Last summer, the children of First Lutheran Church got excited about helping children in a small village in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. My friend Sally and her family are currently on a long-term mission there and she let me know that most of the children slept on the dirt floors of their family huts without any barrier between them and the ground. Sleeping directly on the ground can cause a multitude of health problems, but these children's families could not afford the $2.00-$3.00 cost for each child to have a bed roll or bed mat.
When our VBS kids heard this news, they knew there was a way to help. Over that week of VBS the children and parents collected enough money so that one-hundred mats could be purchased. This week was the celebration of Ethiopian Christmas and it was time for the bed mats to be distributed! How fitting that on Epiphany, the feast that celebrates the Three Kings giving gifts to the Christ Child, that these children would receive this small gift of a little comfort and physical rest.
What a blessing it is to be able to see the results of what seemed such a small effort. Isn't it amazing what God can do with even the small gifts we give?
To learn more about the Baer Family, visit their website at: www.baeressentials.org
(As a side note - today is my birthday as well and I can't think of a better way of celebrating than hearing and sharing this news!)
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