The Woliso Project

I'm literally giddy with excitement as I type this out. I'm in awe of how God orchestrates things, drawing people together from all over to work toward one common goal. This project is a culmination of prayers prayed by Jeff and I and so many others for the past 18 months, since we first stepped foot in Ethiopia and our hearts were forever changed. Read on to see how you can be a part of God's work.

Be prepared for your life to change too!

I’ll start with some background. In August 2009, Jeff, Bryan and I, brought home Ellie from Ethiopia through the miracle of adoption. While in country, we were able to visit her home village and orphanage. Ellie is from a town called Woliso, about 2- 2 ½ hours south of the capital city of Addis Ababa. In Woliso is the Emmanuel Orphanage which is run by Job. Job was the first Christian to ever come to Woliso which is primarily a Muslim community. We were thrilled to meet Job as we knew that he was instrumental in saving our daughter’s life by bringing her to the orphanage. We were also able to meet many of the remaining orphans at the center while there as well as visit with Ellie’s birth mother in the town. We saw firsthand the great need for so many things in Woliso.

First and foremost, they need clean water. Our hearts were burdened for this when we came back to the US, as we brought Ellie home with 5 parasites that took 9 months of treatment to completely get rid of. We began some basic training with Edge Outreach in Louisville KY, which is a ministry that provides clean water to places where it is not available. However, in order to get that water to Ethiopia, we needed to have a good partnership in the country. Adoption guidelines prohibited us from sending money or resources directly to the orphanage, so we prayed and waited on God.

In the recent few months, we have become aware of and met Caleb and Becca David who run a non profit ministry called One Child Campaign. Their goal is to not only raise awareness, but to provide a way for the Church to get involved in impacting the lives of the orphans around the world. This couple, along with their precious daughter, are living out James 1:27 every day,and they are changing the world one literally one child at a time! What a blessing to now call them friends! They have recently begun work in Woliso, and when we learned of this, we knew that we were meant to work together. We plan to travel to Ethiopia with One Child Campaign in July of this year and will use our training from Edge Outreach (will be trained to install water cleansing treatment from them in the near future) to take clean water to Woliso. God is answering our prayers!

There are many needs in Woliso besides just the water. However, getting clean water there is certainly a priority. At this time, there are approximately 45 orphans living at Emmanuel, many of whom have malaria and are carrying parasites. Their food supply is extremely limited, and malnourishment is evident. They are in need of beds,school supplies, mosquito netting, a new sewage system (as they currently have open sewage which is a hotbed for malaria!) as well as clothes and shoes.

We realize that we may not be able to provide for every one of these needs right now. But we also know that God has a heart for these children and their needs. We have seen this firsthand, and we cannot ignore it! We would love for you to be a part of this with us as well.

The cost of a water system (generator, two tanks, stand for the system to be placed on, transport to Ethiopia) is approximately $5000. Anything we can raise above that amount will be used for the other needs in the area. Certainly there can never be enough given to outdo the need!
Please consider helping us meet these needs. I’d love to sit and talk more with you about this if you like. Any donations can be made directly to One Child Campaign which will send funds as needed to Edge Outreach for the clean water system. A tax deduction is also available for this. You can donate online to One Child Campaign here. If you choose to give, you can note "Woliso water project" on your donation. Checks can be mailed to:
One Child Campaign, PO BOX 702441 Tulsa, OK 74170 with "Woliso" in the memo.

Some have asked if they can give to help us personally with the cost of travel, and the answer is "YES!". As you can imagine, this is an expensive trip for us to take. Total cost will be approximately $5000-$6000, depending on airfare rates. Donations for that can also be sent directly to One Child, with a notation made that it is for "Prosser travel".

We realize that not everyone can give financially. But you can certainly pray, and that is truly coveted at this time as we work to raise money for travel and projects. Pray for the David family as they work diligently to provide hope for so many children. Pray for the orphans in Woliso and all around the world. Pray that the hearts of God's people are moved with His compassion to care for those in need around the world. You can also travel with us! This is certainly not limited to Jeff and I. The more, the merrier!! Let me know if you are interested, and I'll get details to you. I can't promise comfort or 5 star accommodations, but I can promise you will never be the same.

You can also spread the word. There is no shortage of resources in this country. We just have to allow the needs to be heard. Tell everyone you know. Tell your church, your small group, your book club, your Zumba group, your best friend, your hair stylist, your mailman, your co-workers, your dog groomer... everyone! I'm convinced that many don't give because they don't know the need.

Thank you for caring for the “least of these” along with us. I am so excited to see how God will move the hearts of his people to bring not only water, but the message of God's eternal love to the people of Woliso.

I'll keep ya posted!