A Walk On The Lighter Side

Admittedly 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:

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:






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...




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.

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.

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Orphan 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:

Me: Man I've got an idea that I want to talk to you about.
Ben: Is it a get rich quick idea Pete? Because that's what I need right now.
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?
Ben: Absolutely!
Me: Do you really want to know Ben, or are you just asking?
Ben: Yes, yes, I'm serious Pete, I really want to know.
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?
Ben: Who wouldn't? What's the catch???

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?

I invited Ben on a 10-day adventure to Ethiopia (Africa) with Children’s HopeChest (http://www.hopechest.com/) 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.

Dejected and annoyed, he declined my offer and passed it off as a joke, a farce of an idea.

But I was not joking!

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). PLEASE!

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.

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