Southeastern College called this evening with the great news. Solomon's TOEFL exam results have arrived and he is in!! They now prepare the I-20 Visa and will get it to me in 2-3 weeks. I then have to get it delivered to Solomon. If you are traveling to Ethiopia please contact me if you can hand deliver for us. He then makes his embassy appointment and if they approve it, we can book his ticket to come to the USA!! This is all so surreal.
I called Solomon via skype to tell him the great news. It was 1:00 a.m. his time. He had to go outside so as not to wake up the boys. When I told him he got approved for the I-20 Visa he was overjoyed. He said; "Now I can't sleep the rest of the night!" He is also in a surreal state of awe as he watches the LORD perform one miracle after another. He said this exam was sooooo difficult!
Now we need to rally the troops to pray the US Embassy will approve the Visa. This is the last step in the process. If they approve it, we book his ticket and he is on his way to the USA!!
Please keep us in your prayers as we seek wisdom, guidance and provision from the LORD! Thank you to all of you who are following this journey and praying.
Remember, I am praying for at least 100 people to be at the airport to welcome him so stay tuned and please join us!!
"Now this is the confidence that we have in HIM, that if we ask anything according to HIS will, HE hears us. And if we know that HE hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of HIM." 1 John 5:14-15
"Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than the first...He gave him seven sons and three daughters and the daughters he called...Keziah and Keren." Job 42:12-14
Monday, April 19, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
In the Waiting Zone
Just wanted to give the latest status of our journey. No word yet from the Toefl exam, no word on a new job for Jerry. Just waiting on the Lord for HIS perfect will and HIS perfect plan. Stay tuned as we wait upon the Lord!!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Latest News
Well, Jerry got laid off from his job so we have unofficially joined the ranks of the unemployed. Please pray we find a job immediately. Too much going on to be without funds!! We know the LORD has a plan and purpose in all things so we wait patiently to SEE what he does now.
Solomon takes his TOEFL English exam next Friday, March 5, 2010. Please pray he passes and they get the results to SEBTS very quickly.
Our dear friend Peter, who is an Ethiopian man working for Children's Hopechest is arriving this Thursday night to speak at various churches to promote more participation in orphan care. Our dear friends Jeremy& Angela Amick are bringing him here to NC. He went for his embassy appointment and out of the 122 people there that day only 5 got approved. Praise the Lord Peter was one of them to recieve this miracle. He will be here for two weeks traveling to CA and CO as well. Please pray that Solomon is also blessed to get approval from the Embassy to come to the US.
Solomon's computer is still not working properly so we have not been able to skpye or email much. Waiting for Children's Hopechest to get the internet connected at Kolfe. Please pray this is done quickly also.
Well that's all for today. So much going on and so little time. Blessings to all!!
Solomon takes his TOEFL English exam next Friday, March 5, 2010. Please pray he passes and they get the results to SEBTS very quickly.
Our dear friend Peter, who is an Ethiopian man working for Children's Hopechest is arriving this Thursday night to speak at various churches to promote more participation in orphan care. Our dear friends Jeremy& Angela Amick are bringing him here to NC. He went for his embassy appointment and out of the 122 people there that day only 5 got approved. Praise the Lord Peter was one of them to recieve this miracle. He will be here for two weeks traveling to CA and CO as well. Please pray that Solomon is also blessed to get approval from the Embassy to come to the US.
Solomon's computer is still not working properly so we have not been able to skpye or email much. Waiting for Children's Hopechest to get the internet connected at Kolfe. Please pray this is done quickly also.
Well that's all for today. So much going on and so little time. Blessings to all!!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Luke 8:21 Ministry Partners with Children's HopeChest
When I was in Ethiopia I had the "divine appointment" of rooming with the new Director of Children's HopeChest Ethiopia program, Ginia Hairston. We have spent numerous hours on the phone this week discussing how we can partner for the benefit of the Kolfe boys. She has assured me that they are finally ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work now that they have secured their new staff in Colorado and in Ethiopia. So, after much prayer, I have decided to partner with Children's HopeChest and encourage everyone to sponsor your Kolfe boy through this ministry. We are specifically asking for all of the older boys to be matched and that each family will intentionally nurture this relationship. You can email him through Children's HopeChest and plan to visit on one of their trips as well. I will be communicating regularly with them and doing everything we can to encourage every boy to get a family that will pray for him and invest in his life! Please feel free to email me, eileenmestas@gmail.com if you are interested and we will match you up! Thank you to all of you who care about these precious boys. They personally asked me to get them a family and I believe this is the best and most efficient way to accomplish this.
Children’s HopeChest, a non-profit organization that connects communities in the US with orphanages in Ethiopia to provide present and consistent help, training, and discipleship, has a sponsorship program with Kolfe in partnership with Olivet Lutheran Church in Fargo, ND. With a donation of $34 per month, sponsors are helping the boys at Kolfe receive a holistic, long-term, and redemptive care. With your financial contribution, the benefits the orphans receive include 5 areas of ministry: physical, medical, educational, emotional, and spiritual.
Specific benefits to orphans include ministry in five areas:
Environmental - A portion of the sponsor’s support, combined with that of other sponsors, improves and maintains a healthy environment. This includes the purchase of clothing, shoes, furniture, books, etc. if needed.
Medical - Each sponsored orphan will receive regular health checkups, and medical intervention as needed. Improved nutrition is also provided.
Emotional - Each sponsored orphan's network of emotional support is greatly expanded. Staff at the orphanage will receive special training that equips them to better deal with the unique emotional needs of the orphans they serve. Also, the sponsor’s involvement in each orphan’s life through cards and letters is an avenue of emotional support the child would normally be denied. Regular visits from disciplers will also add to emotional well-being.
Educational - Because of their social status, orphans are often among the first to be marginalized in the classroom. Many of them give up hope of being an excellent student simply because the traditional expectations for orphans are that they will barely succeed at school. Sponsorship helps provide resources to the children in the area of education to equip them to be better students.
Spiritual - Orphans will see the love of God demonstrated tangibly through age-appropriate Bible teaching. A discipler (HopeChest part-time national staff) will visit the orphanage regularly to conduct classes. Sponsor’s prayers and letters will also be of encouragement for a child to grow spiritually.
Relationship is the key to success in the orphan sponsorship program. Through this ministry, many types of relationships take place. From sponsors’ relationships with their sponsored children to disciplers’ relationships to each orphan in their class, this program is the building block for these relationships. It is our hope that through helping facilitate such relationships, the true hope of Christ will be recognized by each orphan.
The Commitment
A Children’s HopeChest sponsor is a caring person who wishes to commit monthly support and ongoing encouragement to one child for the duration of his or her time in an orphanage. (In some cases, sponsorship can extend through a child's time in vocational school or college.) Sponsors not only offer monthly support, but they offer encouragement through prayer, letter writing, and relationship.
We ask sponsors to specifically commit in three areas:
1. Prayer – We ask that each sponsor pray on an ongoing basis for their sponsored child.
2. Letter Writing – We ask that each sponsor write to their sponsored child at least once every three months.
3. Financial support – We ask that each sponsor remain current in their giving towards the sponsorship program.
Because orphan sponsorship is a ministry, we ask that each sponsor take their commitment to this sponsorship relationship seriously.
The Disciplers
A HopeChest discipler, is a National believer, who visits the orphanage regularly during the school year. They are responsible for the spiritual, emotional and physical aspect of sponsorship. Upon their visits to the orphanage, disciplers conduct classes. In these classes, they teach a Bible story, help orphans write letters, listen to hopes, fears and dreams of the children. The disciplers extend the relationship to the orphans in a way that few people can. They are the hands and the feet of the ministry. Orphans look forward to their visits knowing that they will find a friend that loves and cares for them.
Spiritual Aspect
Disciplers are a trusted spiritual resource for orphans. Some of their duties in this area would include:
§ Giving group and individual Bible classes in forms of discussions, Bible studies, quiz programs, contests, etc. to encourage the spiritual growth of the orphans and strengthen their walk in Christ. Classes are conducted no less than twice a week in the fall and spring school semesters.
§ Developing ties between orphanage children and their sponsors in order to build a trusting relationship.
§ Organizing correspondence between children in orphanages and their sponsors in the HopeChest Orphan Sponsorship program, translating and keeping track of letters to and from sponsors.
§ Developing individual age appropriate curriculum's of Bible classes.
§ Providing individual counseling and support.
I am asking everyone who has contacted me about the Kolfe pen pal ministry join us in sponsoring through Children's HopeChest. United we can get a lot more accomplished for the good of all of the boys at Kolfe.
Friday, January 22, 2010
IT IS SO GOOD TO BE ALIVE!
I believe it was Mark Twain who once said "The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated."
What happened yesterday made me really appreciate my life and encouraged me not to give up. We all have so much to live for and so much for which to be thankful. Sometimes in the midst of our troubles we often forget that what we do as fathers has an impact that can last not only for a lifetime but for generations to come. Once you read this you can view the video and this will all make sense.
First of all, let me explain that although I live in North Carolina, my job requires that I spend a great deal of time on the West Coast and so I spend a lot of time on airplanes. Anyway, I was not having a good day at work. My sales have been down and I have been struggling to keep focused and really having a difficult time not feeling sorry for myself.
Eileen called me and put Kezzie on the phone. She was crying hysterically. She was yelling that "Papa died!" She was so convinced of this that Keren began screaming bloody murder that her Papa had died on the plane.
"Tell Kezzie you're alive please" Eileen told me..She was doing her best to calm the two girls but they were inconsolable. Ellie, hearing the commotion from her bedroom, came running in with a phone to prove I was still alive and with camera in hand, managed to capture most of it on video.
"Hi Kezzie, Papa is fine.....I did not die, did you have a bad dream? "
She was doing so much screaming that I had a hard time getting through to her. I was laughing and I kept assuring her that I was very much alive. I thought she may have awakened from her nap after dreaming that I had died, but that was not the case at all. What had happened was Eileen was reading a story to the girls in their bedroom as they were getting ready to go down for a nap. As they were wrapping up story time, the boys came in and she told them that Dr. Sevilla's Papa died and he was on an airplane on his way to the Phillipines. Well, that was all Kezzie needed to hear. She heard Papa died on an airplane and she LOST IT. She began yelling and screaming it to Keren who instantaneously joined in the hysteria. It was so funny that the boys were rolling on the floor.
"Papa, you died? on a airplane?" she asked.
"No, Kezzie, I did not go on an airplane. I am in my office, and I didn't die."
Wasn't it amazing that Kezzie and Rennie showed so much emotion? Eileen could not figure out how these little girls concluded in their little heads that their Papa had died, or what dying was for that matter. Jimmy reminded her that they had already experienced death when Grampa died a year ago this month. They miss him and realize he is never coming back. Never underestimate the comprehension of a two-year old.
I never thought that my passing would elicit that kind of reaction. I just never give my death much thought. I think about loved ones dying and how sad it is, but I just don't think about my own death too much. I guess because I know that since I gave my life to Jesus Christ I know where I am going to spend eternity.
But this caused me to remember that everything I do has an impact. I have people counting on me. Little children are looking to me for answers to life's questions. I can't die yet. I have too much left to do. It caused me to look away from myself and to throw those thoughts of self-pity in the trash can. It's not about you, this life. You are here to serve others. You are here to serve God. You are here to point these little children to Jesus and to pass that baton of faith to them so that when they have their own children they can do the same.
When I got home I gave my girls a big hug and kiss. They were really happy to see me. The fact that I did not die was now something to laugh about. And I remembered what precious gifts they are to me.
No, I did not die yesterday. God has that time appointed for me already and He has not shared that with me yet. But I got a glimpse of what my little girls will do when that day comes. And it makes me smile.
What happened yesterday made me really appreciate my life and encouraged me not to give up. We all have so much to live for and so much for which to be thankful. Sometimes in the midst of our troubles we often forget that what we do as fathers has an impact that can last not only for a lifetime but for generations to come. Once you read this you can view the video and this will all make sense.
First of all, let me explain that although I live in North Carolina, my job requires that I spend a great deal of time on the West Coast and so I spend a lot of time on airplanes. Anyway, I was not having a good day at work. My sales have been down and I have been struggling to keep focused and really having a difficult time not feeling sorry for myself.
Eileen called me and put Kezzie on the phone. She was crying hysterically. She was yelling that "Papa died!" She was so convinced of this that Keren began screaming bloody murder that her Papa had died on the plane.
"Tell Kezzie you're alive please" Eileen told me..She was doing her best to calm the two girls but they were inconsolable. Ellie, hearing the commotion from her bedroom, came running in with a phone to prove I was still alive and with camera in hand, managed to capture most of it on video.
"Hi Kezzie, Papa is fine.....I did not die, did you have a bad dream? "
She was doing so much screaming that I had a hard time getting through to her. I was laughing and I kept assuring her that I was very much alive. I thought she may have awakened from her nap after dreaming that I had died, but that was not the case at all. What had happened was Eileen was reading a story to the girls in their bedroom as they were getting ready to go down for a nap. As they were wrapping up story time, the boys came in and she told them that Dr. Sevilla's Papa died and he was on an airplane on his way to the Phillipines. Well, that was all Kezzie needed to hear. She heard Papa died on an airplane and she LOST IT. She began yelling and screaming it to Keren who instantaneously joined in the hysteria. It was so funny that the boys were rolling on the floor.
"Papa, you died? on a airplane?" she asked.
"No, Kezzie, I did not go on an airplane. I am in my office, and I didn't die."
Wasn't it amazing that Kezzie and Rennie showed so much emotion? Eileen could not figure out how these little girls concluded in their little heads that their Papa had died, or what dying was for that matter. Jimmy reminded her that they had already experienced death when Grampa died a year ago this month. They miss him and realize he is never coming back. Never underestimate the comprehension of a two-year old.
I never thought that my passing would elicit that kind of reaction. I just never give my death much thought. I think about loved ones dying and how sad it is, but I just don't think about my own death too much. I guess because I know that since I gave my life to Jesus Christ I know where I am going to spend eternity.
But this caused me to remember that everything I do has an impact. I have people counting on me. Little children are looking to me for answers to life's questions. I can't die yet. I have too much left to do. It caused me to look away from myself and to throw those thoughts of self-pity in the trash can. It's not about you, this life. You are here to serve others. You are here to serve God. You are here to point these little children to Jesus and to pass that baton of faith to them so that when they have their own children they can do the same.
When I got home I gave my girls a big hug and kiss. They were really happy to see me. The fact that I did not die was now something to laugh about. And I remembered what precious gifts they are to me.
No, I did not die yesterday. God has that time appointed for me already and He has not shared that with me yet. But I got a glimpse of what my little girls will do when that day comes. And it makes me smile.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
A Message from Biruk, a Kolfe Boy!
Here is a comment from one of our precious boys to his Kolfe Mama!
So excited about this! ..I received this note from Biruk yesterday:
"Mom Thursday is our Christmas. Some one that comes from USA to adopt his child bought for us two cows so; we will get meal for Christmas. We have also banana, orange and soft drinks that Gladney bought for all the boys. It seems we will get a lot of fun than the previous Christmas."
What better way to celebrate Christmas than by ministering to His sweet children! ...I can see my sweet son's smile from here!
"Eileen, you and Solomon have been an answered prayer to me! I love this ministry and being connected to Biruk has been one of the greatest joys in my life! I can't thank you enough for following His leading on this. I feel so very blessed to be a Kolfe Mama!"
So excited about this! ..I received this note from Biruk yesterday:
"Mom Thursday is our Christmas. Some one that comes from USA to adopt his child bought for us two cows so; we will get meal for Christmas. We have also banana, orange and soft drinks that Gladney bought for all the boys. It seems we will get a lot of fun than the previous Christmas."
What better way to celebrate Christmas than by ministering to His sweet children! ...I can see my sweet son's smile from here!
"Eileen, you and Solomon have been an answered prayer to me! I love this ministry and being connected to Biruk has been one of the greatest joys in my life! I can't thank you enough for following His leading on this. I feel so very blessed to be a Kolfe Mama!"
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