I am so excited about moving to Ethiopia. I am excited about meeting new friends. I am excited about experiencing living in Addis. When I went there in March I had an awesome time. I am excited to see Konjit , Binyam, Rahel, Fekadu, Joel, and Sam. I am excited to see how God leads our family when we're there. Ethiopia feels like Home.
Oh, where to start!!!! Like I said...our family is about to make a huge, exciting, life-changing leap! A leap that would've scared me immensely just a couple of years ago. A leap that just 8 months ago we could picture ourselves doing, but just not yet. A leap that was planted in our hearts 2 1/2 years ago as we stepped foot on Ethiopian soil. And, I can't believe that the seed that was planted in our hearts that day in July 2010....would have ever grown into this!! Well, I guess I can....because God is amazing like that!! There is so much to say. So many emotions I feel. Excitement. Nerves. Anticipation. Amazement. In awe. Humbled. Grateful. And a few tears here & there.
But, WE MUST GO.
Fill us up...send us out!!!! Fill us up...send us out!!!!
One of my favorite verses....
Isaiah 6:8
Then I heard the voiceof the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send?And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
We have prayed and prayed for the last two years..."Lord, wherever you call our family to, we will be obedient and GO!" Not that we weren't or aren't happy with life as it is. We are abundantly blessed. But, as a family, we are very open to what & where God is calling us to. Since traveling to Ethiopia in July 2010 & 2012...we haven't been the same. We can't shake it. We aren't going to try to shake it any longer. So, with that..........
Our family will be moving to the beautifully created country of Ethiopia!! We will be living in Addis Ababa....the place where chunks of our hearts have been left. And, we are longing to return!!!!
Are we crazy, you ask???? Yep, crazy about Our God!!! Crazy about following Him. And, what will we be doing??? We will serve as the Executive Directors for Heavenly Hope Ministries Africa! And, we couldn't be more honored and excited...Thank you Lord. You see, its not about us rescuing the "least of these" in Ethiopia, but it is about Jesus and how He has rescued us and we want our lives to reflect that and honor Him. We can hardly wait to live life with the people of Ethiopia.It gives me chills dreaming about the relationships that will grow throughout our time in Addis. When do we take this leap? Well, making this commitment to Christ was the 1st step of our "leap!" So, we've officially begun our "leap!" The target date for all 7 of us to head on over will be no later than September 2013!!! Within this next week... I will be sharing more from my heart, about how this has all fallen into place & how great our God is, who has stirred our hearts for something more! But, until then...take a peek at this video from Heavenly Hope...it will give you a glimpse of what we will be doing in Ethiopia. Turn off our blog music on bottom left of page before watching video.
Leap of love. About 3 years ago, we sat in our living room ( at the time) and discussed what we shall name our blog. This blog would hold many memories, journeys, adventures, leaps, bounds, trials & errors. Since I've never been great at keeping up with our kids' baby books, this was a way that we could document our family happenings & eventually turn this blog into a book!! As this blog started out as "ours," it most certainly has been handed over to God. No, he's not the one sitting here next to me typing this all out, but He definitely has His hand all over it. You're probably sitting there wondering where this is going...You see, 3 years ago as we were deciding on a name, many thoughts came to mind. Should we say..."leap of faith" "Gilliss gang" "leap of trust"....And, all I could keep coming back to was "Leap of love"...I also struggled with it....when deciding, all I could think of was..."gosh, it's not like it's that hard of a leap to love a child" like we were choosing to do...through adoption. (It IS hard at times.) I've always loved children. I dreamt from a very young age that someday I would adopt. Not from Ethiopia. From China. The only thing I had ever heard about Ethiopia...was how poor & desperate the country was. I was sure of going to China someday, but not Ethiopia. Never. Wow, has God opened our eyes!! Anyhow, back to that "leap!" Little did I know, saying "yes" to God 3 years ago to open our hearts to Ethiopia & adoption was just the beginning!! We, as a family, are going into this next "leap" in our lives with much prayer, insight, confidence, excitement, anticipation & nerves. Never could I have imagined the story He was writing when He set our hearts on fire for the "least of these."
I challenge you to take a "leap!" It might seem like a small one to begin with or a very large one...whichever it may be...LEAP!! Gods got you!!!
Can't wait to share with you this next "LEAP" that God is leading our family on!!!
This past weekend was fun filled!! Saturday we had Ageze & Grants soccer jamborees!! They are both truly loving this soccer season...they each played 2 games & then off we went to the pumpkin patch!! The weather was beautiful & the pumpkins plenty!! We love the tradition of going to the "patch" when Fall arrives! And, it most certainly has...It is a cool 45 degrees & we are nestled up in our house today!! Although I'm not too fond of the season after Fall, I sure do enjoy cozy-ing up, baking, fall-scented candles & the fun Fall activities!!
xo
Whew!! Soccer practice & games have been filling up much time over the past few weeks!! These two are loving soccer!! We've been blessed with beautiful Saturday Morning games!! The weather couldn't be better for watching these 2 for a couple of hours:) Tomorrow they each have jamboree's!! And, the forecast for tomorrow looks incredible!! Makes this warm weather momma very happy!! Love watching our children explore new things...whether it's sports, music, helping someone out etc.
What are your weekend plans??
Recently our church, Bismarck Community Church, partnered with a church in a community located in the slums of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia called Jemo through Children's Hopechest.
Jemo... what to say about Jemo. I have struggled with this since I tend to be a person that feels things so deeply, internally. I so badly want to express it to people but feel like I fall way short when trying. When Kristen asked me to blog about my visit to Jemo in June, I was initially so excited. See, as you will find, words don't flow out of me quite as smoothly as my wife. She can feel an emotion and sit down and 10 minutes later it's eloquently laid out on her blog. Me, I agonize over it for hours.
As you know, Ethiopia has a very special place in our hearts and when I heard that I would have the opportunity to visit Jemo and get to know the children and leaders of the community I jumped at it. When I arrived at Jemo, the children surrounded our car and couldn't wait to greet me. It is so hard to look into these kid's eyes and not fall instantly in love with them. They have such a pure joy that exudes out of them even though they're facing circumstances that you and I couldn't even fathom. And that is the thing that gets you. Everyone always says to Kristen and I, "it is such a great thing you guys have done for those kids". Referring to Ariyat, Ageze, and Tesfa whom we have adopted from Ethiopia. The thing people don't understand unless they have been there, is that our family has gotten so much more from these kids than we have given them. I look at the transformation it has done in Grant(10) and Kate(8), and it can literally bring me to my knees. Just today Grant wrote in his journal and I will share it with you because it shows what the transformations can do to your family (and yes, i did get his permission to share).
He gets it and he is 10. I look at what Ethiopia did to his heart and I am so thankful. And it is not because it made him appreciate all the comfort things he has in America but because it made him see a joy in living for God, and being His hands and feet. Grant now challenges Kristen and I, do we have what it takes to serve. I don't write all this to brag on my son although I am proud. It's because I want you to see what this relationship with the people of Jemo can do in your heart and your families. Because we have gotten comfortable and it is so easy to read this next part and think, "well, someone else is going to step up". So please read the remainder of this post with an open mind and take the time to watch the 2 videos at the end. (don't forget to turn off the blog music before you watch the video). Yes I know, 2 videos may be a little overkill but I think it is needed. We need to get uncomfortable and stop waiting for someone else to do it. That is what we are called to do... I love Jeremiah 22:16, "He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is That not what it means to know me?" declares the lord...
This past Sunday, Wil Crooks from Children's Hopechest was at our church for the launch and he said something that really hit home. He talked about psalm 10 and 12 and how the wicked prey upon the weak. He talked about how at areas like Jemo, the weak get preyed upon, and yes I am talking about trafficking, slave labor, orphans being lured with the promise of work, and Addis Ababa having the largest red light district in the world were girls are being serially assaulted up 40 times a day... Yes, it is real, it is happening, I HAVE SEEN IT... and what we are saying by supporting this community is "not at Jemo!"
Our Church, Bismarck Community Church, is working with Children's Hopechest at Jemo to get 150 plus children that come to the Church in Jemo sponsored. It literally only costs $34 a month which will give the child hope, food, health care, and a Christian education. Your support will help build a bridge in Jemo where these children have to cross to go to school and every year kids die during the rainy season trying to get to school over this handmade stick bridge that if I described it, would not even give you a sense of how dangerous it really is. Here is the awesome part, we have already sponsored 100 of the kids at our church and so we only have 50 children who need sponsors. Not only will you have communication with the child, which is a huge deal for these children to have someone who cares about them when a lot of the children at Jemo have no-one. But, you will also have the opportunity to visit Jemo with our church led trips. If you are not from Bismarck, don't worry, we can work out the logistics when the time comes. Below you will find the link to look at the Jemo children and you will see who still needs a sponsor. Please check it out and be His hands and feet...
Busy!!! that describes our house lately!! We've officially begun homeschooling, which we are all loving:) The kids went to their first gym class this week....tennis it was! They thoroughly enjoyed it & can't wait for next week!
Tesfa is really loving kindergarten...he comes home with a smile on his face & many stories to tell!
Soccer has begun....Grant & Ageze are both playing soccer this fall & are learning more each practice & loving it!! Bonus for Grant...Kasey is his coach!! So fun to see my boys out there together.
Ariyat continues to do very well...not that we haven't had our up's & downs, we have. But, she seems to be adjusting in a very healthy, appropriate way. We keep very close to home, she doesn't care for too much noise or too many people. And, that is ok. That smile of hers lights up our home on a daily basis:) She & Kate seem like they have never been apart, they are two peas in a pod. Lately, Ariyat has been trying to teach the other four Amharic. Amharic songs. The alphabet. How to write each letter & how to sound out the letters. We are learning as much from her as she is learning from us!! We love that!!
What an exciting weekend we have in store!!! Want to join in?? Wil Crooks from Children's Hopechest will be in Bismarck!!
So excited about this opportunity to love on & care for this precious community in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!! Wil Crooks with Children's HopeChest will be in Bismarck this coming weekend...Our church has partnered with Children's Hopechest & t
he community of "Jemo" in Addis. We are so thrilled that not only our church, but ALL OF YOU will be able to make a difference in the life of one of these children. Children of God. Please mark your calendars for this coming Saturday...September 8th @ 7 pm for a "meet & greet" with Wil...3817 Poseidon Loop, Bismarck!!! Also, Plan on attending our Sunday morning church service at 10:15, Bismarck Community Church...1617 E Michigan Ave. Bismarck!! Hope to see you all there!!
Here is the link to the sponsorship page!! You can make a huge difference for one ( or more!) of these precious children...providing them with education, healthcare & basic needs:) http://www.hopechest.org/community/jemo/sponsor/
Well, that's whats been going on at the Gilliss house!! Hope your days have been filled with laughter & love!! xo
