We returned from our trip to Ethiopia on February 18th and have been going non-stop since the moment we landed back in the US! Our trip was amazing and we have so many stories and pictures to share from our time at Love for the Children Academy in Chacha, Ethiopia! We are in the process of sorting through pictures, artwork, letters and will be sending updates to sponsor families within the next few weeks. Another blog update will also follow with details about our visit and all that we accomplished during our stay, however, at this time we need to focus on advocating for one of our students, Debebe Alemayehu (center in picture above). You may recall from previous blog posts and our social media updates that Debebe is in need of spinal surgery. When we arrived in Addis Ababa on February 12th, we unpacked, had some buna and then went to meet Dr. Rick Hodes to discuss the logistics involved in Debebes surgery. If you haven't done so yet, I encourage you all to visit Dr. Rick's website - https://rickhodes.org/. We are extremely blessed to have connected with Dr. Rick. During our trip back in August, we had visited Cure Hospital, at the advice of friend and neighbor Jeff Jackson, and later Debebe and his sister Fasika were seen as patients at Cure. Cure is an amazing place - they have locations all over the world - you can learn more about Cure here - https://cure.org/ethiopia/.

Now back to Debebe...we met Dr. Rick at his home in Addis and had the ability to meet many of his patients/children. They shared their stories and Dr. Rick helped us to understand what lies ahead for Debebe. We reviewed X-rays and other images of Debebe's spine and now understand that without this spinal surgery, Debebe will not survive into his late teens. As he continues to grow, his spine will continue to crush his lungs and will make it extremely difficult for him to breathe. Debebe's mother has already noticed a significant change in his endurance and ability to run around. When we were with Debebe, we noticed he did everything in his power to keep up with his friends, even on the soccer field, but we also witnessed him taking plenty of time to rest and catch his breath.

We need to raise $22.5K so that Debebe can go to Ghana with Dr. Rick Hodes and other children with similar needs, and undergo life saving spinal surgery. You can see more details here - http://projecthealethiopia.org/campaign-for-debebe/. Dr. Rick will partner with another well-known doctor in Ghana, named Dr. Oheneba Boachie-Adjei. You can learn more about Dr. Boachie's work here - http://www.orthofocos.org/. Debebe's mom is worried for her son, yet fully supportive of this surgery because she knows it will save his life.

As I mentioned earlier, our focus is on Debebe and raising the necessary funds to save his life. We cannot do this alone and we need your help. We are busy planning fundraisers and events to benefit Debebe, while continuing to raise funds to build our school from the ground up (more details to follow soon). Please share Debebe's story with your family, friends, neighbors, church community and colleagues. If you think there is something more you can do to help - please contact me at colleen@projecthealethiopia.org. Every little bit can help...

I have to share how my Aunt Mary has decided to get involved. She started an Etsy shop called "The Blessed Bead" in 2012 and designs beautiful, inspirational heirloom rosaries and rosary bracelets. After returning from our recent visit and sharing Debebe's story with Mary, she decided she could help. Mary created a special LIMITED EDITION Gemstone Rosary in which 100% of the sale of each rosary will go directly to our campaign for Debebe. We are blown away by her desire to get involved and her passion to help this sweet boy. Please check out her site and share this with everyone you know! https://www.etsy.com/listing/221766132/catholic-rosary-benefitting-project-heal

Finally, I'll leave you with the words and wisdom of Helen Keller: "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much." You all have supported us so much already and we know we are asking a lot, but for this 6 year old boy, ask yourself what you can do to help and please choose to get involved in some way.

Thank you for your continued support.

Did you know that studies show smiles are really contagious?  On a day like today, where many are divided here in the United States, we thought it may be helpful to share these smiles with you!

Our students are loving being in school.  They enjoy learning in the classroom, playing on the playground, meal time, and just time spent together with their friends and teachers.  We love that they have a safe place to gather each week day and that their parents/caregivers can focus on their daily work knowing these children are not only safe, but are receiving an excellent education.  On a daily basis our students are singing in Amharic and English and are practicing their writing and reading skills.  We are so fortunate to have such an incredible staff.

We are also happy to share that our student body has grown!  We now have 79 students at Love for the Children Academy.  What is even more amazing, is that all 79 students have been sponsored.  When we started this journey back in May, we never imagined we would grow so quickly and that we would have such an amazing following and support group.  Not only do we have your support and encouragement, but we have the backing of the local and regional government and have been given the green light to build our school from the ground up!  Project HEAL board members are in the process of working through the project details with the board of our partner non-profit on the ground in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, "Love for the Children."  We look forward to sharing more about our long term plan with you in the near future.  In the meantime, keep your eye out for the launch of our formal campaign to build the school over the coming weeks.

Please also stay tuned for more information about our involvement in the #GivingTuesday movement.  #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration and it is celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving.  #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving.  We are excited to participate and look forward to seeing how it will impact our students and their families.

Lastly, we will leave you with some more pictures that are sure to bring a smile to your face!

Have you ever wished you could be in two places at the same time?  Or had the desire for two different parts of "your world" to collide?

Today, these thoughts have constantly been flowing through my head.  The day after we returned from Ethiopia, one of my children got sick.  He had a high fever that persisted even with medicine.  It was a no brainer to take him to the doctor and it was easy for the doctor to order various tests to come up with the cause for his fever and other ailments.  While it took a few days to find the answers, I never worried too much, as I knew whatever we needed to do, we could make happen.  Tonight, before bed I hugged my sick kiddo, told him I loved him and that he would feel better tomorrow.  And now I feel guilty.  Just as I have the past few days because there is a very special boy in another part of "my world" that has some very significant health issues going on and I've seen how painful it is for his mother because she does not have the ability to tell him he will be better tomorrow.  She does not have the ability to go to any doctor she needs to in order to find answers or medicine or surgery.  I know our son's issues are not even close in comparison, but I do know that at the end of the day, all any mother wants is for her child to be safe, happy and healthy.

Leaving Ethiopia last Friday was very difficult, but I'm so thankful to be home with my family and friends.  I'm especially grateful to be here loving on my sick kiddo and taking care of him.  And this is when I wish my two worlds would collide...because I would love to be able to help my friend Debebe and my son at the same time.  Let me explain...

Debebe is one of our students at Love for the Children Academy.  The first day we arrived at the school, he greeted us with a big smile as did his mother.  It didn't take long for us to see that Debebe has some medical issues and his mother quickly shared with us some of the details.  She also explained that his sister, Fasika, had some similar issues.  It wasn't until after our long conversation that we realized she had their 4 month old brother, Haylemichael, attached to her back!  Debebe's mother has taken him and Fasika to the clinic where she has been told they have vitamin deficiencies.  I'm not a doctor, but I could tell that it was going to take more than vitamins to heal this little boy and his sister.  During our time in Ethiopia, we were able to get Debebe and his two siblings appointments at a hospital in Addis for this Friday morning at 7:45am.  There is a chance that their issue is genetic, so the doctor suggested he examine their baby brother as well.  In order to make it to the appointment on Friday, Debebe, his siblings and mother are traveling from Chacha to Addis on Thursday and staying overnight.  My guess is they have never left Chacha and now they will be traveling approximately 2 hours by car to stay in Addis - a place foreign to them.  Addis is very different than Chacha.  VERY different.  Alemnesh, one of Love for the Children Academy's teachers will be traveling with them and they will meet Dereje once they arrive in Addis.  The travel will be taking place as we are all waking up tomorrow morning and I'm hopeful you will join me in praying for Debebe and his family.  I pray for a safe and easy journey into Addis.  I pray for them to be comfortable in their new surroundings and mostly that the children are not scared.  I pray for the doctors who are working with Debebe, Fasika, and Haylemichael, that they may come up with a plan to heal these children.  I pray for Dereje and Alemnesh, as they have a big job in translating during the appointment.  There is so much more to this story, and I plan to share it at a later time, but for now, please join me in praying.  I wish I could be there with Debebe and his family.  I would hold their hands, hug them, and tell them not to worry.  I would tell them that we would do whatever it takes to find answers and to heal them.  That's what I would do if my worlds collided overnight.  But for now, I'll have to do it from afar.