A little over a year ago I felt the Lord challenging me to
go on a church sponsored mission trip to Haiti.
I decided to take that challenge, unaware that it would literally change the
course of my life forever.
Before Haiti,
I was passionate about poverty and I was working with several ministries that
address domestic hunger and poverty. I thought about people in poverty overseas
but it was not a personal conviction. That all changed the day we saw a mother
who had given birth in the street, while walking to a hospital in premature
labor. The baby was very small and was left in the street to die. I can still
remember the blood on the dirt road, and how small that baby was. This is an excerpt
from my journal. “... it takes less than two hours to travel from Miami
to Haiti. That
would have never happened in Miami
or anywhere else in America,
for that matter! I am an American…I am privileged... I got lucky. That baby did
not ask to be born in Haiti.
I am angry---a burning anger that will not go away. I know God is even more
angry about these injustices than I am. I bet God is wondering where his people
are ... how we can allow these things to persist!”
I felt strongly that the Lord had something for me beyond
those 7 days in Haiti.
I left there amazed at the beauty and resilience of the Haitian people. There
are so many artists and craftsmen in that country with no one to sell their products
to. I felt the Lord showing me that these people need partners. They need Christians
– people of affluence, willing to partner with them and build on their unique
strengths and weaknesses. But like so many times in the past when I felt the
Lord moving, I asked, “Ok Lord, but how?”
My husband Tom and I had been praying about adoption for a
little over a year before Haiti,
trying to decide if we would adopt domestically or abroad. We inquired about
adoption in Haiti,
but soon realized that we do not meet the minimum age requirements. Two weeks
after my trip to Haiti,
we moved to Beulah Beach
and joined the ministry team there, placing adoption on the back burner.
In November of 2011, I met with Terina Dutton, from Heavenly
Hope Ministries.
I shared with her my new passion for women and children in third world
countries, and my vision to find partners for them. If these women could learn
some skills and be given a market to sell their products, their lives, and the
lives of their families, would be forever changed. They would have hope,
something they now know nothing about. Amazingly, Terina shared that God had
given her that same vision! We then
began to pray that the Lord would show us our next steps.
In January, we received word from the Dutton’s ministry
partners in Ethiopia
that there was another nonprofit organization that had pledged to work with a
group of women making jewelry. They had some financial difficulties and were
unable to continue working with the women who were already meeting at Heavenly
Hope Ministries Orphanage! We knew this was not a coincidence, so we stepped into
this perfect scenario and began “Project Tesfa”!
We got our plane tickets, collected supplies and flew to Ethiopia.
It was amazing to see God show up every
step of the way. We are currently working with 10 women there ... they make
jewelry and other items that we bring back to the States to sell. The women are
paid based on Fair Trade guidelines, and are given the opportunity to learn
about Jesus through discipleship. They are also able to receive a bonus of flour
and cooking oil each month for visiting and caring for the elderly in their
community.
When I was in Ethiopia,
I met a six year old little girl named Getese. She was not living in an orphanage
but spending most of her time on her own. Getese attended a sponsorship program
of Heavenly Hope
Ministries to worship and receive a
meal each day. She reminded me so much of my own daughter, Mia. When I returned
home I couldn’t sleep ... the Lord had put this child on my heart in such a big
way. Everyday I would wake up and wonder if she was ok and if she had enough
food to eat. I spent many nights in tears. Tom shared the burden and decided we
had to do something!
So we did. We not only found Getese on the streets in
Ethiopa, but are now in the process of adopting her! This is a huge step of
faith for us! We are trusting that the Lord will continue to provide for us
financially and spiritually every step of the way! Tom and I live on a
relatively small ministry income, but we know our Father in Heaven owns
everything. Adoption is too expensive for us—but not for God! We hope that God
will use our family as a testimony to His goodness and grace when we simply
trust HIM! We want to love the way HE loves. We know that God loves orphans and
widows, so that means that the Schmidt family will too!
Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man,
what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to
love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Proverbs 31:8-9 ESV Open your mouth
for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth and
judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.
James 1:27 NIV Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless
is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep
oneself from being polluted by the world.
We hope that
you will pray for us and consider partnering with us in the following ways:
-- Purchase Cooking Oil & Flour for a widow in Ethiopia - $100 a year.
-- Donate to “Project Tesfa” - Checks can be made payable
to Heavenly Hope Ministries;
Memo line – “Project Tesfa" Or at www.duttonfoundation.org
-- Host a “Project Tesfa” Party in your home or church
-- Collect Beads or other jewelry making materials to
donate
-- Make a donation to the Schmidt Adoption Fund
-- PRAY LIKE CRAZY!
Blessings! And ... if you ever have a chance to go on a
mission trip—GO! Who knows how God could use it to change YOUR life for His
glory!
