One of the primary goals we have here is to help the tribes see that these kids are special and not cursed.  We do not just want to be an orphanage to take children in but instead we want to see children stay in their families and be accepted. We try to do this by holding events where we have people from the tribes who agree with us tell stories and try to explain to them that there is another way, we also share Bible stories and try to show them that God loves these kids also.  Another of the ways that we are trying to teach is by being an example, we are taking the best care we can of the kids we have in the orphanage and are trying to be living proof that mingi children are special too and do not deserve to die.

This past week however, one simple act happened, that I believe will make more of an impact than everything we have done so far. Something so far from this culture and so incredible that not one of the 130,000 people who are part of the three tribes we work with will be able to ignore it.

This past week Lale and his wife Gido decided to make a stand for what is right and did something that no one expected.  But to understand just how important this thing that they did was, you have to first understand a bit about Lale and Gido

Lale and Gido grew up in rural villages far, far from electricity and running water, in cultures that are much different from what you and I can even begin to understand. They and thier fellow villagers lived in grass huts and farmed what they could from the dry land or fished from the river that flows nearby. When Lale was 7 his village was visited by a group of missionaries from Sweden, while they were there they asked if any of the families in his village would be willing to allow their children to attend a Christian boarding school where they would be taught the bible and given a good education.  The elders in the tribe did not like the idea of education and told the villagers not to accept the offer.  Lale’s father however felt that education and bible teaching would be good for his son, he made the incredible decision to allow his son to go to school despite immense pressure from the elders and other members of his tribe. His neighbors even went so far as to place a curse on his family that would affect them for years (Lale believes that his mothers loss of several children either at child birth or shortly after was a result of this curse).  Despite this, Lale’s father continued to send Lale to school year after year until the other members of the tribe finally started to see that Lale was learning good things and was helping his tribe with his education. Lale later returned to his village as a schoolteacher where he taught his fellow tribesmen to read and write. While he was there he wrote songs about God in their tribal language. Because of the efforts of a few missionaries more then ten years earlier the tribe finally had access to the word of God in their native language.

Fast forward a few years and Lale started the orphanage that we are now here to help with. His heart for his tribe has only grown stronger and he has dug in his heels as the man God has called to bring the gospel to his people.   He has fought tirelessly against mingi and tried desperately to show his people the error of their ways while still respecting the culture he knows and loves. He has spent the past year translating the bible into his native tongue and then when he had the New Testament finished, he gave his prized television to be placed in a small church building we recently built in the middle of the village to play the bible continuously for all who are interested to hear.

This past week Lale and his wife Gido decided that they were going to take their commitment to their people a step further.  They have taken one of the children from the orphanage into their home as their own.  Lale and Gido adopted a 10 month old baby girl named Edalawit.

Now, to you and I this may not seem like a huge step, but this is a culture where adoption is extremely rare, and what makes it even more amazing is that the child they are adopting is not from the tribe that they belong to.  They are making a stand to do what is right despite what their culture tells them, they are proving that the curse is dead and that these children are loved by God and worth saving.  Its one thing to start an orphanage and take children in, but another altogether to adopt one of these kids as your own.

I firmly believe that this one small effort by Lale and his wife will be the topic of stories passed down through the generations in the tribes. We are thankful to be here supporting such incredible people who are willing to do whatever it takes, willing to give their lives for what God has asked.  Such intense love for the calling God has on your life is so rare and admirable; we can all learn a thing or two from them about following God with reckless abandon.

Without any further ado….  I introduce to you Edalawit Lale!