Jemo Update – December 2013

JEMO UPDATE – PRAISE GOD

In May of this year a team of people from BCC went to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to serve the community of Jemo and honor God through our partnership.  Since then, it has been an amazing seven months!  We have added another 50 children to our program, bringing the total to 200 that are being cared for in ways unimaginable a little over a year ago.  We have raised 100% of the funds needed to provide all 200 kids with a uniform, insuring that they will be able to attend school.  We have raised over 90% of the funds to construct a cobblestone road and flood drainage project that will drastically improve the safety of all Jemo residents.  The road is now 40% complete.  Just this week, we made huge progress in setting up and funding a Jemo Health Fund that will provide multiple years of supplemental nutrition and medical care for our sponsored children.  To be specific, we have a goal of raising $30,000 ($150 per child) for this important fund.  Over the past few weeks, due to the tremendous generosity of our child sponsors and the BCC congregation, we were able to raise over $8,000.  This was matched by a generous donor at Children’s HopeChest, therefore doubling our funds to over $16,000.  Less than one month into the campaign for the Jemo Health Fund we are already over half way to our goal.

As hard as it is to believe that all this has been accomplished in the last seven months, should we be surprised?  God is good!  God is trustworthy! God knows the hurting people of this world. Through His people He is making things right.  This partnership has fostered radical change in the Jemo community much the same way Jesus brought radical change to our world when He was born.  It is humbling to be part of the transformational change that Jesus offers, especially during this advent season.  It is worth celebrating too!  So celebrate!  Honor God with your praise and your actions! Pray that He will continue to bless Jemo and radically change us in turn!

Through out this post I have included some fun photos of the Jemo children on a church sponsored educational trip in late November.  They were taken by bus to a museum where they learned about Ethiopian history.  They gathered for worship and singing.  They played games and were treated to a nutritious lunch.  This is an outing that would not be possible but for the love of our great God.  Another reason to be grateful this Christmas season!

In His Glorious Name!

 Troy