No Ordinary Love

Ordinary: of no special quality or interest; commonplace; unexceptional; 

somewhat inferior; below average. 

Extraordinary: beyond what is usual; regular; exceptional in character; noteworthy; remarkable.

I'm afraid I've fallen far behind where I'd hope to be with these posts. VBS all but wiped me out this past week. But it's funny how perfectly our VBS theme this year fits with the mission of No Ordinary Love. God taking our ordinary selves and calling and equipping us with His Extraordinary love. No Ordinary Love or NOLM was founded by Jimmy and Rachel Gross in March of 2011 and in April 2012 they opened Emmanuel House.  Emmanuel House serves as a refuge for women, children and families at risk. In addition to children that are brought to the home for short and long term care they are also serving the surrounding community. For more details on how they are caring for their neighbor you can read here. 

I am so grateful for our time at Emmanuel House. We met children that are overcoming some horrific circumstances while they are being cared for and loved on at Emmanuel House. It only takes me a moment to think of my children in their place and I feel sick to my stomach. These are children. They deserve so much more. Often these kids find themselves in the city not because of neglect by their parents but just the opposite. Their parents are hopeful of a better future for them and so unknowingly release their children into the wrong hands. 

The results of that are devastating. Children end up being trafficked into slavery and/or the sex trade industry. They are abused or left homeless. All the while their families have no idea the nightmare these children are living. No Ordinary Love then works to reunite these families. They offer counseling and therapy and work to bring healing to the child and family.

 Sadly, it is not always strangers or "bad guys" that are the perpetrators. Children are often abused by men living in their homes and even their own fathers. In that case NOLM will seek justice and find the best long term solution for the child but in the meantime they have a home and loving arms at the Emmanuel House. 

My mama heart just can't grasp this. I struggle to send my kiddo off to camp. Just a few miles down the road. With a whole bunch of wonderful, Jesus loving coaches. So to try and understand what a parent goes through when they make this kind of decision is so much more than I can comprehend. We just can't. We can't know what kind of desperate a parent has reached. We can't possibly know the years of poverty and vulnerability these families have endured. So how could we ever manage to understand such a choice. 

But in so many ways these families are just like mine. Like yours. These kids play and sing and laugh just like ours. One of the most precious sights was seeing our girls connect so quickly with other kids. I had no doubts they would readily love on little ones but I didn't anticipate how easily they would love their peers. And how their peers would love them back. There was no inhibition or apprehension. They just loved each other and they loved well. We have so much to learn from our kids. 

These kids and their families deserve the opportunity of reunification if that's the best possible solution. We must believe that parents, that mothers just like us, make thousands of decisions each day with the best interest of their children in mind. But the hard decisions they make in a developing country look so much different and complicated than our own. 

So what do we do? How do we possibly make a difference? 

First of all, pray. Pray for No Ordinary Love and ministries like NOLM that are on the ground working to restore the broken. Pray for wisdom and endurance for the individuals running these ministries. Pray for the children. Pray for the families. 

 
 Second, support them financially. Sponsor a child that is living at Emmanuel House. You can give monthly for their ongoing care. There are many children at Emmanuel House in desperate need of a one time gift of $500 to be reunited with their families.  Join forces with your small group or ask your book club to partner together to help one child home. 

Maybe it's giving up the morning latte or a dinner out. But when I think of these sweet ones being any one of my five kiddos I know there is nothing I wouldn't sacrifice to have them home.

No Ordinary Love is anything but ordinary. God is working in extraordinary ways in the lives of the children and families that are connected to NOLM. We are all invited to be a part of this work. We don't have to have exceptional talents or amazing skills. We just need to be willing. 

"I used to think you had to be special for God to use you, 

but now I think you simply need to say yes." -Bob Goff 

For more about No Ordinary Love Ministries visit their website

and find them on

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Embracing Hope

Oh Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear.

                    Psalm 10:17

Korah is one of the poorest areas of Ethiopia. It was originally established 80 years ago as a Leper Colony for the country's most undesirable. Generations have grown up here and it is now home to an estimated 120,000 people. It is also home to the city dump. Most of these people live off the trash dump by scavenging for food, clothing or anything that can be consumed or resold. The piles of garbage are looming masses and no picture could accurately display the magnitude of desperation that lives here. 

Vultures, the size of small children, hovering over the heaps of garbage. 

The word Korah actually means "cursed" in Amharic. The demographic is made up mostly of widows, orphans, elderly and those suffering with HIV/AIDS.  It's hard to imagine that a place in such despair and misery could offer any hope. This place that is a picture of hell on earth. But there is hope. God has made their faces seen. He is moving His people to share the love of

 Jesus and show them a better life. 

Embracing Hope Ethiopia is one of those organizations offering opportunity and a future. From the moment we stepped through the metal gates and heard the children reciting their lessons in cheerful, boisterous voices I knew we had entered a place of Hope. We peeked into the classrooms and saw tables full of happy and eager faces.

In 2008 Jerry and Christy Shannon traveled to Ethiopia to adopt their daughter Hanna. Not long after returning to the states they realized God was calling them back to Ethiopia. Christy spent her morning sharing with us how God molded and shaped their calling and gave them clarity:

"A vision started to come into focus of some practical ways that families could be served and helped to become more sustainable while also overcoming not just the physical causes and effects of poverty, but also the emotional, psychological, social and spiritual causes and effects of poverty."

Since the beginning in 2011 they have served 108 children from 100 different families. They are serving mothers that are on the brink of having to make the horrific choice of keeping their children or giving them up. They cannot find or keep work with their children by their side but yet have no option for them during the day. This is where Embracing Hope steps in and offers childcare, schooling, healthy meals and support for the mothers. Mamas are then able to drop their children off knowing they are in safe hands and receiving nutritious meals and loving care. It seems so basic for us but for these moms it is often the difference between life and death. 

These moms are making just dollars a day and with rent sometimes higher than their monthly income there is nothing left. With the intervention of Embracing Hope these moms are given the comfort of knowing their children are being cared for, healthcare, clothing and hygiene materials, supplemental food supplies for home, job training, education, micro-savings and micro-grants and much more. Most importantly they are helping these families stay together and work toward sustainability.

The day we visited the kids had just received their new coats and jackets in preparation for the rainy season. It was a beautiful morning but there was no way they were taking off these coats.

Are these not faces of hope?

Some of the mothers may not have work prospects or are unemployed for various reasons. Those women are given the opportunity to learn a trade such as paper bead making. Just around the corner from the school is a small workshop for these mothers to work. 

After spending time with the early school-aged children we walked a couple blocks over to the daycare facility. Oh my heart, these little ones are so precious. I am so thankful for our time with these beautiful littles and their singing and dancing will be one of my sweetest memories of our time in Ethiopia. 

We were able to stay through their lunch time and watched in amazement as these toddlers waited so patiently to receive their portion. I'm pretty sure we made a few smart remarks about how this order looks just like meals at our homes. Except the exact opposite. 

Sweet, slumbering babes.

To say the Shannon's are offering hope to a desperate community would be such an understatement. We were in awe of all they are providing for these women and children. And we listened with tears when Christy told us of the handfuls of mothers they have to turn away every.single.day. No mother should ever have to make this choice. The Shannon's hope that God will continue to build and grow Embracing Hope so they are able to help more families. 

Thanks for hanging with me and I would love if you would take just a few more minutes to watch this video. They share so beautifully their hearts and vision for the Korah community. Then please consider partnering with them and to bring hope. 

Visit their website for some creative ways you can join in their efforts.

http://www.embracinghopeethiopia.com

and LIKE them on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/EmbracingHopeEthiopia