Idol Gives Back to Ethiopia

Tonight on American Idol David Cooke when to Ethiopia. It was after watching footage of children in Africa on Idol Gives Back in 2008 that we choose the country to bring our son home from, Ethiopia. We could no longer sit and watch the images scroll across the screen of child after child alone on the streets and dying. We would start the best journey of our lives to bring a baby boy, our baby boy Daniel home to his Forever Family. In the information we have learned of Ethiopia while waiting to travel this will not be our last journey. We can not stop at one child, so many need homes, they need love, hugs and kisses and Forever Families. They don't have a mom or dad to tell them they love them, they don't have a mom and dad to kiss them good night, they don't have a mom and dad to tell them Jesus loves them. Babies are taking care of babies, malnourished because they don't have enough food to eat. This is not ok with me, no child should be without a Forever Family or some place to call home! Disease and Poverty are taking over in this country and many others just like it and I for one can not just sit silent and watch. It amazes me how little it takes to help save a child's life, a families live so that child is not alone. $10 can buy Mosquito net for an entire family so they can sleep without worry of getting bit by a mosquito infected with Malaria. $10 is what we spend at McDonald's or Taco Bell without even thinking about it! We don't think about our kids starving or living on the streets because their parents died of HIV. The region where Daniel comes from has a high rate of HIV leading to a high percentage of street kids. We are talking kids 6-7 and possible younger. Think about it. We currently sponsor a child through Compassion International who lives in Rwanda. For $38 dollars a month a child can receive ongoing christian training, educational opportunities, treatment and training to maintain health, development of self confidence and social skills and key life skills and vocational programs. This is $1 a day, one meal that you don't eat out, one new outfit that you just don't need. There are many programs to help a child, world vision is another one. Some families from our adoption agency also started a foundation, visit www.intothestreetsofethiopia.com for more information.

What does God say about orphans? Good question:
Father to the fatherless, defender of widows — this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families. -Psalms 68:5-6

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. -James 1:27

Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. -Isaiah 1:17

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice. -Proverbs 31:8-9

There are approximately 5 million children in Ethiopia that are orphans or have lost at least 1 parent. Less than 1/2 of the Ethiopians have access to clean drinking water. More than 2 in 5 children don't finish their primary education. The average annual income in Ethiopia is $220. Nearly 2 in 5 people in Ethiopia struggle to survive on $1.25 a day.

Children should not be living on the streets or starving or dying of disease that can be prevented.

Are you ok with these statistics? I am not. What are we going to do about it? That is the question. We can make a difference all we have to do is try!