesome!</strong> <span style="font-size:78%;color:#993399;">Is she</span><span style="font-size:78%;color:#993399;"> adopted</span><strong><span style="font-size:78%;color:#993399;">?</span> "</strong><br /></span><span style="color:#000099;">Me: "Excuse me I couldn't hear you, what did you say? No she's not <span style="font-size:78%;color:#993399;">adopted</span>, she's <span style="font-size:130%;">ADOPTED!"</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><br />Don't get me wrong I'm not judging Loud Guy - we've all made a mistake of this type in one-way shape or form with other people who are 'different' than us. My point is that we (as adoptive parents, relatives and/or friends) must break this crazy cycle and interrupt the old cultural pattern. If not, what kind of message are we sending to our adopted children? What kind of message are we sending to others and ourselves? Do you think our children notice these subtleties? You better believe they do!<br /><br />Simply put, adoption is one of the most beautiful expressions of love that God ever created. It deserves to be celebrated, honored, published and <strong>shouted</strong>! So say it loud, say it proud!<br /><br />- PeteAndrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-86908881184568418922009-09-29T09:00:00.000-07:002009-10-01T19:19:37.967-07:00Orphan Care: Get Rich Quick!I was recently talking to a friend of mine at work and told him that I had a great idea for him to consider. The conversation was quite revealing to me and it went a little something like this:<br /><br /><span style="color:#3366ff;">Me: Man I've got an idea that I want to talk to you about.<br />Ben: Is it a get rich quick idea Pete? Because that's what I need right now.<br />Me: Well no it's not, but is that really what you're looking for? Would you really like to know how to get rich quick Ben?<br />Ben: Absolutely!<br />Me: Do you really want to know Ben, or are you just asking?<br />Ben: Yes, yes, I'm serious Pete, I really want to know.<br />Me: If I could guarantee you wealth beyond your wildest dreams, with a minimal upfront investment and minimal time would you promise me that you'd consider my strategy?<br />Ben: Who wouldn't? What's the catch???</span><br /><br />Well the answer is there is no catch - it's absolutely true. What I told Ben that day is that all he needed to start with was $2000 and ten days of his time and I promised him a feeling of wealth like he'd only dreamed about. Not a huge investment of time and capital for instant wealth - do you think? Would you invest $2000 and ten days of time for abundance like you've never known before?<br /><br />I invited Ben on a 10-day adventure to Ethiopia (Africa) with Children’s HopeChest (<a href="http://www.hopechest.com/">http://www.hopechest.com/</a>) to visit and care for hundreds of orphans located in six orphanages throughout the country. An opportunity to invest in the lives of children desperate for the love and attention of a father/mother figure. An experience guaranteed to change his life forever and rock his current model of the world.<br /><br />Dejected and annoyed, he declined my offer and passed it off as a joke, a farce of an idea.<br /><br /><strong><em>But I was not joking!</em></strong><br /><br />For those of you who’ve been to Africa, experienced the circumstances and spent time with orphaned children, you realize that I was absolutely not joking and that my promise was legitimate and sincere. You understand the simple fact that “you can never shake the dust of Africa off your feet”. You realize how little we need and yet how much we have. You comprehend that our day-to-day complaints (like I’m so busy and stressed because I’m having a sit down dinner party the same night as my kid’s Pump It Up birthday party and I’m still not sure if I should order the Sponge Bob or Scooby Doo party favor theme). <strong>PLEASE!<br /></strong><br />For those of you who’ve never had the experience of traveling to Africa and caring for orphaned children - please consider joining us on a future adventure to care for Ethiopia’s beautiful orphans. I can not promise that the trip will be easy and without heart wrenching experiences, but I can promise you it will change your life forever – for the better. You will obtain a perspective that blesses you and those you have the privilege to touch. And I promise it will provide more eternal value to you and your family than any get rich quick scheme ever could.Andrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-899755420670443940.post-14077319753242076182009-09-27T18:21:00.000-07:002009-10-01T19:18:50.475-07:00Ethiopian Adoption & Orphan Blog ChristeningSo this is the maiden blog post that I've been putting off for months now (that’s right months!). Why? Well I might as well be honest with you and me right from the get go – fear:<br /><br />Fear? That’s right I said it – <em>fear</em>! I’m not proud of it, but it’s the truth. Isn’t that the reason we put anything off for long????? Oh yeah I could have come up with a list of believable excuses that could have passed as ‘truth’: “Well I never did anything like this and I just didn’t know where and how to begin blogging” (decent excuse don’t you think?) How about, I’ve been so busy that I didn’t have time to get started (oldie but a goodie). And finally, I don’t even really know what to say or do on a blog (whatever - there’s about 10 million of them on the web to learn from!).<br /><br />So yeah, fear of stinking up the blog world with a lousy blog was holding me back. Fear that what I had to say might offend <strong>you</strong> was holding me back without me realizing it. In fact I had no idea of this until I finally sat down to post this entry. Ahhhhh, I feel better now that I cleared the air with that. I’m already liking the therapeutic effect of this blogging thing – now let’s get down to business……<br /><br />Now that I’ve come clean with that, here’s the bottom line on this whole blog thing for me:<br /><br />I’m a proud father of three (soon to be four) amazing children – two are biological (girl & boy), one is an adopted girl from Ethiopia and is home with us, and the final is a little boy we’re expecting from Ethiopia some time late next year (2010). Simply put, God used the miracle (<strong><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">yes miracle</span></em></strong>) of adoption to absolutely transform my life and set me on a course that I could never of imagined just a couple of years ago. As a matter of fact if you told me three years ago that I’d be the father of two African born children - I would have told you that you were out of your mind (though not quite as polite as that). Further if you told me that not a day would go by that I didn’t think about these poor orphaned children halfway around the world, in dire conditions with nobody to protect them, nobody to comfort them and nobody to guide them in this world – I’d a believed you were certifiable (i.e. nuts, crazy etc.).<br /><br />But <strong>I am</strong> the father of one (soon to be two) former African orphans, and <strong>I do</strong> think about those beautiful kids left behind every single day– and it’s been one of the greatest gifts of my life. I want this blog to tell a <strong>father’s story</strong> of a heart changed by the grace of God and the resulting journey to care for some of the orphaned children who are left behind.<br /><br />So in closing there are two key journeys I’m going to chronicle on this blog:<br /><br />Our journey to bring home my son Mathew from Ethiopia<br />Our journey to care for those left behind – beginning with a mission trip led by Children’s HopeChest along with a crew of amazing friends (soon to be family) to visit and care for “the least of these” in Ethiopia.<br /><br />It’s my privilege to have you join me on this journey and my prayer is that your heart will be even further opened up to the spirit of adoption and the needs of the orphan.<br /><br />- PeteAndrea and Peter Kiddhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17173958905807946267noreply@blogger.com2