Birthday Cont.

 Once I recognized what I was going to have to surrender my birthday presents the flesh battle began. But my heart battle was so much stronger and it won. I asked God on the way back home from the Beth Moore trip what I was supposed to do. As I was praying about it I was reading through one of my best friends blogs (check it out here it is awesome!). As I scrolled through her words my heart was moved again and I was reminded of the place God sparked a deep love for over a year ago.  I have not forgotten the place, I love the place it will forever be buried in my heart and dreams. It is the place where my passion of the orphans and poor grew. Not through physically being there but there the words of others and the beautiful faces of those who live there. This place is a community in Addis Ababba, Ethiopia. It started 75 years ago when they cast the lepers out of the city. Now there are over 3 generations living there. Still know as the outcasts. This place they called Korah. It is believed that the people who reside in Korah are cursed. They are not.

I blogged about this place a year ago and what it did in my life, you can find that post here.  One of the things I wanted to do last year but wasn't able to was send a child to school in Ethiopia through Project61. This organization, is the organization that hosted the missions team that lead me to the discovery of Korah. I am in love with the organization. They take children out of the trash dump (Korah) and they find them sponsors so that they can go to a boarding school and get a really great education.  I knew immediately that God was telling me to give up my birthday and sponsor a child to go to school.  Being a sponsor to a child who lives in Korah is more than just being their Sponsor. They often think of you as their family. You make a direct and huge impact on their life.  You are giving them an education, a place to sleep (they are usually sleeping in the streets), 3 meals a day (no longer digging through the trash in a land fill for food) medical care and clothing. This literally changes their life. I cried and told Phillip what I felt like God was telling me. He was on board. I emailed Erin, who is charge of the sponsorship stuff stateside, and told her we were ready to sponsor someone. There were about 10 children/teens to choose from. I prayed over every beautiful face and asked God to direct me to the right one. He lead me to Aster.

Her full name is Aster Tesfaye

Aster is Amharic for Esther which means in her country "Beautiful Flower" 

&

Tesfaye which means "My Hope"

She is both of those things. She is beautiful and she is "hope". I have learned that Aster is 17, she has no parents and she lives with her Grandfather. She is going to go into the 9th grade and she is an average student. She also fights sometimes. I nearly dies laughing when I read that. I thought "God you are so funny". I thought for sure I would sponsor someone who was a little bit like me. But God has other plans. He has plans for Aster. He has "Hope" and a future for her. God knew that he was going to use my battle against my flesh and y victory in the battle to get Aster to school. Aster will be going to the school in Shashmene. It is a large private boarding school. We will get to communicate to her through letters and pictures. I am praying that while we are there in November we will get to go to Shashmene and meet her face to face. I am so in love with this pretty girl and I feel really honored to be her sponsor for school. I pray that the Lord will begin to reveal himself to her and that she will learn who she really is. She is not cursed. She is not an outcast. She is not unloved or unwanted. She is very much loved. The Lord is enthralled by her beauty. I pray that she knows that "The Lord has plans for her. Plans to prosper her and not to harm her, plans to give her HOPE and a future." 

Something I think is really interesting is that the exact cost of the purse I had decided I wanted (which is not in the set of pictures in m last post) was the exact amount of money it cost to send Aster to school for a full year plus medical care. Isn't God awesome?!

Last Saturday when my birthday rolled around. I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and gratitude. I think it is really beautiful how God can use your funk and your sin to bring himself glory and how out of the correction and discipline God helps someone else. I feel so very thankful that God used all my selfishness to gear me into the direction of Aster. To God be all the Glory! God is so good. 

I had a wonderful birthday. I did get some presents. They were really really thoughtful. I love how my friends know me and they know my heart.  Thank you all for everything! I love you bunches!

If you would like to learn more about this amazing opportunity to sponsor a child and updates please visit these links below:

Sponsorships

Project61

Updates and...well for just a really awesome blog to follow

Wynne Elder's Blog

For an amazing story about Korah and Sammy (a boy who grew up in Korah)

My Crazy Adoption

There are only FIVE kids left that need sponsorships. You could be the next one to send a precious child to school and open the door to their future. What an awesome gift.