Meet Atrasagn...

 ***Hope Ethiopia:100 Update -- 44 out of 100 teammates, $6932.45! Let's get over half way today!

***Match Update -- $68,294.66 of the $130,000 available match! 

Atrasagn: age 14, grade 6, Lifesong Ethiopia

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Living Situation: Dad died 7 years ago, mom died 2 years ago, lives with aunt. He feels really happy with his aunt

Favorite subject: Social Science

Thoughts on school: very happy in school, loves to eat the vegetable soup he eats at school

Future plans: wants to be a research scientist, studying energy and electricity.

Favorite scripture: 'Fear of the Lord leads to life, bringing security and protection from harm.' Proverbs 19:23

Favorite things to do outside of school: help my aunt 

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We are inviting you to join the Hope Ethiopia:100 Team to help bring JESUS to the lives of the children in Ethiopia--children like Atrasagn. We are looking for 100 people to give a one-time $100 donation that will be MATCHED!

To read more about Hope Ethiopia:100, the match, and the prize drawing (value $250), click here.

Meet Betelem...

***Hope Ethiopia:100 update--we have 22 of our goal of 100 teammates and have raised $3,200!

***Update on match -- $64,562.21 of the $130,000! That's almost 50%! Let's make it happen TODAY!
 

Betelem: age 9, 2nd grade

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Living Situation: Her mom doesn’t want her and her brother still lives with her mom. Dad is gone. Betelem lives with an aunt. Aunt is HIV+.

Favorite subject: English, Math, Amharic

Thoughts on school: Very happy with school, likes the food, injera is her favorite

Future plans: Wants to be a teacher or doctor

Favorite scripture: "Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other." Romans 12:10

Favorite things to do: help her family, cleaning the house

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Would you consider joining our Hope Ethiopia:100 Team? We are looking for 100 people to give a one-time $100 by Friday to get us just $10,000 closer to the $130,000 match that has been offered to Lifesong Ethiopia.

To read more about Hope Ethiopia:100, the match, and the PRIZES, check out yesterday's blog post.

Connecting Hearts -- Liberia

Keith & Kay Knapp, Lifesong Liberia, witnessed first-hand the significant impact of the Lifesong Liberia Child Sponsorship Program...

The bright eyes and wide smiles said it all.

Opening their envelopes with great excitement, many children at the Master's Home of Champions found not only letters, but all kinds of love from their sponsors in the US! What joy it was for us to hand deliver these caring messages to children who have had great difficulties in their young lives.

As relationships develop between the children and their sponsors, hearts are strongly connected across the miles. The children begin to understand that there are many people who love and care for them, who are willing to invest in their lives and encourage them. What a powerful message!

As they worked on their letters to return with us, the love overflowed. "Thank you, I love you, I pray for you". The little ones labored over colored drawings and short sentences, while the older ones expressed themselves in longer paragraphs. Even children who are not yet sponsored wrote letters!

The impact of these relationships is unmistakable on both sides of the Atlantic, and truly brings joy and purpose to all of us.

-Keith & Kay Knapp, Lifesong Liberia  

 Interested in connecting YOUR hearts with one of our children in Liberia? Please contact info@lifesongfororphans.org

 But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children."  Matthew 19:14  

Touchdown for Orphans!

What are your plans for the Super Bowl?

Maybe throw a party?

Eat a lot of party food?

Or maybe you just want to pout that your team didn't make it? (oh, Bears...)

How about turning the Super Bowl into an opportunity to serve orphans in Ethiopia?

Orphan advocate, Aaron Klein, is leading a team to raise money so the Lifesong School in Adami Tulu can build a new school building.  In order to do help reach their goal, they are hosting a National Super Bowl Party!

Here’s how it works.

• You can join the party from the comfort of your couch, or from the party you always go to. There are parties cropping up all the way from Atlanta to Colfax where we’ll pause at half time and learn more about the Adami Tulu school project. And you can even host your own local Super Bowl party to support the project (you can e-mail Aaron for details).

• Simply pledge $1, $2 or $3 per point that your team scores. You can pledge by leaving a comment on Aaron's blog, or posting it on the Facebook event page, or e-mailing your pledge to Aaron.

• Every time one of the teams score, the amount we’ve raised goes up! You can follow Facebook or Twitter to get the running total of donations throughout the game.

• Your friends can join this National Super Bowl Party as well! Go to the Facebook event page, and you can invite your own friends to join this important cause. Or you can tweet or e-mail this post to your friends and family. Let’s make a huge impact on changing the world!

This is such a cool idea!  If you want to know more, you can check out Aaron's blog here!  

Here's a look at some of the lives that will forever be affected by this project:

Resources4Adoption

If you are in the midst of the adoption process or are considering adoption here is a great resource.  Resources4Adoption provides answers to numerous question and updated information on many different resources.  Here's a word from the founder, Cherri Walrod: 

Resources4Adoption.com has been a vision of mine for more than nine years.

My husband and I knew we wanted to adopt, but when I began searching for financial resources, I became frustrated by the lack of information. But we were committed and determined to make our adoption dream a reality. After literally hundreds of hours of research, countless emails, dozens of phone calls, stacks upon stacks of paperwork and an out-pour of support from friends and family, we were blessed with three wonderful adopted children.

Adoption is such a beautiful experience, and I wanted to make it more feasible and eliminate some of the stress involved, so more moms and dad could bring their children home. My goal was to create one comprehensive site so parents would not have to repeat my experience, trying to navigate through broken links and outdated information to find resources to help them (yes, there are resources that can help you!)

 It took nine years of information-gathering and careful planning, but alas, Resources4Adoption.com is here! It offers a wealth of knowledge that can only be obtained through hundreds of dedicated hours, first-hand experience and a passion for adoption.

 As you venture on your adoption journey, I hope you find Resources4Adoption.com to be beneficial. If it helps you—if even in the slightest—bring home your son or daughter, I have succeeded. Use the information on Resources4Adoption, and never, ever lose sight of your dream. With hope, determination and the right knowledge, your adoption dreams CAN and WILL become a reality!

 ~Cherri Walrod, founder

Thank you, Cherri, for your support of Lifesong for Orphans, your research on behalf of adoptive parents everywhere, and your heart for the fatherless!