www.hopechest.org

Do Something Now from Children's HopeChest on Vimeo.

Change - 1 story from our trip

We just finished a tour of the main care center where our little girl spent many nights prior to being transitioned to Addis. Walking through a house no bigger than ours seeing it full of 70 children was really an eye opener. We step to the lower terraces of the care center taking in the surroundings. There is little talk amongst the group, we are all running through our heads what it must have been like to experience care center life through the eyes of our children.

We will remember that moment forever as we enter a room lined with toddler beds and hear the sweet voice of children singing in the background. There are moments in life that take you by surprise almost as if you can feel something change inside of you.

We turn the corner walking from one building into the building that we hear the children singing. I have a vivid memory of time stopping for a moment as we stared looking at those beautiful brown eyes, the innocence, the simplicity of that moment. The same eyes that will look at us as we tuck our little ones in to bed or those same eyes we will see looking through the window as we wave goodbye to go to work.

The children in Ethiopia have something that seems very unique in their eyes. It's as if with a single glance they can tell you an entire story just by looking at them. You get a real sense that although a three year old has been through more than you will ever go through that their is a hope that is not explainable in words. Take this feeling and multiply it by 70, 70 sets of eyes, 70 little beating hearts, 70 of millions of children living without a family in this country.

A heaviness sets in as we turn the corner to the lunch room. We are all holding back tears and suddenly our entire group seems to be sobbing. We walked in one door of this little house and came out the other door different people. We didn't need to talk with one another to describe what we saw, what we experienced. From that moment on we all knew that life would be different, that the gift of our children would never be taken for granted. From that moment on we knew that life is more that we can see and touch, but about a hope, a love, a simplicity that we could not fully comprehend in this lifetime.

A Christmas Gift

A year ago around this time a gift was given to our family. The bravest women we will ever know took a journey down a dirt road in a small rural village in Africa to do what many of us would be insanity.

We will never have a way of knowing what those first days and months of our daughter's life was like. We can only imagine an amazing women giving up meals for days, possibly weeks to feed her daughters. Huddling together in a small hut no bigger than many of our smallest bedrooms to gain heat on winters nights.

The weight of feeding a family of three in the middle of starvation, sickness, and possibly persecution. We can imagine the conversation with family of the decision that faced Mikah's mother. Knowing the severity was leading her to a decision to redeem her daughter and give her a chance, a chance at survival, a chance at life. A decision without shame and full of a mother's love and bravery.

She begins a journey just two days before Christmas to give our family a gift that we will be eternally thankful for. We can only contemplate the range of emotions that were running through her heart. For many of us this sacrifice such as this we can hope will never be known. It is really hard to imagine that day, we play through what it might have been like in our minds knowing we will never comprehend this selfless act on behalf of a baby, a daughter, a sister, a neice, a granddaughter.

For this time of year will always hold an extra special place in our hearts. For by her mothers sacrifice we get a sliver of a glimpse of what happened that night in Bethlehem. For that night God invaded His humanity to bring us hope and to flip this world upside down. For that action over 2,000 years later would place in a women in Ethiopia to know in her soul that her little girl would be loved if she were to say yes to the unimaginable. For the one thing we hope for is for Mikah's mother to know how great the gift she gave our family and for our little girl to know that her Mother's sacrifice will never be forsaken.

Christmas was meant to change the WORLD

Journey To Ethiopia

Just want to throw up a quick post to point you towards a website that will be featuring videos and pictures from Mikah's homeland region over the next few weeks.

Tom will be traveling into the same region we visited on out trip. http://tomdavis.typepad.com

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4 months ago we came home to America with a new member of our family. We are grateful for everyday we get to be with her and feel honored to be chosen to be her parents.

We think of her mother in Ethiopia every time we look into Mikah's eyes knowing that her sacrifice cannot be put into words.

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21-4