Fifteen-year-old Mery knows what it’s like to live without hope. She lives with her mom, her three sisters, and her nephew in a small, government-owned house in a poor, urban community in Debre Berhan, Ethiopia. With only temporary jobs to be found, their income was unstable. Mery’s family depended on the help of others to meet most of their daily needs. They would beg local shops for food and pay when they were able. On a good day, Mery and her family would share one meal together.
Other times, they wouldn’t eat for days. Forced to wear the same clothes each day because they had no other options, Mery and her sisters were made to feel inferior by their classmates at school. For Mery’s family, years of labor abuse and exploitation taught them that hard work didn’t make a difference. It was easier to be dependent on others than try to improve their situation. Hope merely led to disappointment. When Pastor Nigussie Tamiru of Tebase Addis Kidan Baptist Church met Mery and her family, their suffering and malnutrition was apparent. He began to visit the family with weekly deliveries of food.
Over the weeks that followed, Pastor Nigussie ministered to Mery and her family, sharing with them about the gospel and Jesus’ love for them.
With the deliveries provided by your gifts, Mery’s family can think about things other than where their next meal will come from. Mery and her sisters have new clothes to wear to school. Their mother has new cooking utensils. Mery’s family is no longer looked down upon in their community, and Mery no longer feels inferior. She listens each week as the pastor comes to her house and talks about Jesus. The idea of a God who loves her is still a foreign concept, and she wants to know more.
With the simple gift of food and a message of hope, Mery’s family was given a second chance. Mery’s mother no longer has to beg for food for her children. She no longer has to rely on temporary employment. Thanks to a small loan from the church, Mery’s mother was able to start her own small business. Within a few months, she already began to repay the loan with her profits.
Thanks to the support of people like you, families like Mery’s are able to experience hope.