Julie Gumm - Author

Just the Start

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As we went through our adoption process in 2008 we naturally began to read about Ethiopia, the orphan crisis around the world and what different organizations were doing to help those in need.

It is easy to become overwhelmed by the shear numbers of orphans – 4.6 million in Ethiopia alone. I will admit that a little self-doubt may even creep in. “Is this enough?” “Could the money the adoption is costing us be put to better use.” The answer is no, and maybe yes.

It is not enough to fly 9,000 miles, pick up your new children, and fly home. It CANNOT be all you do. To leave without caring for the orphans left behind is to turn your back on your newly-adopted child’s cultural history.

Fortunately, it seems that most adoptive parents get this. It would be hard for you to travel to Addis Ababa, see the women begging on the streets, children strapped to their back, and come back home unchanged.

Adoptive parents across the United States are becoming catalysts in their churches and communities. They are opening the eyes of their pastors and friends to the great need abroad.

If you are an adoptive parent, looking to make a difference in Ethiopia, I encourage you to check out World Orphans monthly sponsorship program.

Hope-Filled Day

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Today has been one of those amazing, fill-your-heart, walking-on-clouds, amazed-at-God’s-goodness kind of days that is hard to put into words.

It began a couple weeks ago when I heard, via Twitter, that Tom Davis (president of Children’s Hopechest) was headed to Ethiopia and was looking for other orphanages that he could visit and explore a partnership with while he was there. Um, YES!!!

I quickly sent him a tweet back (ha, if you don’t Twitter you’re probably lost right now…hang in there) and sent him a link to our wonderful friends at Hope for the Hopeless. There was a flurry of emails back and forth and I will confess to not getting much work done that day (sorry Greg, I’ll make it up). But I knew what an amazing opportunity this was for Hope.

We kept it kind of close to the chest because we did not know what would come of it. We were elated when we saw the visit scheduled on Tom’s itinerary. I emailed out our little network of friends/fellow Hope supporters. Except I messed up. I told them Tom was visiting on Wed the 21st. We made all these great plans to fast and pray from Tuesday afternoon – Wed morning (Ethiopia is 10 hours ahead). Except Tuesday is the 21st, not Wed.

This afternoon I got a message from hubby that Tom had posted pictures to his Facebook page. Sure enough, there were our beautiful kids! I was hit with the fact that God so didn’t need me to carry out his plans.

I sat at my desk and wept. Mostly with joy, but also with an incredible longing to be there and see those kids again. We saw beautiful, familiar faces and it brought our time with them rushing back.

So then I left and got my hair done, picked up kids, fixed dinner, got kids to bed…all the while just giddy from head to toe, sneaking peeks at my computer.

After getting the kids to bed I checked my computer again (refresh, refresh) and there was Tom’s blog post about his day.

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve been overwhelmed with so many things at once – love received from the kids, stories that broke my heart, joy that filled my soul as we danced and sang together.

…When we left each of them hugged us again, this time a little longer, and with the words I love you in our ears. Some community of folks gets to sponsor this orphanage. I’m telling you, it’s one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been.”

So I cried some more…and now I’m crying again. I am so excited to see what God brings about out of this visit. Please join me in praying for Tom and his team as they visit even more orphanages in Ethiopia. If you want to help launch the sponsorship of Hope for the Hopeless with Children’s Hopechest you can donate here. Just mention “Hope for the Hopeless” in the notes section.

Tom’s promised to blog about Mary, one of the girls at Hope, whose story will humble and amaze you. And I promise that I will follow it up with my own story about Mary and how she changed this woman forever.

If you want to read some of my posts from our time at Hope for the Hopeless in Dec you can go here and here and here.

Oh, but God didn’t stop there – this afternoon Mark called and played me a message from our answering machine. It was the school principal (Uh, Oh – must involve fists and blood). But no, sweet Beza and her friend Lizzie and gone into Mr. Starts office because they wanted to pray and ask Jesus into their hearts. That made me cry too – I’ve cried a lot today.

Yummy Ethiopian Coffee!

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One of the lasting impressions our trip left on us was that we are now complete coffee snobs. Let me tell you, there is NOTHING like a cup of authentic Ethiopian coffee. I will admit to not drinking it black but it is the best stuff out there. Did you know that Ethiopia is actually the birth place of coffee? Yes ’em.

Now, remember those amazing kids at Hope for the Hopeless that we told you about on our trip?

Well, how would you like to score some amazing Ethiopian coffee and help those beautiful kids?

My friend Brooke is traveling back to Ethiopia in a couple of weeks (along with her husband, MIL and daughter) to spend time at Hope. While she is there she will be purchasing 2 lb bags of authentic Ethiopian coffee beans (whole). Each 2 lb bag is $10 and ALL the profits will go straight to Hope for the Hopeless.

If you are local (in Phx) and want to purchase, either leave a comment below (and I’ll reply to you) or shoot me an email (azdesertdivaATgmailDOTcom).

If you live out of the area the easiest way to buy is through ebay. The cost is fifty cents higher to cover ebay fees. Coffee will be shipped after Brooke returns on March 23rd. Orders need to be in by the 10th.

Brooke is taking over about 12 suitcases full of donations so she has LOTS of room to bring back coffee 🙂