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☀️ Summer 2026: Back to Korah ☀️
There is something about returning to Korah that is difficult to put into words.
No matter how many times we make the journey, there is that familiar feeling when we arrive—the faces we recognize, children running toward us, long-awaited hugs, and the reminder that although thousands of miles separate our worlds, God has woven our lives together in ways we never could have planned.
This summer, 10 of us spent three weeks in Africa. During our time in Ethiopia, we walked the familiar roads of Korah and stepped into more than 70 homes.
We sat beside mothers who shared the weight they are carrying. We listened as families talked about rising rent, lost jobs, illness, and the uncertainty of what tomorrow may bring. The trash dump that provided income for generations has closed, and homes throughout the community are being demolished, sometimes with little warning.
There were moments when we did not have answers. All we could do was sit, listen, cry, hold a hand, and pray.
And sometimes, that is exactly where God meets us, in the places where we realize we cannot fix everything, but we can be present. We can love. We can pray. We can remind someone that they have not been forgotten.
There was also so much joy.
There were children proudly showing us how much they had grown. There were hugs that lasted a little longer, laughter filling small rooms, and prayers spoken together in tiny homes. And over and over, we were reminded of the incredible strength and resilience of the families we love.
We spent time with nearly 200 students, collecting new photos, letters, updates, and videos for their sponsors. Watching a child carefully write a letter to someone thousands of miles away is a beautiful reminder that sponsorship has never been simply about financial support.
It is about relationship.
It tells a child, “Someone knows my name. Someone believes in me. Someone is praying for me. Someone cares about my future.”
And this summer, we saw what years of investment can become.
We celebrated five graduates! Five young people who have persevered through circumstances that could have easily told them to give up. We watched 30 of our young artists proudly display their artwork, giving us another glimpse of the incredible gifts God has placed inside each of them.
These are the moments that make us stop and remember why we started Out of the Ashes 13 years ago.
We cannot solve every problem in Korah. We cannot change every circumstance. But God has never asked us to do everything. He asks us to be faithful with what He puts in front of us.
So, we keep showing up.
We can help educate a child. We can put food on a family’s table. We can help keep a family in their home. We can walk beside students year after year until one day we are standing there cheering as they graduate. We can remind them that poverty may be part of their story, but it does not define what their future can hold.
Coming home is always bittersweet. We return to comfortable beds, full refrigerators, clean water, and so many blessings we rarely stop to think about. Meanwhile, people we love remain on the other side of the world.
It changes you. It reminds you that gratitude should lead to generosity, and what may feel small to us can mean everything to someone else.
To every sponsor, donor, volunteer, prayer partner, and friend who makes this work possible: when we go to Korah, we carry you with us. You are there in every letter opened, every family helped, every child encouraged, and every graduation celebrated.
Thank you for allowing God to use your generosity to be part of these stories.
Until we return in January, we will keep working, praying, advocating, and trusting God with what comes next.
Our worlds may be thousands of miles apart, but our hearts are not.
God is still bringing beauty from broken places.
Hope is still rising.
And He is not finished yet.
With grateful hearts,
Brad & Stacy
Out of the Ashes, Inc.
“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Matthew 25:40
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