We just returned home this past week from our January trip to Korah. Let me tell you. It was a full trip! Some days we worked 12 hour days. While we returned home TIRED, we returned home with full hearts.
Here are a few things we did while there:
- Visited a local Orphanage and provided medical assistance for the children there.
- Moved into our new compound in Korah.
- Held daily medical clinics for not only our students and staff but the community of Korah at large.
- Delivered Christmas gifts to every student in the program.
- Oversaw students writing personal letters to their sponsors.
- Met with our staff on the ground in Ethiopia to go over our annual budget.
- Prayed for our staff, students, and clinic patients.
The overall theme that seemed to earmark our trip was a sense of seeing the fruit of the many years of sowing into this program. There have been many times we have wanted to quit. Many times that have yielded “growing pains.” Many times where we have questioned, “Are we making a difference?”
We can stand with a sense of knowing today and tell you wholeheartedly, yes. We ARE making a difference. Things ARE changing!
We saw the evidence quite clearly when seeing our newest Out of the Ashes staff member, Adanech, a recent graduate of our program, as she worked alongside us in her new role as a social worker. The feeling of seeing things come full circle filled our hearts with pride and joy overflowing as we saw our mission bear fruit in a new and exciting way.
To quote Adanech, “By helping me, you helped a family of five. By helping the other 250 students in the program, they will help their families, too, and that can change all of Ethiopia.”
So we will carry on. This verse continues to be pressed into our hearts as we keep our mission at the forefront of all we do:
“And don’t allow yourselves to be weary or disheartened in planting good seeds, for the season of reaping the wonderful harvest you’ve planted is coming!” – Galatians 6:9 (TPT)
“Let us not become weary in doing good. For at the proper time, we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9 (NIV)
As always, we are well aware that we could not do any of this without your support, prayers, and encouragement. From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank you for your partnership with us in this mission. We cannot wait to see what more is coming this year as we keep on.
With Overflowing Hearts,
Brad & Stacy Segebarth
