AXUM 2008

I'M HOME!

After 4 days, 6 flights, and lots of airplane food, I have finally made it home to the US. I have to say that this trip was the most amazing experience. I went into this trip thinking it was going to go one way, when in the end it went in a completely different direction. Knowing that Ethiopia is a peaceful country, we had no reservations about going in to share Gods word. But what we did not know was that Axum, Ethiopia is considered a Holy City for the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Sort of a second Jeruselem. So we were not quite so welcome. On top of this, the week we went was their "holy week" of the year. Not great planning on the part of our leadership group whom we went with. We had been given approval to be there by the Mayor of the city, but found out when we got there that he has no power and that it is the High Priest who holds all the power in town. He's in charge of the police, Mayors' office, etc.

But regardless, we were there and were there for a reason. We started out our week as planned, one group working at the local medical clinic, one group testing people for eyeglasses at another clinic, a group doing construction, one doing painting, and one working with the kids at vacation bible school. I was suppose to be doing vacation bible school at the orphange but they pulled me away to help with painting. At 1st I was a bit dissapointed, but ended up enjoying the project. The kids were everywhere so I still got to connect with many of them. In the afternoon we went into the center of town to do a VBS for the children of the town. On day one this was really fun because we got to know tonz of kids in town. They were all so eager to hold your hand or for you just to look them in the eyes and say hello. Some begged but many just wanted to be near you. After this we went back to the orphanage and split up into work groups. My group went into town to buy grain, mattresses, paint, etc. We had 4 translators with our group that we all became very good friends with. They were vital in our negotiations in town. We could not have done what we did without without them.

One day 2, we started out as usual, we spent the morning at the orphanage then the early afternoon began VBS in the center of town. But, as some of our group began a skit they had prepared, this local man jumped up on stage and demanded that we stop. He said we are not allowed to be there and that we must stop. We were all taken aback and some of our group thought it was joke. We were a little un-nerved because our busses had left to take people to run errands. There were about 40 of us and 300 townspeople. Some of the men were gathering closer and closer and it was very intimidating. Some women were walking up to the kids whose hand we were holding and hitting them and yelling at them for associating with us. Our leaders were hollering for us to get on the busses as soon as they showed up. We all got on (there were 2 busses) and were pretty much stuck there surrounded by locals with a big group yelling and arguing with our translators. Then the police showed up and loaded our translators onto their truck and led all of us to the police station. When we arrived they all of us in the busses out front and brought our translators and leaders into the station. We sat out there for about an hour and many people were breaking down. We were all very nervous having no idea what was going to happen. Even some of our translators that were outside with us were shaken up. We asked if they were "ok" and they just looked at the ground with tears in their eyes. They were fearing for their lives because some of them lived there in Axum. Finally our leaders came out and said we are ok to go, but that we can not do anymore VBS in the streets. That is when we found out that the high priest is in charge of the town. We went back to the orphanage afterwards and did some more work but things seemed very unsettled. Meanwhile the police/church pulled in our translators, the head of the orphanage, and anyone who had been associated with us and interrogated them. Some of the kids that had been running around with us were beaten by the police. One of our translators fathers disowned him. And eventually, at the end of the week, the Director of the Oprhanange was fired and all our supplies we left with them were taken by the church.

On day 3 we were told by the church that we could NOT leave our hotel. We were quaretined until noon. Our leaders wanted to get us out of there so they sent one of our translators to the airport to see if they could get us on a plane out asap. We all went back to our rooms to pack and then a girl from our group came around knocking on all our doors telling us that the High Priest wanted to meet with us on his compound in 10 minutes. We had to grab our backpack and go. We had NO IDEA what this meant. His compound was surrouded by a huge gate and armed guards. We all filed in and were told to sit on these benches. Then he came out and sat with our leader on his left and our translator on his right. He proceeded to apologize for how we were treated and that we are ok to visit his town, tour his sites, and continue the repairs on the orphanage. But that we were not allowed to preach the Gospel in his town, that that is his duty. We were all extremely relieved that we safe at this point and that we were ok to go. We spent another few days working at the oprhange, were able to get mattresses and blankets for the kids, and paint their bedrooms and school room. The construction team built a huge woodrack for the cooks and a stone path that lead through the entire orphanage to keep the kids out of the mud. The photo at the top of this was from the day we had the mattresses delivered. The kids were SO excited.

What saddens us the most of the trip is what will happen to those associated with us in the wake of our visit. We have no idea the fate of our translators or some of the children that spent the most time with us. We also made some very dear friends with some local teenagers there, Solomon, 16 yrs and Tedros, 19 years. They both spoke English a bit and spent lots of time with us taking Celeste, Mr. Nevil and I on walks through the country side, showing us around town, etc. I even spent my birthday at Solomon's home. His mother made us coffee, popcorn and Injira, which is a local flatbread with a chili sauce and greens on it. Their "coffee ceremony" is a tradition in their culture and was amazing. They would roast their coffee beans from their raw, green state, then brew them with a little pot over a small camp type stove. They would also burn incence and lay green leaves on the floor. They gave me a beautiful scarf as a gift that I just love! Suprisingly, many of the kids in Axum have email addresses. They have access to computers at school and at internet cafes in town. We've already been in contact with many of those who we met. Gotta love that internet:) We also got to watch the opening cermonies of the Olympics while playing cards one night with our translators and Solomon. We saw Ethiopia parade around the stadium and everyone there cheered. Oh, on our way to Ethiopia, we ran into the Ethiopian Womens Sycronized Swimming Team at the airport on their way to Bejing. Very cool

It was very difficult on the last day to leave. We knew we would most likely never see these kids again and just hope that our influence and love toward them would be remembered.

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear, do not be frightened". But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ died for our sins once and for all, the righteous for the un righteous, to bring you to God. 1 Peter 3:13-17

Heading Out to Africa...

Well, I've gone to my last meeting, am packed, and ready to head off to Africa. With a single carry on stuffed with a few clothes and personal items, mosquito net, ipod, camera, candy for the children, LED lights for some of the homeless, bic pens..these are a huge commodity there, and my bible & journal, I feel tangibly prepared for my mission. At our meeting we spent an hour as a team packing 44 huge trunks full of supplies for our trip. The medical team is bringing everything needed for a triage station. We must have 500 pairs of flip flops. 9 trunks are filled with clothes, and the other trunks have various items to use for our VBS, Building & repair tools, eyeglass clinic supplies, etc. I just feel like we could/should take more, but I know that we are limited with what we can bring due to space & weight on the planes.
Our family is heading out tomorrow morning for the beach (Gulf Shores, Alabama) and I will depart for Africa the morning after we return. I use the term "morning" loosely as we are meeting at 4:00 AM to head to the airport. I also want to announce that ALL THE FUNDS HAVE BEEN RAISED for the mattresses...praise the LORD!!!! Thank you so much to everyone who has donate to the trip, for the mattresses, items to bring, etc. You are all such a blessing and I would not be going if it were not for you all.
The plans have changed once again, which they have at every meeting so far. We will not be taking 3 flights, but will be taking 4 FLIGHTS from Dallas to Axum, Ethiopa. Although the travel time, approx 3 days, looks daunting, I'm actually extrememly excited for the entire experience. I visited briefly with some of the other team members and got mixed emotions from them. We have such a wide range of ages & personalities going on the trip. There are a handful of people who have been on countless missions as well as many who have never been on a mission trip. Some are nervous, some anxious, but everyone had a smile on their face. I'm eager to get to know many of these people. To find out where they come from, what is bringing them on this trip, and then to see how God will use each of them on this trip.
I will do my best to keep everyone posted as the trip progresses. I know that I will be able to connect while in transit to and from Axum. But cannot gurantee any communication while I am in AXUM which will be 5 of the days. Please keep our team in your prayers...and please keep my family in your prayers. Specific Prayer Requests
1. For Humility while serving
2. For Travel Mercies
3. For strength of mind and body
4. For Unity within our group
5. That ALL of our actions and words honor HIM throughout the trip
6. For my sweet family who, without them, I would not be taking this adventure of a lifetime. I love you John, Colton, & Cassidy. Your love and support has enabled me to pack my bags and head 1/2 way around the world to spread HIS love to the nations. ....all my love.....Roz

$20.00 Per Mattress

18 Days to go and counting....We are all getting pumped, nervous, anxious, and excited as our trip date nears. Trying to prepare the family as well as myself for the trip has been quite a job. Thanks to family and friends the crew back home will be well taken care of. God has provided! As my last push before leaving, I am still a bit shy of my goal to be able to buy a mattress for every child in the orphange. The mattresses are $20.00 each and I will personally be there when we purchase and install them (which I am thrilled about). The children currently sleep on wood boards wrapped in blankets. They don't even know what it is like to sleep on a soft surface. What a simple luxury we take for granted. If you would like to donate a mattress or mulitple mattresses, please mail a check to the address to the right of this blog. I'll keep ya'll posted of our progress!
So many of you have donated to the trip and I can't thank you enough. I can't wait to "bring you along" on my trip to spread word of His glory. Thanks ya'll!!!!!

Planning is moving along...

So we were told last night that we are only 12 weeks out from our trip to Ethiopia...gulp! It's really coming up quickly. I've gotten about 1/2 my shots so far. I'm trying to balance getting as many as possible at my primary care doctor because Aetna will cover the cost, whew. So for all those shots that my doctor does not carry, I have to go to the local county travel clinic to get the rest (yellow fever, polio). My passport came in quickly and now all I need is a few more shots and I'm ready to roll! As for fundraising, I would like to thank all of you who have given donations, offered prayers, etc. It has been such a blessing to have you all in my life. As for where we stand now.....currently the only thing I am personally raising is money for mattresses. These are mattresses that we will be using to furnish the 90 bed orphanage. Currently the children sleep on a board wrapped in a blanket. I want to be able to give every child a mattress to sleep on. Originally they told us the mattresses would cost $5.00 each but our leaders just got back from Africa and found out the cost is now approximately $20.00 per each single mattress. So, my goal is to buy 90 to total $1,800. It would be amazing to be able to roll up to that orphanage in our truck loaded with a mattress for every child. They showed us photos of the orphanage at our meeting last night and it was heartbreaking. The facilites need much work, the walls are crumbling, and the bedrooms were large with rows and rows of beds with boards & blankets. What a comfort a mattress would be for these little guys. I've already raised $800 to go toward this. $100 of the donations raised so far has gone toward flip flops that we have already purchased. So I have $1,000 left to raise !!! One of the leaders told me I could ride to Addis with him to purchase the mattresses and help him deliver them to the children. It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. If you are interested in being part of this by donating, please see address to the right of this post. Thank you all and God Bless!
"Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds amoung all peoples" Psalm 96:3

Goal Met!

Praise the Lord! My fundraising goal has been met and I am convinced that God is eager to get me going on this trip. I want to thank everyone of you that has pledged, prayed, and sent out well wishes for my trip. Thank you thank you thank you!!!! I just feel so loved during this process!
I do have a new financial goal now of $1,000, and this is a personal goal to help my team in raising funds to purchase mattresses, flip flops, and eyeglasses. If you are still interested in supporting this trip, these needs are vital to the success of our mission. I will personally purchase hundreds of pairs of flip flops/crocs here in the US and will bring them to Ethiopia with me. There are many children there who have never had a pair of shoes. Many walk for 2-3 miles every morning, before sunrise, just to go fill 2 buckets of clean water from a local well. Doing this trip barefoot sounds unimaginable. I will also be buying eyeglasses in bulk from Sams Wholesale and Sam Moon. These will be all different prescriptions. Any remaining funds I want to use to purchase mattresses for the local street children who sleep on the floor of their homes. The mattresses are going to be purchased in Addis Abbaba, the capital of Ethiopia, by the men on our team when we arrive. Again, my goal for these items will be to raise an additional $1000. We are also welcoming any donations of flip flops, eyeglasses or even neosporin for the medical team. Thank you all so much for considering and please keep this trip in your prayers. If you have ANY questions I would love to talk to each of you as I am just PUMPED about this opportunity. Give me a shout at either rozalyn@rrileymedia.com or 214-683-9022.
In Him....Roz

1st Planning Meeting/ Trip Details

We had our overview meeting for our trip yesterday and I am just beaming with excitement for this experience. As for more details of the trip, some of us will evangelize through one on one conversations, going to door to door, through vacation bible school, street ministry to parentless children and caring for the widows of Axum. This is an extremely multi-faceted trip and out of 30 of us, people will be put onto a team that best fits their skills and passions for sharing Christ. Here are some of the team descriptions below....
Details:
1. We will disciple those who come to now Christ through evangelism; and we will equip those new believers with tools to share Christ with others.

2. We will also work on the orphanage (painting, doing electrical work, building a playground we will be purchasing in Addis, the capital, and fixing other areas that need repair).

3. A trauma surgeon from Parkland Hospital and 2 nurses will be joining our group to hold a free medical clinic in town for the locals. They are planning on people to show by foot from hours away just to attend this clinic. A dental clinic will be held as well and both of these clinics will be held each day until our supplies run out or each person that needs care receives it!

4. We will also hold VBS twice a day (morning and afternoon).

5. We will care for the Axum widows by buying grain from them, talking to them, visiting their homes, and sharing Christ with them.

6. We will do street ministry by visiting homes of street children who have suffered the loss of parents and will bring them mattresses, food, and fix up their homes if possible to make their lives a bit easier.

In packing for this trip, we will be bringing 2 large suitcases that we will be filling them with items needed for the people in Ethiopia. We will then carry our own personal items on a small carry on.
Here are some of the things we will be gathering (by donations) for the trip...
- Flip Flops/crocs (all sizes)
- Eyeglasses (any prescription, these can be purchased off the rack at Walmart,CVS or Walgreens)
- Hair Ties for the little girls (they love anything sparkly)
- Neosporin (this is a great need per the physician going on the trip)
- Lice Kits (available in the pharmacy section)
**If you are interested in donating ANY of the items above, let me know and I would be more than happy to swing by and pick them up from ya.

I am also still working to raise funds for the trip. I'm still needing to raise a little over $2,000. See the sidebar of this Blog for dontation address if interested.....thanks:)

I'll keep ya'll updated as the planning moves forward. Please pray for our group and that God prepares the hearts of those we will be witnessing to this Fall. Thanks for ALL your support!

Matthew 28:19“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”

ETHIOPIA 2008

Well all, 2008 had already started off as an amazing year and, with what is to come, I can't wait to spread the news. I've been convicted to travel the world to spread Gods love and Word to the nations. In August 2008 I will be going on my 1st international Mission Trip to Ethiopia in Africa. We will be loving on orphans and widows in the town of Axum. I've always had a place in my heart for Africa but never imagined I would have the opportunity to go. This year I have been inspired by some very special women in my life. In Jan 2008, a great friend of mine, Susan K., left her job as an Advertising Executive to travel the world on mission to Oman, Yemen, Ethiopia and India. Each week she has been sharing details of how God has wrapped his arms around her during this trip and led her to experiences she could never have imagined. In Feb of 2008, my sweet friend Jennifer went on a Mission Trip to Guatamala and came back spreading the news of her amazing trip. I was inspired by her renewed passion for Christ and how, in going to Guatamala, she was able to find a new spiritual perspective in her life; gaining more than she gave during her experience.
I then began wondering where God would lead me. As our church began their new mission minded initiative, they outlined 27 mission trips they were supporting for 2008. I looked into various trips, prayed about it, went to a few meetings, and shared my desire to go to Africa with friends. I found in these conversations that I had friends who had my same desire to go to Africa. My dear friend Celeste approached me with a trip she was considering to Ethiopia. During this same time I volunteered at the Step Into Africa exhibit at our church; a walk through exhibit showcasing the lives of 4 children affected by the AIDS pandemic in Africa. John and I were both extrememly moved and even decided to sponsor a little 6 year old boy, Mose, from Malawi in Africa. We're looking forward to receiving all the information on him so we as a family can communicate with, pray for, and support him.
But I digress.....during the Step Into Africa experience I KNEW I had to go to Africa this year. I could feel God convicting me. Celeste then went to the 1st meeting on the Ethiopia trip and filled me in, and it was a perfect fit. After talking it through with John, and getting his FULL support (which meant the world to me), and praying about it, I made the decision to jump in with 2 feet and go for it.

Pure and Undefiled religion before God is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble James 1:27

Mission Trip Details
We will be hosting a vacation bible school at an oprhanage in Axum in the morning and on the streets in the afternoon. We will also be supporting the orphanage by providing clothes, food, dental work, medical screenings, and eyeglasses. Others in our group will be doing construction work on the orphanage. We will also be visiting widows in the area purchasing grain and food from them to donate to the orphanage. Some men in our group will be traveling to a monastery to bless the priests and monks with new sandals, a dental clinic, new/used clothes, food, and eyeglasses. I am so excited to see how God chooses to use me on this trip. He is so faithful!

Now my next obstacle, besides getting a passport, shots, etc., will be fundraising for the trip. The entire trip will cost approximately $2,450, whew! If you feel led, I would greatly appreciate any donations to help in raising these funds. Please let me know if you feel led to help support this mission. Regardless, your prayers are always greatly appreciated!

Donations (check) payable to:
Rozalyn Payne

(on Memo line write : Rozalyn Payne/Ethiopia)

Mail to:
Rozalyn Payne

1806 Cross Point Rd.

McKinney, TX 75070

Please email or contact me with any questions or if you would like to hear more about my mission trip. Contact: 214-683-9022 cell or rozalyn@rrileymedia.com

Thanks all and God Bless!