You Make Beautiful Things
Have you ever met someone who flat out changes your life? When we met Mulu (Mercy’s mother) two years ago, we had no idea the impact that meeting would make in our lives- then and now. We are grateful for the opportunity to host her daughter in the USA for medical treatment and celebrating like crazy this week receiving the good news that her body is healthy and tests ALL 
normal. She endured 2 months of testing from head to toe (and shots) but was always a trooper! We are still flabbergasted with this news, but not surprised. Our God is a big God and has had His hands covered around this precious family from day 1. Thanks for celebrating with us and you will continue to play a big part in her life with your prayers and support! Our biggest dream for Mercy when we started this journey, was for her to return back to her family healed, healthy, and happy. She’s been working so hard everyday on English and home-school lessons with Hannah. Yesterday, we finished lessons and made it to play at Target all before noon. (I think I’m going to really like this!!) She is part of our family … helping with babysitting (we have 9 kids living under 1 roof) and chores. We’ve encouraged her to try new things … her biggest challenge has been finding her God-confidence in a new country, but she keeps moving forward with courage! She will return to Ethiopia starting the 11th grade at Bright Hope School with Project 61. We will continue to sponsor the entire family … prayerfully forever!!
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us
Mulu and 30 women living in Korah work for a ministry (we love and adore) called Mission Ethiopia. When you stay at one of the beautiful EGH guest homes in Addis Ababa, you also support Mission Ethiopia. Check out their website here– The women are widows and single moms … each one with a story. Roger and I showed up every day and fell madly in love with these beautiful women who make beautiful things out of magazines and clay mud. On our first day living in Ethiopia, we headed to the tiny blue shop next to Great Hope Church where they make jewelry, beads, scarves, woven rugs (famous Casa is the weaver) and other beautiful things. They sat us down on a hard bench and handed me a tiny flat stick and clay bead … my only directions, “shine!” They work at a feverish pace, and I wasn’t about to slow their system down. I rubbed the bead like crazy until they told me in Amharic “Gobez (good job)” and handed me another bead. After two hours of shining beads, my back was aching and I was literally pooped! The next day, we showed up to make beautiful things and they were already hard at work making magazine bead necklaces. I was soooo excited, because I simply love wearing [everyday] the made-with-love-necklaces and honestly had no idea how they were made. I soon learned the hands on way. They handed me a long, clear string that looked like fishing line and a pile of bright colored beads. They showed me at super-woman speed how to string beads. My first attempt, I accidentally bumped my pile and they scattered all over the floor. The women howled with laughter, but quickly gave me another pile. “chiggeryellum (no problem)” I worked so hard to make them proud. I wanted the women of Mission Ethiopia to know how much I admired them and valued their beautiful things.
The tiny blue house is jam packed with love. The women work and sing and pray all day long (with an hour lunch break) and their kids play outside, so Zoie always had a play mate. They embraced our family and invited us to come inside to work and learn Amharic 101, the beautiful language in Ethiopia. Roger and I were determined to learn a few important phrases and they would practice with us over and over and over. I think they soon realized we were “slow-minded” and worked fervently with us as we made beautiful things together. We owe the women of Mission Ethiopia all the recognition and credit for helping us survive the language barriers serving in Korah
and actually having a semi-decent conversation with the community in our best Amharic. Even though, we sounded terrible, they were honored that we never gave up trying to learn.
“Imagine being an HIV positive widow, or a woman handicapped by leprosy: both outcasts and considered unemployable. Women like these and many others spent their days in the garbage dump searching for food or begging in the streets to feed their families until they were offered employment by Mission Ethiopia.
Mission Ethiopia empowers individuals by providing a sustainable job to support themselves and their families with the fruit of that labor. By purchasing these products, you have helped to restore dignity by providing a hand-up instead of a handout.”
All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You …
You make me new, You are making me new.
“Mission Ethiopia helps to provide jobs through local churches to help women support and feed their families. Today, 56 women (single mothers, widows, and women with HIV) come daily to 4 local churches where they form clay beads, which are later dried, glazed and designed into beautiful necklaces. This year, by the grace of God, we hope to double the number of women who participate in this project.
Unemployment and underemployment are significantly prevalent in both urban and rural areas. “We want to build on what the poor already have – willing hearts and minds that just need an opportunity.” The number of women we are able to provide with an opportunity for employment is directly affected by the number of guests that stay at Ethiopia Guest Home.”
OK, now that you have met Mission Ethiopia and fallen in love them too, will you go over and “Like” their wonderful facebook page? This would mean the world to the ladies, if all MY bloggy friends follow and share with their mission to make beautiful things. The EGH staff updates with new photos weekly!!
(Beautiful Things video- Gungor)
All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us
All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us
You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us
