Ask Not What You Can Do for Ethiopia, But What Ethiopia Can Do For You (and your kids!)

So I MAY have mentioned Korah and getting involved there a time or 2--read back in older posts if you are new here or have not read what I am talking about. Recently, we were in Tennessee visiting with friends and had an opportunity to get together some letters and things to send to our sponsored child in Ethiopia. I literally just casually told my daughters if they felt like writing letters to Netsanet to be included with the things from us, they could. I gave them no guidelines on what to say other than just introduce themselves to her. That night, my oldest came into our room and gave us this:

Oh my heart! Did you catch the part where it says "My name is Emma and I have three younger sisters. I want you to know that I also consider you one of my sisters"???? Think you need to wait till your kids are older to go on mission trips or even have your family go somewhere permanently? Think that you need a ton of $ so that your kids can go with you and see it firsthand? Think your kids are too young to "get it"? Think that sponsoring a child is just for that child's benefit? Think again. I am not bragging about my kids and their being all holy or anything. This is NOT my child with the naturally gentle heart for others or the one that adores being a big sister to the little ones. She is an incredible funny kid with a great heart, but I think she would also be just fine being an only child, if ya know what I am sayin'. BUT, God is growing her heart for others by leaps and bounds and it makes me praise Him all over again! I watched her start to ask for things when we were shopping at Target for clothes for Netsanet, then just shut her mouth without finishing her sentence. I watched her gently and quietly tell her little sister, "not today-that is not why we are here" when that one requested something on that shopping trip. She is genuinely SO excited about her newest sister, and that is straight from the Father above! So when you are considering the cost of getting involved in whatever God calls you to, whether great or small, don't forget to consider the GREAT BLESSINGS, too, b/c God never seems stop giving them!!! :)