Mekalete

A bright spot in my time here thus far has been one eight year-old girl named Mekalete.  The first 'chance' encounter that Matt, Ryan, Alex and I had with her was on a rainy day at the Mercato.  The Mercato is a local outdoor market, swimming with people and not often ventured into by foreigners like us.  Early on in our excursion, I noticed a girl in tattered clothes with a shaved head watching us intently... and she had one of the brightest smiles I've ever seen.  She followed us around all day, and unlike most children who beg us for money (whether it be out of necessity or sport) she tried to go unseen, never asking for a cent.  Upon finally meeting her we discovered that she is one of Addis Ababa's many orphans.  Each of these children possesses something so special within them; but Mekalete just had something about her that we needed to explore further. 

After gaining her trust we decided to take her to lunch.  Over tears (and through translation) she confided in us her story of losing both parents.  Her story brought tears to my eyes, and the knot in my stomach became larger as I considered that 6 million other children in this country have similar stories.

Before I knew it we began meeting Mekalete at Hope Enterprise (a local soup kitchen) and other places around town; taking her to meals, and learning about her life.  Thankfully she does have family friends who have taken her in, a home of three children (in a house that's smaller than any room I've ever resided in).  We've prayed about which physical needs we can help meet, and how to build a strong relationship that will show her Christ while not creating dependency on us.  We're also thankful that Mekalete is building a close relationship with Alex, a young Ethiopian who's on fire for mentoring street children.  I pray mostly for her to grasp onto God above all.  I would appreciate your joining me in praying for this special young lady, and the relationship we continue to build with her.  Thank you!!

Another Addis update!

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to send out an update from Ethiopia for those who haven't gotten to read my blog posts. My internet capabilities have been limited, so communication has been very rough (thanks for your patience!!). In particular, my blog website is one (along with myspace) which I cannot access here at all. A friend has helped me update it… but I wanted you all to know the reason for few posts.

My time here in Addis had been amazing, words cannot even do it justice! I've felt so blessed to be apart of ministry and the lives of people here. Most of my time is spent with kids… gotta love that! I have a class full of kids who are very anxious to learn English. Nearby my class there is a ministry called Hope Enterprise that feeds 1,000 people a day. As I've spent time volunteering there I've learned that my time spent with the children there is far more valuable than the time I spend working in the kitchen (though that's important too).

Once we leave Hope, we walk down the streets and typically are chased down by kids from one of two groups of street kids we are building relationships with. One is a young group that is primarily Muslim. The second is a group of boys, a little older, who live on the streets selling gum. Both groups are so special, and we're connecting them with leaders locally who can build into them and mentor them in the most valuable ways. Living here, you learn what it's like to be approached by beggars non-stop, and you become accustom to the wisest ways to interact with the majority on the streets. But no matter what, I still find myself so many times either broken, or frustrated, or helpless as my heart goes out to those in great need around me. As I am often overwhelmed by the need, I am reminded that God has that much he desires to restore for the people.

I'm so thankful for all your prayers and have some specifics you could join me in praying for. Please pray for the street kids we're working with, that we would have wisdom as we spend time with each individual. Particularly, pray for an eight year-old orphan girl named Mekalete who we've grown very close to as she is in a very hard situation with the family who's taken her in. Personally, my health has struggled here as I've acclimated to the new foods… please pray it doesn't persist as it has over the last month. Thank you!!

God Bless!!

Jackie LeTourneau