Bethlehem Unwrapped

Another short blog about Bethlehem, and no apologies given. This is a city that we all sing about and think of at this time, and yet it is a city that in reality is so different from the images that the carols portray.

There is a festival going on in London at St James church, Piccadilly from 29th Dec - 5th Jan, and it is called Bethlehem Unwrapped. The first thing that you see at it is a short replica section of the separation wall that has been erected in Israel to separate the 'Israeli' land from the 'Palestinian' land. Like all man-made boundaries, it isn't accurate, and it results in families being split up, or farmers not being able to reach their farmlands etc. And of course as it was erected by the Israeli's, they get the better deal.

When I was out in Israel several years ago, I walked along the side of the wall in Jerusalem for a short distance - it is so so oppressive and intimidating; and trying to cross at a border crossing was a very tense affair. I can't imagine what it is like for those that have to cross it every day, just to get to work, or to college, or to school, or to see family - it is so so wrong.

If you are in London in the next week and have the opportunity to get along to the Bethlehem Unwrapped festival then I'd recommend it - even if just to experience standing by the wall. Here is a link to a you-tube video about the festival, either if you want to know more before going there, or to make up for not being able to go!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke7QVF0paqc&feature=youtu.be

and here is another one of interest - it shows the reality of getting to work each day for people from Bethlehem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkWryR1PkTg

Happy Christmas!

Christmas in a foreign land

Call me a cheat if you want, but my daughter Natalie has just posted such a lovely blog about her Christmas in Thailand, and reflections on the 'reasons for the season', that I'm going to save my creative juices until another time and let Natalie do the talking!

So, all the way from Thailand, and via her blog (http://www.faithandactions.blogspot.co.uk), with a bit of editing to make it a tad shorter, here she is:

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Thailand! I hope you all had a really blessed day, whatever you were doing, whoever you were with and wherever you were. Do you know, I hadn't clicked that its only Brits who have Boxing Day? Everyone here had no clue what I was on about when I mentioned it (along with mince pies, Christmas cake, Christmas pudding and crackers - I never knew quite how unique our Christmas is in England).

I was so blessed this Christmas! It was my first one away from home and so I wasn't always as positive about it as I should have been in the lead up because I'd be away from my wonderful family and friends, and it wouldn't be the same. But God gave us an extra Christmas miracle (besides the pretty important one of sending His son): understanding. Of course none of our Christmas's would be as we are used to, but that's ok because Christmas is all about Jesus and He is everywhere. Germany and Sweden celebrate Christmas on the 24th, so we had two Christmas days (because we have a German and a Swede in our team, if you didn't know). The five of us went out for brunch on the 24th and had an unusual breakfast - I had carrot cake, passion fruit sorbet, red berry sorbet and a frozen mint chocolate drink. I figured as it was a hot Christmas, so for the summery foods.

So we started well, with a lot of delicious food and a relaxed time of fellowship with these four wonderful sisters of mine. 

We'd prepared small care packages the day before, and so spent our afternoon walking the streets finding people the hand them out to as we felt led by God. It was a really humbling and encouraging time, and very hot! There's one lady I want to tell you about quickly, as she was the face of Christmas for me this year. We had one package left and I felt that I should give it to an old lady selling street food. She looked very confused to start with and didn't take the gift, but when she began to understand it was free and an expression of God's love and our love for her, the biggest and brightest smile spread across her wrinkled face, bringing it to life. It's the same with God - He gave us Jesus as the greatest expression of His love for each one of us and when we accept Him, our life is brightened forever. This is why I love Christmas!

Before heading home to refresh before church, three of us were introduced to a wonderful delicacy of Thailand - the banana roti. It was amazing! They mix egg and mushed up banana together, fry it in a thin dough circle and fold it into a square, then drizzle with condensed milk and chocolate sauce. Yum!

We went to the church we have been working with during our stay here in the evening and had pizza, popcorn, fruit  and s'mores for dinner, again in very large portions. We sang carols, and it vaguely reminded me of the Christmas Eve service at my church (but it wasn't near as good, but I am quite biased). 

Christmas morning number two started with a Skype call to the family at 7am my time which is 12am midnight, so just Christmas for them. It was a really special start to the day, and I even got to watch some of Love Actually with them! They started my christmas off in the best way possible, thank you so much for staying up guys.

When the others were up we began Christmas with our focus on the 'reason for the season' by reading the Bible story and praying together. It's so special to be with people who really share your faith and understand how important it is to you. The five of us have been through a lot together over the last three months, so it was lovely to spend such a significant day with them! We then did stocking and present opening. The giving of gifts brings such joy, doesn't it?! 

We'd decorated the small communal area we have upstairs and this was our Christmas tree, Thai style.

Breakfast consisted of banana muffins, croissants, fruit, chocolate and other sweets. We all mooched for a while before I carried on the tradition (now two years old) which I am determined to continue of playing jungle speed.

A group of us went out for a late Christmas lunch to a restaurant near by. Oh my word! This was my Christmas dinner.

Yes, it did indeed consist of fish and chips! Well, I wanted something British and this is the closest I could come, and it was so good. There was also an unlimited salad bar, so I had carrot sticks, celery sticks, lettuce, pepper, spinach, mange-tout and other veg for the first time in months. Now, I would have felt extremely blessed if we had had rice and dhal because that's yummy too and Christmas isn't about food, but boy God is so good and loves to give His children joy in many ways. I was very joyful! 

The evening was full of more joy brought through the wonders of technology. I spoke to some of my family, which was so wonderful as they're all at my home for Christmas so it's ever more bizarre not being there. The rest of my new family from India were also online so we could talk to them for the first time since we left - I miss them a lot, going from shari everything to not having much contact is challenging, so it was great to briefly hear their voices again. Then the icing on the Christmas cake was being able to wish one of my best friends, Ruth, a Merry Christmas too. All in all, it was a truly great Christmas, full of God, friends and fun.

O Little Town of Bethlehem

Just back from the Christmas Eve carol service at church - a key part of my Christmas, and apart from the fact that I was one daughter missing, it was as special a time as ever.

But the carol 'O Little Town of Bethlehem' is always a hard one to sing. When you consider what life is like now for the people of Bethlehem, what has happened to that town as a result of fear and hatred replacing love and light in that region - it's hardly a town where people have dreamless sleeps, or a peace-filled town.

Martin John Nicholls is a talented singer / song-writer who works for Christian Aid and went to visit the Holy Land and Christian Aid partners there back in 2003. The conditions that he found then, and the fate of the people, is as true today as it was 10 years ago, and Martin wrote the following version of 'O Little Town'.

Oh broken town of Bethlehem

Oh broken town of Bethlehem

Your people long for peace,

But curfews, raids and closure barricades

Have brought them to their knees

Yet still they strive for justice

And still they make their stand

Their hopes and fears still echo down the years

Come, heal this holy land.

Oh holy child of Bethlehem,

A royal refugee,

Your place of birth is now a hell on earth

Through our complicity.

The innocents still suffer,

Their backs against the wall.

We see the curse, the violence and worse

And choose to ignore it all.

Oh holy streets of Bethlehem

Deserted and destroyed

The frightened faces fill the sacred places

Pilgrims once enjoyed.

Yet in the midst of darkness

A hopeful beacon shines:

The future lies in humble sacrifice

And not in guns and mines.

Oh holy star of Bethlehem

Help us to watch and pray.

With love and light illuminate the night

Reveal the Kingdom’s day.

Lord, dare us to be angels

Your awesome truth to tell.

It must be heard:

You are the final word,

Our Lord, Emmanuel.

© 2003 Martin John Nicholls

Dedicated to Nader Abu Amsha and the staff of East Jerusalem YMCA, Beit Sahour (Shepherd's Field) near Bethlehem.

www.martinjohnnicholls.co.uk

The words are very powerful, and if you then watch this clip about the Christmas story as told by people living in the Bethlehem area, it really underlines a deeper sense of the real meaning of Christmas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjQDl95tOcU 

May you have a peace-filled Christmas, may the fullness of God Incarnate be alive in you this day, and may 2014 be a year when we get fresh revelations on God working His Kingdom out here on earth, through us, through those around us, and through God's people around the world.

First world problems

When we were in Rwanda in the summer with the  CRED team, one of the phrases that started to get used quite a bit was 'hash-tag first world problems'.

For the non-twitterers amongst you, the hashtag bit is reference to something you can do on twitter if you want to link phrases (I think - I don't really understand it myself!), but the essence was that it was used to highlight moans and gripes that people were having, and put them in perspective as 'first world problems' ie not really problems at all, just inconveniences that were being 'endured'.

So some of the 'moans' that got the response of 'hashtag first world problem' included:
- trying to decide what T-shirt to wear
- the white trainers getting dirty
- how to fit all the resources into one bag
- having to have porridge rather than toast for breakfast

and several others that, when looked at through the lens of the street-kids that we were visiting, made you squirm with embarrassment at the 'spoilt rich kid' mentality of them

It really was very effective at making you stop and think about what really matters, and how so much of what we get het up about is actually very trivial and not worth the wasted energy.

There is a short film that Huffington Post have put together that is very powerful about this, and you can see it by clicking here (so long as you are on-line when you are reading this!). It shows people from the less developed countries reading out some 'first world problems', but due to the context of where they are reading them, it gives a very strong message that we all could do with being reminded about.

Happy 50th Birthday Kenya

On 12th December 1964, Kenya was granted independence from Great Britain, and the following year became a Republic.

50 years on, the verdict seems to be out on how well the country is doing. In some ways it is developing well, with child mortality falling, increased numbers enrolling in schools and increased access to clean water for rural communities giving some indications of the progress that is being made.

It also has a very impressive aim that comes under the title 'Vision 2030' which aspires to raise education standards in Kenya to such a level by 2030 that the country will be in a position to move from being a low-income country to a middle-income country.

All very good, and I wish the country and its people the very best in it, but it does seem strange that amidst the focus on increasing educational attainment, schools such as Spurgeons Academy in Kibera slum are having to look outside their country to get the money to rebuild the school and ensure that it can continue to provide the top quality education that is currently available to the students.

Spurgeons Academy reaches out into the largest slum in east Africa, and offers a high-quality education to some of the poorest and most vulnerable children. About 80% of the students are partial or total orphans, and of those who have both parents, many work away from home if they work at all.

These children can't afford to buy school uniform, or books, or writing implements, or pay for the exam fees - all of which are necessary payments for the 'free' primary education that Kenya offers. Thanks to Spurgeons Academy, which subsidises these costs through child sponsorship and other funding streams, the children can still go to school, and as a result have a chance of learning their way out of poverty.

If the school wasn't there, what other chance would they have to get an education? And without an education what is the chance of getting a decent, paid job? Thus the continuing of the school is so needed, and yet finding the funds to keep it going is an ongoing battle.

Maybe it's because it is early days in the Vision 2030 process that funding for achieving this high level of education isn't more available, but I hope before long that things change for the better on that front. With approximately 42% of the population age 15 or under, there are a lot of children wanting to go to school. To allow them all a place will require that every school functions to its greatest capacity - Spurgeons want to do that, but some funds to help them wouldn't go amiss!

So, happy 50th birthday Kenya! May the next 50 years be good ones to you, and may you in turn be good to all those in your care - especially the young and old who are less able to take care of themselves.

RIP Mr Mandela

The youngest son of the third of four wives to a father who lost his chiefdom because of a dispute about an ox.
The first person in his family to ever go to school
Was 21 before he used a toothbrush
Ran away from home to avoid an arranged marriage

A very inauspicious start to a truly great life:

Nelson Mandela - loved by so many around the world for his pursuit of peace and unity; for his exemplary demonstration of forgiveness; for his totally unprejudiced love of mankind.

Yes I'm sure he had his faults - lets face it, he was human, but the world is certainly a better place for the role Nelson Mandela played in recent history, and I pray that his legacy will live on for many years to come. If only more countries would follow his lead on how to pursue peace and reconciliation..... we can but pray.

But in the meantime - rest in peace Nelson Mandela

Rwanda video

In the summer we took a team of young people to Rwanda for the first ever CRED Team trip there. It was an incredible week, and for the team they came face to face with the reality of issues such as poverty, living on the streets, being part of a marginalised community, scarcity of water, lack of access to education, as well as hearing testimonies of living through the genocide and recovering afterwards.

Nobody came back unaffected by the trip, and the impact lives on, as I wrote about a couple of weeks back.

Today I am delighted to say that the video about the trip is now on you-tube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkBKQMrUwEY and so if you'd like a visual of what we got up to, rather than just my words (which definitely don't do it justice), can I suggest making a cup of tea, clicking on the link, and then sitting back and rejoicing at what was achieved by our team.

Happy viewing!

WInter coats - the photos!

For those of you not on Facebook (and yes, I know there are at least two of you!), here is the final stage of the Winter Coat saga.

I must say it has been a wonderful act to be part of - and so beautiful to see how quickly the word spread in so many directions, as people got behind the need that I only actually voiced one week ago.

In summary - I heard about the need for 3000 winter coats on Saturday, Facebook and blogged it that night, mentioned it at church on the Sunday, and from that day coats started coming in. On Monday 5 local schools were told about the need, and by the end of the week we had a lot of bags of donations from them. We also had bags of coats from various other quarters, and it all resulted in me driving down to Kids Company on Friday with a car absolutely packed full of coats for all ages.

It was a privilege to be the person able to take the coats down, and so see the delight on the faces of the staff as I showed them the car. With lots of help, we got all the coats indoors, and the staff started telling me more about the work that they do.

Kids Company in Bristol work with disadvantaged children, young people and young families in a number of ways. They provide social support, practical help, family input, parenting support and mentoring, as well as a range of alternative education services for children age 7 - 16 who have been excluded from school and pupil referral units. They are soon to be starting providing alternative education for children age 5 upwards as well, as they have already seen a need for this - yes, children age 5 and 6 already excluded from school.

Its so sad to think that families and individuals just down the road from us are in so much need, and live such dysfunctional and disengaged lives, but that is the reality, and its great to think that we have been able to do even just a tiny bit to help them.

So thank you to everyone who helped with this impromptu appeal - may you be blessed as you have blessed others.

PS - there are many other ways that Kids Company can be helped - contact me if you want to know more.

Update on the winter coat shout-out

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to update you on the blog I posted the other day about Kids Company and their need for 3000 winter coats to meet the number of children and young people on their books who currently don't have such an item. Some of those 3000 are in Bristol, and I'm hoping to take a car-load, or more, down to their centre on Friday.

Well, since mentioning it in a blog, and posting it on Facebook and Twitter, and mentioning it at church on Sunday, the winter coat shout-out has gone excitingly crazy!

Word is out, and is going around various schools in the area, as well as being mentioned further afield. I don't know that we'll reach 3,000 (although I'm very happy to be surprised), but we'll certainly make a dent in the number, and each coat means a child or young person is able to be warmer this winter.

So, this is to say thank you so much to everyone who has donated already, and to all those of you who are still planning to do so.

Feel free to drop me a text, or Facebook message, or give me a call if you need me to collect coats; alternatively you can drop them in to Thornbury Baptist Church who are graciously acting as a pick-up point.

And if you want to get involved but don't have a coat to give, then they also need hats, scarves, gloves and warm socks, for ages 5 - 20 (special shout out for the teenage years as they tend to get less donations for this age-group). And of course charity shops are a good source of coats if you don't have one to give away (and then the charity shop benefits as well - double win!)

Thanks again, and feel free to tell others about the extra winter items that can be included in the donations.

You are all brilliant, and making a big difference to people that need it just down the road.

Blessings:-)

bikes for africa

OK so this is a total shout-out / promo for an amazing organisation based in Tetbury, who are quietly doing some brilliant recycling and making a massive difference to the lives of kids in the Gambia at the same time.

They are called Jole Rider (www.jolerider.org), and are a combination of a bike shop, and bike recycling facility. plus other add-ons that make them even more impressive!

We came across them when trying to find a place to get rid of an unloved but still-in-good-condition bike owned by Natalie, who has flown all the way to India to avoid having to ride it this year (not really true, she equally managed to avoid riding it whilst living in UK!). Anyway, after some googling, Tim found Jole Rider, made some enquiries, and we took the bike there on Saturday.

Basically, what they do is take in good condition second-hand bikes (there is a certain spec that they have), and then ship out a container load to a project in The Gambia that they are partners with. Once in The Gambia, the local project staff distribute the bikes to children who are unable to realistically travel the distance to school on foot.

So, having been given a bike, the child can cycle to school, get there on time, be in a much better state to learn, and achieve so much more at school as a result. Brilliant!!

The partners also teach local people about bike maintenance, so that the bikes don't become discarded at the first puncture or chain breakage, and in so doing encourage and equip these people to develop their own small businesses. To that end Jole Rider also take in less-happy bikes to be stripped down and used for spares that are sent out as well, so that the newly-trained bike maintenance people have some stock to use for doing the repairs.

That programme in itself sold Jole Rider to me, but then I look on their wbesite and see that they also do Books for Africa, a Learning Development Project in The Gambia, and here in the UK they run bike maintenance courses as a stream of alternative education for young people who just don't get on very well with school.

So, three cheers for Jole Rider! and please remember them if you know anyone who is getting a new bike for Christmas and therefore will have an old one to get rid of. Definitely a better place to take the bike than to the tip!

Winter coat waiting list for UK children

I was listening to the BBC Radio 4 programme Saturday Live this morning. Not a programme I listen to very often, as I'm usually out on my bike at that time; but today was an exception, and I'm glad it was.

One of the guests on the programme was a lady called Camila Batmanghelidjh, founder of an organisation called Kids Company (http://www.kidsco.org.uk if you want to know more). Kids Company was set up in 1996 to provide emotional, practical and educational support to vulnerable inner-city children, and it now 36,000 children from its centres in London and Bristol.

There were two things that really hit me about what Camila was saying:
1. the inability that so many of the children have to dream or hope about the future. They are so trapped in excruciatingly dysfunctional and chaotic lives, so focussed on just getting through each day, so consumed with just trying to find food and shelter for the next 24 hours, that there is no capacity left to dream, or imagine, or hope.

2. the waiting list that they have for winter coats. Over 3000 children on their books don't have a winter coat. And that's just on the books of Kids company, who only works in London and Bristol - how many more children are there without a coat living in Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow, Newcastle etc? Quite apart from children living in rural poverty?

These are the sort of things you expect to hear about in a developing country, one which is known for its poverty-related problems. Not issues you expect to hear about in an apparently 'developed' country. Yes we have a pretty good set of infrastructure - roads, rail, sanitation, power, access to internet etc. Yes we have a health system accessible to all. Yes we have education accessible to all. And yes I know this is a lot more than many countries.

But as was pointed out today we also have far too many children who are without even such basic items as a winter coat, and who don't have the space in their lives to hope or dream

It's sad to say that the plight of these children won't make the headlines, this is just an ongoing problem that has been there for many years, and sadly will continue for many more years, given the current financial trends and growing gap between rich and poor.

But, that doesn't mean we can't do anything about it. For me, my immediate response is that there are some winter coats in this house that will be taken to the Bristol centre this week (and if any Thornbury folk want to add a coat to the pile I'll take those as well), and I'll be praying about what other response I could make over a longer term. For you it could be a very different response - please just take time to remember these children for a moment, and consider what that response could be. 

Another cyclone due to hit India

When we were in India a couple of weeks ago, one of the things that struck me most was the massive upheaval caused by Cyclone Phailin that had hit the coast a few weeks earlier. 

Crops were ruined, roads flooded and buckled, houses damaged, and many more people were living in poverty as they struggled to make ends meet. When you live a subsistence lifestyle, there is no nest egg to fall back on when disaster strikes.

At St Josephs School, where we worked for the week, the impact was that many parents were coming in saying they had no money to pay for school fees, and this had been the case for October and again in November. The school, which also runs on a very minimal amount of reserves, had used up its savings and was living on good will from the banks, plus prayers that things would improve next month, and there would be a good injection of cash.

So, imagine the despair being felt with the information from the met office that there is a new cyclone heading their way, due to reach the coast-line of Andhra Pradesh tonight.

Below, is the report about it from the BBC website, (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-25047158), and all I would ask is that if you are into praying, then please pray for Janaki and co, as they endure the storm, assist with humanitarian aid afterwards, and find a way to keep going financially.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from coastal areas in eastern India, as a strong cyclone approaches.

Cyclone Helen, which is generating wind speeds of up to 120km h (75mph), is expected to make landfall in Andhra Pradesh state later on Friday.

India's weather office says the cyclone is expected to be accompanied by storm surges of up to 1.5m (5ft).

At least 27 people died when a stronger cyclone, Phailin, hit India's eastern coast last month.

The Indian Meteorological Department has classed Cyclone Helen as "severe" and has warned of "extensive damage to thatched roofs and huts".

Evacuation

It says there will be "minor damage to power and communication lines due to uprooting of large avenue trees".

Twenty rescue teams had been deployed in the flood zone, a spokeswoman for the National Disaster Management Agency, Tripti Parule, told the AFP news agency.

"Evacuations of thousands has already taken place and provision for food, water and shelter are also on track," she said, adding that the aim was for "zero casualties".

Last month Cyclone Phailin destroyed tens of thousands of homes, uprooted trees and blocked roads in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh states.

Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated ahead of Phailin, which was classified as a "very severe" cyclone.

Feedback from the Rwanda team

At the weekend we had a reunion for the Rwanda team. It was the first time the team had been together since saying good bye to each other at the airport on the way home, and there was a lot of catching up to be done!

But as well as the catching up, there was also the first draft of the Rwanda CRED video to be seen, which reduced some of the team to tears as all the memories came flooding back - I'll let you know when it is uploaded to you-tube.

The third main component of the reunion was the time of reflection on the impact of the trip on the team members. It is this part that makes a reunion for me. I am in the privileged position of reading all the evaluation forms that the team members fill in immediately post-trip, and of course as a team leader I also see transformations taking place within the team members throughout the trip. But one area that I am always interested in is seeing how much of that impact remains, and how much just dies away on returning to the UK and getting sucked back into normal life.

So I was delighted to hear some really good accounts of the longer-term impact of the rwanda trip on team members.

Two of them reported that they have received promotions at work since coming back, and in both cases the reason given was that the employer had noticed a very positive change in their work ethic, and was acknowledging this through the promotion. According to the girls in question, one said that the improved work ethic was due to realising how lucky she is just to have a home, food, education, job etc; and the other said she came back realising how much she just took everything for granted, but how actually her responsibility as a person was to play her part in life with more enthusiasm and care for others.

One of the lads said how he now watches the news on the TV and is interested in world affairs. And when the Philippines hurricane struck, he was so much more impacted by it and did something to help, because he had seen the reality of living with nothing when we visited the street kids.

One of the team spoke of how she has more direction with her chosen career now, and sees it as a chance to help others, and not just as a means of earning money.

Others spoke of being less fussy with food, more grateful for education, more grateful for family, home, clothes, even just having a bed to sleep in! And how they are sharing those feelings with friends and family and so making others think about their own attitudes as well.

It was a lovely evening, and a reminder, if ever I needed one, of part of the reason why we do these trips. Of course it is always important to know that the main beneficiaries are the project themselves, and evidence of that has been given to us in several ways during and since the trip, so there are no worries on that front. But it was lovely to hear how the impact of the trip is living on in the young people that we took to Rwanda as well. Long may it last, for them, and for similar participants on the other trips!

Sentayahu's story - from Ethiopia

Thanks to Georgia, one of the team who went to work with CRED partner Women at Risk in the summer, for writing up Sentayahu's story so sensitively.

Here it is:

 “My Little Man”

 Sentayahu’s Story – Told by his mother,Ababa, and me.

Sentayahu is a 10yr old little boy with the most beautiful big brown chocolate drop eyes and a smile that would brighten up even your worst day. He lives with his mum and her friend so they can share to rent in a small town two bus rides away from Addis. He attends the Light of the World school and is a grade 5 student. He has health problems in that he gets constant bouts of tonsillitis and mum worries that he has not yet been circumcised.

Ababa was born in the country side and was forced to marry at a very young age. She ran away to Gondar City where she took refuge with a relative. Her relative got her a job in a cafeteria but because the pay was small her relative gave her to a broker in Addis Ababa. She was forced to work in many houses as a maid cleaning, cooking and waiting on the families. 

Whilst working in one of the houses she met her son’s father who worked for the family in a kiosk that they owned. She fell in love with him and he pestered her for sex. She didn’t want to have sex before they married so he promised he would marry her so she gave into him. When she found out she was pregnant he didn’t want to know and he disappeared. She tried to abort the pregnancy by taking malaria meds and traditional meds which made her very sick many times throughout the pregnancy. 

Ababa worked right through her pregnancy and then when she had Sentayahu nobody would employ her. So she had to turn to prostitution to get food and rent money. She would leave him in the house, lock the door and go out at night to work the streets.

Ababa is a good mother who loves her son dearly. She describes him as a kind, thoughtful boy who acts beyond his age and likes to ask lots of questions! He thinks worries and cares a lot for her and she said he gets along with whomever very well. Ababa worries about Sentayahu and she said that she doesn’t want him to get any addictions and be in wrong places. She keeps a close eye on him and tries to help him with school work but this is difficult as she is not educated. Ababa gives Sentayahu advice and love so he will be a decent child, she said. Ababa would love help with his schooling as she tries hard to raise him on her own.

From the moment Sentayahu entered my classroom on that very first day I knew we would form a special bond. His enthusiasm to learn was extremely humbling and it was a real pleasure to witness his thirst for learning. He made me smile everyday and warmed my heart as did many of the other children in the class. His manners were impeccable and through his broken English and funny gestures we managed to communicate. 

When I met with Sentayhau and Birikte (the Women at Risk staff member who was interpreting for us) he told me that he loves his mother dearly and her name Ababa means flower/Rose. When I asked him what his name means he told me it means “God why have you given me this life” which brought a tear to my and Birikte’s eyes. 

He told me he loves school and that he wants to go all the way to University and he promised me he would work hard so he could get a job with the WAR project helping other children like the WAR project had helped him and his mum. I asked Sentayahu if he had enjoyed the summer school and he said he was having a fun time and liked the maths session best. He was a very smart boy with his mental maths and always wanted to participate with the writing of the answers’ on the board. 

I asked Sentayahu how he had travelled into summer school from his home. He replied that he had to get two buses and leave at 5.30am to be in on time. He explained that he didn’t get the first bus and walked each day to save his mum some money. Sentayahu turned up every day in the same thread bare jumper and ripped trousers. On the third day his trousers split right across the crotch but he never complained. The WAR staff sorted him out with a pair of jeans which made him very happy.

Sentayahu was not an overbearing or overpowering boy who seeked attention but just quietly got on with his work, and was always willing to join in all the activities. I think this is why I warmed to this child and I felt very honoured that he trusted me to share his story.

On the last day I had the privilege to meet his mum Ababa who had travelled in for the celebration day. Sentayahu’s parting words to me were “I love you Georgia, Thank you and I will work hard at school” and I believe every word this little man said to me. And with God’s help I will endeavour to help him achieve his goal.

celebrating the impact of ethiopia

One of the trips that went out for CRED this autumn was to Ethiopia where the team worked with our partner AHISDO. The project is based in a very poor community and the team worked in the kindergarten and the youth club, running activities for both age groups.

The post-trip evaluation forms from the team are starting to come in now, and it is great to read what an impact the trip has had on them.

One of the questions the form asks is: 'How have your attitudes and opinions to your home life changed as a result of the issues you faced on the trip?'

Here are some of the responses:  

• Seeing that the people in Addis were so happy for what they have, it taught me to not take what I do have for granted and also there are people in a worse situation in the world than me.
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• I waste as little as possible, whether it be water, clothes or food or anything else. I am much more grateful for all I have at home. I think twice about spending money on unimportant things. I treasure those around me more and important possessions as I know how much it'd mean to some to have that.
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• i have more respect for what people do for me and i appreciate everything i have a bit more. even the simple things make a massive difference like having running water.
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• I think my attitudes and opinions at home ha changed alot. I was eating pizza and i only got to eat 2 and explained to my parents that i felt bad for it. I appreciate the roof i have over my head, the bed i sleep in, i appreciate the food my mum goes out and buys. I appreciate my parents a lot more and i have realised everything they do is for my benefit and will somehow help me in the future.
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• I feel more grateful towards what I have, especially towards my mum who provides for me and often buys me things I don't always need. I also notice the poverty back home now, although it does not look the same or as in your face, it is still there. Also, now I have noticed it I feel like I want to help more.
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• Addis is a place that is full of happiness, yet should be miserable. The people that live there have nothing, yet they can hardly wait to show you it. People that should be closed, yet greet you with open arms, minds and hearts. A place wrought with contradiction yet shows me in no uncertain terms exactly what I have, and shows me exactly what I take for granted. To them I have everything, and when I think about it now it makes me sick that I could ever think I need anything more. Addis is a place that touches your heart and your mind and becomes a part of you forever, and I couldn't be more appreciative that I've had the opportunity to realise how privileged I really am.
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• My attitude has gone and I appreciate everything More than I did
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• I have realised that I need to stop taking things for granted and appreciate everyone and everything i have.

And that's just a few of them! Not bad huh!!!

King of the birds

On Friday night Tim and I went to a concert by a Scottish folk-singer, Karine Polwart. She was very good, even though I listened to more than I saw, and Tim seems to have heard a couple more songs than I heard - curses jet lag!!!!

Anyway, the final song she sang came with an introductory story and it was about a contest way back when between all the birds to find out which bird was king of all.

The story goes that the birds were all arguing over who should be king, and eventually it was decided to hold a contest, and the winner would take the crown. The contest was to see which bird could fly the highest, and the one that flew higher than all others would be the winner.

So, the birds all set off flying upwards - first to give up were the pheasants and partridges, but the others flew on. Next to fall away were some of the littler birds who just didn't have the strength to keep climbing. Gradually more and more birds dropped off the climb, as the remaining ones flew higher and higher.

Eventually there was just one bird left - the eagle. Certain that he had won, he decided to keep going until he reached his limit - just showing off really! And as he got to the top, and could go no further, he turned to descend to the expected applause of all, and his moment of crowning glory.

But, at that point, as he reached his limit, and turned to descend, a little head popped out from the feathers of the eagle and started flying upwards! It was the wren, one of the smallest of birds, who had hitched a ride on the eagle's back, and was now able to fly higher than the eagle.

The eagle returned to the earth, in second place. The wren, returned moments later, having gone higher than any other bird, and claimed the crown as king of the birds!

Such a lovely story of how little people can triumph, and how it isn't all about might and strength and power. It made me think of the CRED partners we support, and the people I've been with these past few weeks. None of them are big players in the international scene, none of them have lots of power and influence, but what they do have is quiet determination to make a difference in the lives of those they are wanting to help. And what they also have is the greatest source of strength that they could possibly hitch a ride with: their Christian faith, and their trust in the one true God.
Each of the projects has grown out of a calling placed on the founders, and the project staff, by God. And each of the projects lives each day dedicated to following that calling, and following what they believe God is asking them to do.

Being with those projects, it is abundantly clear that God is right in there, and that all the staff need to do is hitch a ride on Him, and He will give them the strength to climb as high as is needed. And that is what they do, and that is what He gives them.

May you be blessed as you hitch a ride to the greatest source of strength of all, and draw on Him today.