Help an Ethiopia student find sponsors!

What would the world look like if each of us made it our responsibility to see one less orphan without an education...one less orphan without a growling hunger... or one less orphan without a bleak future of poverty?

In the next 45 days, our goal is to find a sponsor for every single child who has yet to be sponsored at our school in Lifesong Ethiopia. (Gulp! That's a tall order! See below how YOU can help.) We are asking for an investment of just $19/month that will result in a future leader for the renewal of Africa from the inside out.

Invest in a life of a child. Invest in self-sufficiency. Invest in bringing hope to one more orphan.

Together we can get EVERY child sponsored! Will you help us?

How can YOU help each child find a sponsor:

• PRAY: Join us in praying for the 587 children who are unsponsored in Ethiopia. Pray for the thousands that will be given the opportunity to sponsor--that hearts would be open to helping a child in need. Pray that God will raise advocates to help spread the word!
• ADVOCATE: Maybe sponsoring a child isn't an option for you at this time but you have a platform and a voice to let the need be known! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram and share the One Less campaign with your friends & followers.
• SPONSOR: Commit to sponsor a students at Lifesong Ethiopia School long-term for $19/month to help ensure that they get the incredible education, spiritual mentoring and food that they need to break the cycle of poverty. To see the children yet to be sponsored, please visit: www.zatproject.com/oneless

To learn more about the Ziway + Adami Tulu Project and details of sponsorship visit www.zatproject.com.

A finalized home study.....again

We received some great news today, we have a finalized home study.  Yes, finally again, we have another final home study.  To make this even better, it is now on its way to immigrations with the application.  Now, our prayer is that it moves swiftly and there are no hold ups since it is a change between an i800 to an i600.  We need to pray that whom ever gets our application knows what they are doing.  When I called about our i800 I had to talk to the supervisor of our officer and he told her what to do because she had no clue what she was doing.  If this move quickly, then we will be on schedule to travel before Christmas. 

Our matching grant

We got a report on our matching grant.  With the help of a few people and ALOT of auction items, we now have $593 grant.  We have $1,906 to go, and they (Lifesong) really would like this grant meet by the 18th (tomorrow).  Thank you to everyone who has donated, I truly do appreciate it.  I also hope those who participated in the auction enjoy what they won.

If you have not had a chance to donate please go here and find out how you can donate to Lifesong in our name.

Happy Birthday

Our little one has her birthday this week. We so wish we could have been there to celebrate it with her but know that next year she will celebrate with her family...with her dad and mom and sisters who love her very much.

Please help us reach our matching grant on her birthday week. It would means so much to know that we have the next set of fees paid for.  Click here to find out how to make the donation to Lifesong to help us reach our matching grant goal.

Happy Birthday little Johanna.

Draft

Wanted to give an update and say we are still moving forward but VERY slowly.  We have a home study draft, however, it is still being delayed and not because we did not do our work on our end.  We are growing slowly frustrated because we have been in this home study stage for over a year now and it is not by our fault for some of it.  Between deployment and military not making it easy to schedule appointments and then add in Russia closing its boarders which was out of our control, we have been sitting still since 1 Jan.  I dont think our agency is sensitive to this, maybe it is because they have never had a family change country not by their choice.  We did not change countries because it was hard or because we just gave up, we changed because we where going no where, holding onto a hope that may or may not happen. So, for now we continue to wait in hopes the home study will be done on Monday, 3 weeks after it should have been done.

The Forgotten Initiative

The Forgotten Initiative (TFI), foster care ministry of Lifesong for Orphans, is bringing joy and purpose to the foster care community by LEARNING the needs, SHARING the needs and EQUIPPING the local church to meet those needs. 

Check out what TFI is doing to serve the foster care community...

PROJECT SUNSHINE: FOSTER HOME EDITION

Project Sunshine: Foster Home Edition is a fundraiser; service project all in one! After foster children are removed from their homes, they often wait for hours in agency rooms. These same rooms are also used for weekly visitation between the birth parents and their children while they are in care. Project Sunshine was birthed out of a desire to create friendly spaces for kids during this dark time in their lives.


Project Sunshine: Foster Home Edition simply takes the Project Sunshine concept and applies it to a foster parent's home and at the same time raises funds for The Forgotten Initiative! Check out this video to meet the families we are serving this year in Peoria, IL on May 17-18 and click here to see how YOU can play a part in serving the foster care community!

How can YOU help Project Sunshine: Foster Home Edition?

Volunteer
Participate "in-spirit"
DonateLearn more about Project Sunshine: Foster Home Edition>>

WHAT WE DO...

Watch our new vision video to get a better idea of how The Forgotten Initiative, as a whole, seeks to minister to the local foster care community by bridging the gap through Forgotten Advocates.

Learn more about Forgotten Advocates & how you can help >>

UPCOMING FOSTER CARE MENTORSHIP TRAININGS

Mentors Needed: Step into the lives of children of vulnerable adults affected by foster care through relationship building, tutoring, job/life skills training, etc.

Register for the next Mentor Training>>

Tuesday, April 23, 2013
6 - 9 PM
Richwoods Christian Church, Peoria, IL

Read more from The Forgotten Initiative... 

Project Sunshine: Foster Care Edition 2012 - "My home looks so beautiful. The impact of being gone and coming home to see this is almost unbelievable. I just don't know how to say thank you enough." Watch the Video

American Orphans - "Only a life contemplating the love of Christ becomes a life acting the love of Christ. And love always moves. Loving first and foremost Christ. And loving others." Read Full Story

Perspective from Foster Care Caseworker - A caseworker's job is heart-breaking, challenging, and can be extremely overwhelming.  Read as Jenna shares her heart with us! Read Full Story

Impact of Journey Bags - "Last night at midnight three precious little beauties showed up on my doorstep. They each had with them a blanket, a stuffed animal, and a book bag, their Journey Bags of course..." Read Full Story

Blessed

I feel so blessed to be able to not only get more then two pictures but they are more recent photos.  I am even more blessed because I have a video of our little girl.  There are no words to describe the joy of having those precious pieces that are joys for me and will be beyond valuable for her and her history of where she came from.  In the next week our little girl will have a birthday, and unlike Russia, we have the opportunity to send a care package.  To our knowledge she does not know she has a family, so, on her birthday she will not only get a gift and a cake but she will also learn she has a family that loves her and is coming for her.  Here is what our little girl will get on her birthday.

Care package sent through Ann at Red Tread