This is your chance to give a man in a
third-world country a job opportunity.
third-world country a job opportunity.
Let me tell you our story...
When we went to court in Ethiopia back in April we were there for something like eleven days. Since we were the only family there for most of that time, we got to know our driver and our guides REALLY well.
David, Logan, me, and Yonas
Upon arrival in Ethiopia we handed David a big stack of our American money and he left us to go exchange it. Logan and I looked at each other like... "What did we just do? We don't even know this guy." But he came right back with all of our money exchanged and over those first few days we started to realize just how really trustworthy these guys were, how much faith they had in God, and how big of a place they had in their hearts for the children in the transition home and orphanages.
We watched David with the kids in the transition home. He was like a big brother to the older boys. He let them climb around in his van and hang out with him. He'd sit and talk to them. He'd tease them, joke with them and just spent time with them.
We watched David with the kids in the transition home. He was like a big brother to the older boys. He let them climb around in his van and hang out with him. He'd sit and talk to them. He'd tease them, joke with them and just spent time with them.
In this picture it looks like he's talking about something very serious, but he's actually drawing a goofy, unflattering cartoon picture of the boy sitting beside him, trying to convince him that it looks just like him.
Since we were in Ethiopia for so many days and we were the only family there, we were able to talk to the guys a lot. We learned a lot about the orphanages and a lot about Ethiopia. It was during one conversation about the needs in the orphanages that David told us about the government orphanage.
We knew we had to see it before we left. So at the end of our trip we went to the government orphanage. It was the worst of the worst of the orphanages we saw. The needs there were astounding. We were completely unprepared for the smell and the sound and the things we saw. I'm sure that many of the babies we saw that day are no longer alive. What we saw there changed us at our core.
And so it was because of David, and his directing us to the government orphanage, that we raised money for formula, made dolls, and collected donations to give to the orphanage on our return trip in July.
When we returned to Ethiopia in July we were so excited to see the guys again. I cried when Job met us at the airport. But the next day we found out that David was, "on vacation." After a couple more days and little prying we realized that "vacation" meant laid-off. Thankfully, we were able to meet him one evening with some other friends.
He was let go from his job as a driver. He was out of work. His family was counting on him. He put his hands together and smiled and said, "God will take care of us. He always has."
I've never seen faith like that. We come from a country where most people say they believe in God, but when the first thing goes wrong they throw up their hands and say, WHY ME? I've never seen someone living out real, honest faith that God would provide. Someone who really had nothing but faith.
That leads us to the next chapter in David's story. We're not the only family to call David a friend. And those friends back here in America have come together to create a campaign on a website called Indiegogo.com. It's called I Drive Ethiopia.
We're hoping to raise just enough money to outright purchase a used van for David. So that he can drive again. Unfortunately, he won't be able to drive adoptive families any longer. He was never an employee of our adoption agency, and with the loss of his job his connection to them is gone. But he can find someone to drive. He wants to work and with a van he'll find a way.
Is David a perfect person? No. Are there other Ethiopian fathers just as deserving of a job opportunity as he is? Absolutely. But we don't know those men. We don't have a way to help them. We do have a way to help David. And we won't turn our backs on him.
Are there other charities more deserving of your money? Absolutely, are you kidding me? But this isn't a charity.
This is an opportunity to give a man an opportunity.
Do you want to be a part of it? If so, here is the link:
http://www.indiegogo.com/dawitfasil?a=1757623
Whether or not you donate, please, please, please pass the link on! Please help us spread the word! The more views and the more times the Indiegogo share tools are utilized on the site, the higher our "gogofactor" and the more visible our campaign is on the site. Thank you so much!
A disclaimer for AWAA families. For obvious ethical reasons AWAA can in no way be connected to this fundraising. Please do not post this link on the AWAA Facebook group or YahooGroups.
Since we were in Ethiopia for so many days and we were the only family there, we were able to talk to the guys a lot. We learned a lot about the orphanages and a lot about Ethiopia. It was during one conversation about the needs in the orphanages that David told us about the government orphanage.
We knew we had to see it before we left. So at the end of our trip we went to the government orphanage. It was the worst of the worst of the orphanages we saw. The needs there were astounding. We were completely unprepared for the smell and the sound and the things we saw. I'm sure that many of the babies we saw that day are no longer alive. What we saw there changed us at our core.
And so it was because of David, and his directing us to the government orphanage, that we raised money for formula, made dolls, and collected donations to give to the orphanage on our return trip in July.
When we returned to Ethiopia in July we were so excited to see the guys again. I cried when Job met us at the airport. But the next day we found out that David was, "on vacation." After a couple more days and little prying we realized that "vacation" meant laid-off. Thankfully, we were able to meet him one evening with some other friends.
He was let go from his job as a driver. He was out of work. His family was counting on him. He put his hands together and smiled and said, "God will take care of us. He always has."
I've never seen faith like that. We come from a country where most people say they believe in God, but when the first thing goes wrong they throw up their hands and say, WHY ME? I've never seen someone living out real, honest faith that God would provide. Someone who really had nothing but faith.
That leads us to the next chapter in David's story. We're not the only family to call David a friend. And those friends back here in America have come together to create a campaign on a website called Indiegogo.com. It's called I Drive Ethiopia.
We're hoping to raise just enough money to outright purchase a used van for David. So that he can drive again. Unfortunately, he won't be able to drive adoptive families any longer. He was never an employee of our adoption agency, and with the loss of his job his connection to them is gone. But he can find someone to drive. He wants to work and with a van he'll find a way.
Is David a perfect person? No. Are there other Ethiopian fathers just as deserving of a job opportunity as he is? Absolutely. But we don't know those men. We don't have a way to help them. We do have a way to help David. And we won't turn our backs on him.
Are there other charities more deserving of your money? Absolutely, are you kidding me? But this isn't a charity.
This is an opportunity to give a man an opportunity.
Do you want to be a part of it? If so, here is the link:
http://www.indiegogo.com/dawitfasil?a=1757623
Whether or not you donate, please, please, please pass the link on! Please help us spread the word! The more views and the more times the Indiegogo share tools are utilized on the site, the higher our "gogofactor" and the more visible our campaign is on the site. Thank you so much!
A disclaimer for AWAA families. For obvious ethical reasons AWAA can in no way be connected to this fundraising. Please do not post this link on the AWAA Facebook group or YahooGroups.
RSS Feed