"faces in Africa"

here are some of our Compassion team-

{Jo Ann, Louise, Melisa, Me, & Crystal}

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{She spoke absolutely NO English, but I totally understood her. Her smile said it all- and that's all she did once I pinned this little pink bow in her hair!!!!!}

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{this little one is HIV positive. Both she & her mother have been taking medications for HIV through the CSP- Compassion Survival Program. She is learning about Jesus everyday & I pray that she & her Momma will live long & happy lives!!! She wouldn't take off the little Princess ring that I gave her- she just kept touching her hand to make sure it was still there....}

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{This young girl walked an hour to come & see us this day. She & I made friendship bracelets, we colored, we danced, and she helped me not miss my little Prissy so much. She was 7 too- and I'm convinced that our meeting each other was no accident!!!}

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{This was taken at one of the Compassion Survival Programs- this little girl's mother is HIV positive & so far she is not! That in itself is a blessing but this program is as well. Through CSP mothers get prenatal care & nutrition during their pregnancies as well as health care for them & their infants after delivery. The women walk to these campuses and basically take classes to learn to care for their babes & hear about Jesus all at the same time! It is truly amazing to see God's hand upon them....}

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These guys are the future of Ethiopia. They are in the Compassion Sponsor Program & have U.S. sponsors. They knew their sponsor's names & where they are from. They were so polite & pleasant to be around. Most of them walk 30 minutes to an hour to go to school & church. When I told them to "stay in school". They responded with "Of Course!"- that's the Ethiopian equivalent to our "Yes Ma'am"! David David {his birth name- I didn't question it, but had to laugh wondering if somewhere it had gotten changed in translation} is the boy in the red t-shirt. His father is dead & his mother is an unbeliever. He goes to church & school solely on his own accord all by himself! Please keep him in your prayers- he is precious!!!!!!!

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{This little girl kept putting her hair bow in her pocket- she was afraid someone would take it. It was the first "new" thing that she had ever been given...}

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I couldn't help noticing this little guy peeking through during a home visit. Our group became quite the attraction {most of those people had never seen white people before (Fringes=white foreigners) let alone big buses & cameras!}

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{more by "A"- I fell in love with this little girl right away- maybe it was her piggy tails that reminded me of my little Priss. She is new to the Compassion Sponsor Program & didn't have a sponsor yet.... but she does now! Malaytee is our newest member of the family!!!

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{Prissy sent a little purse full of dress-up jewelry- the girls went crazy over them! They were gone in about 5 minutes at our 1st project site!!!}

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{and NO! I have zero shame giving out candy too... They had suckers for the 1st time, & gum, & lip gloss, & tick tacks & any other thing that I could find in my bag!}

more to come....