We got a e-mail today from our trip leader, Rob Tennant, pastor of HillSong Church with the following information about getting prepared for our trip.  Many of you have been asking how things are coming...hopefully this will give an over all update.  



We must begin our preparation for the trip.  That includes preparing spiritually through prayer (individual and group prayer), and practical preparations (ie what are we going to actually do for a week in Ethiopia?).




I'd like each of us to read the book When Helping Hurts (by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert).  This book by Corbett and Fikkert provides an excellent perspective on well intentioned Christians making trips to places in the third world.  My approach to short-term trips like the one we'll be taking is very much in line with what the authors present and it will be very helpful if we all understand that approach.  We as American Christians are coming alongside the handful of Ethiopian men and women in the town of Kombolcha who daily care for, feed, and teach Christianity to 300 children who are ineligible for adoption but have next to nothing in the way of provision and education.  We are encouragers, there to be of assistance to the evangelists and caregivers who love these kids.  And we are there to let these children know that God loves them and that in Jesus Christ, they have hope and their lives have meaning and purpose.




Here's a snap-shot of our itinerary:
April 21, 2011 - Fly out of Dulles airport, Washington DC
April 22, 2011 - Arrive in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia  
April 23, 2011 - take 7-hour van ride to Kombolcha
April 24-27 - run a fun, Bible camp - in the morning, we'll work with about 80-85 kids.  In the afternoon, we'll run the same program for a second set of 80-85 kids.
April 28 - in the morning we will have a feast for all the kids (about 300, those in the Hope Chest Program and the others at that facility as well)
April 28 - after the feast, we head back to Addis
April 29 - during the day souvenir shopping in Addis
April 29 - in the evening, we fly out
April 30 - Return to USA