11 Girls at Bete Hosanna: A Renewed Hope in Ethiopia
Images of their beautiful faces flash through my mind a hundred times a day.
My team was forced to leave them in January. We left them alone and in the poorest living conditions I have ever seen.
We circled around each of them in prayer that night as we left them in the dark, scared and feeling probably more alone than they had ever felt in their lives. I realized in those moments that no one had ever taken care of these eleven precious girls. Eighteen years old and not a soul in the world who cared.
No mother had ever cautioned her about the dangers of the streets.
No father had ever counseled her on how to spend or save her hard earned money.
No one had protected her from evil or harm or taught her how to protect herself.
No one had taught her that she was created for a purpose by the God of the Universe who never leaves or forsakes.
There was not one adult who cared to say goodbye or walk her out as she struggled to carry her life belongings and walked out the gate of the orphanage completely alone. How many of us remember the day we got dropped off at college with our cute bedding, some pictures for the walls and a rug? Our parents double and triple checking that we had everything we could ever possibly need as they left us with food, clothing and a credit card for “just in case”. The contrast is so stark I can hardly bear it.
These girls are the definition of strength, beyond what we can understand. They have NEVER had anyone believe in them, encourage them or defend them. They urgently need people who are in their corner. People who believe in them and love them and pray for them. People across the globe who are willing to give up additional comforts in order to change the entire life of an eighteen-year-old girl whose only options may be prostitution, drugs or death.
Please consider entering into these girls’ lives. As someone who has personally looked into the eyes of each one of them, I pray that you will not be able to forget this story, just as I am never able to “unsee” what God showed me there that day.
Please join us in fighting for justice and hope for each one of these eleven.
UPDATE:
The girls have moved into a safe and loving environment this week, and we are so excited to begin working with them and settling them into their new home. However, a home is not a home without bunk beds, couches, dining tables, and other furnishings.
Would you consider sponsoring one of these items today? $150 can provide a set of bunk beds, $250 a couch, $200 a dining table or even $500 to help supply a month’s worth of groceries? Please consider partnering with our sweet girls in hope and healing.
