Time & Talent: Beth Phoenix's Quilts

Excitement and anticipation for the annual Gems & Java event was met with disappointment for Beth Phoenix when social gathering restrictions put a halt to the traditional annual fundraiser. When the call went out to our volunteers to imagine new ways to raise funds for programs in Ethiopia, Beth pulled out her sewing machine and began quilting.

Beth showing off a Harry Potter quilt.

After she retired eight years ago, Beth welcomed the chance to get back into the craft. She has always loved  to quilt, believing herself to be a quilter at heart. The art of making quilt tops and then machine quilting them has been a challenge for Beth, but the gorgeous finished product motivates her to keep honing her skills. And skilled she is, indeed.

Beth’s husband sits on the Mothers with a Heart for Ethiopia board, and when the fundraising efforts of Gems & Java were threatened by COVID-19, he challenged his wife to use her skills to make something unique and beautiful to sell. Beth decided to donate two quilts with a Harry Potter theme. The Phoenix family has a deep a passion for all things Harry Potter. Wait until you see these quilts. They are amazing!

Beth, the magnificent quilter, tells us that “each of the quilts is machine pieced from 100% cotton fabric and they are both suitable for a double or single bed. The quilting was done on a longarm quilting machine so they are durable enough for frequent washings. Anyone who is a Harry Potter fan would love to add one of these quilts to their Harry Potter collection.”

Mothers with a Heart is near and dear to Beth’s heart and she has attended Gems & Java herself. Both Beth and her husband share a deep passion for our work funding programs to benefit women and children living in poverty in Ethiopia. Beth was excited to attend this year’s event and, like many of us, was saddened that the gathering had to be postponed. When news came out about the online auction, Beth knew it would be a great way to keep everyone involved as well as to raise much needed funds. 

We are anxious to see the excitement her Harry Potter quilts will generate!

Time & Talent: Jane Green's Baking

Jane Green loves to bake, and her friends and family love when she bakes, too.

When her church is raising funds for mission trips, people line up at the silent auction table just to get a bid in on Jane’s homemade pies. When she was first married, her aunt gave Jane a pastry cloth and a sock for her rolling pin, and that started her off. With a recipe for pastry handed down decades ago, Jane never worries if her pies will turn out well, and she has practiced and persevered through the years, making goodies that light up people’s eyes.

Her passion to support children and women, combined with her personal experiences in Ethiopia after three trips there with her daughter, Shelley, motivates Jane to use her home kitchen for a bake-to-order fundraiser. She has already raised $110 doing so. After all, there are people in Ethiopia who have held Jane’s hand, who have looked into her eyes. This is personal.  Jane knows that there are no social safety nets in Ethiopia like we have in Canada to keep people safe during a world pandemic. Food, shelter, medical care, all are in urgent need for people Jane knows and cares for.

It was hard to narrow down the selection of baked goods for friends and family who want to support her efforts, but Jane decided on these homemade offerings:

• Dinner Rolls (made with butter and milk), 6 for $6

• Gluten-free Relish (using a recipe handed down by her mother-in-law), 2 x 6 ounce jars for $10

• Pumpkin Pies (with her renowned pastry recipe), an 8-inch round pie for $15

So, now the word is out.  Friends and family of Jane Green have been challenged! Help this loving lady on her quest to raise some funds for Ethiopia. Give her a call, send her an email, or just give her a shout if you see her! Her kitchen is ready to fill your belly with yummy goodness! And, for the right price, she just might veer off the above list for special orders if you have one. If the price is right!!

Way to go, Jane Green.

Time & Talent: Jenne Todd's Retreat

Jenne Todd’s gift is to lead and guide women with positivity and passion.

She runs a personal coaching business, called Shift Collective, and describes herself as a “high performance business consultant for real (not perfect) women.” When social gatherings were restricted to protect the public during COVID-19, one would think that might put a damper on a business that specializes in “personal connection and community.” Not for Jenne. Like the title of her business implies, Jenne saw a chance to shift her coaching activities to online retreats.

The results have far exceeded her expectations. Rather than the experience becoming cold and isolating as she feared, it has created a place where women feel safe to open up and expose their hearts and truths. People feel supported and heard. And how cool is it that these experiences can now be an international gathering? People across the globe have been able to participate in these online retreats. Thank you COVID-19! One blessing Jenne didn’t see coming.

On Saturday, Sept. 26, from 9 until noon, Jenne is offering a retreat open to all women, with a focus on personal growth and goal setting. Her hope is to encourage people to release the idea that 2020 is “over” as far as reaching goals is concerned. Instead, her invitation to us all is to reflect, slow down, and get comfortable with changing targets, accepting failure and let-down in a positive way, and seeing the blessings that change has already brought us.

100% of the proceeds from this retreat will be donated to Mothers with a Heart for Ethiopia.

Jenne has been involved in Mothers with a Heart for Ethiopia almost since its inception. Her young daughter, Olivia, who has run many of her own fundraising activities for Mothers, has been a guest speaker at Gems & Java in the past, and has inspired many others along the way. As a parent, Jenne has a desire for her children to be able to recognize their good fortune in being born to the family and place in the world they belong to, and to use empathy and compassion when considering the hardships for many children that Mothers with a Heart for Ethiopia supports. Jenne’s personal mission work in Haiti, along with her confidence about how the funds raised by Mother’s with a Heart for Ethiopia are distributed for maximum impact motivate Jenne to support this worthy cause. “A mother has a difficult time imagining being in a position where she can not provide food, shelter and protection for her children,” Jenne said.

Compassion, drive, open heart, open mind. That’s how Jenne will lead others.

Click here to join Jenne Todd as she guides women through the challenges of staying positive and healthy when the world seems upside down.

Stay tuned for more profiles of volunteers who are offering their time and talent as part of our Gems & Java . . . Time & Talent Campaign.

Surgical Success Stories - Adise & Alane (#337 & #338)

Adise states that she’s 35 and had six children, all of whom are alive. She had very severe prolapse that she had suffered with for three years. She’s still married and everyone lives together. Her surgery went very smoothly and she’s been given a new lease on life. Thank you!

From Dr. Nate on June 2, 2020: “I know it’s been a troubling time for so many people. With the pandemic and now all of the racial issues and riots throughout America, it’s just a very heavy time for us all.  That’s why I think everyone will immediately smile when they see the picture of Alane today! She was SO excited to come in yesterday to be evaluated for her prolapse and to find that we could help her with surgery!! She is 65 (at least) and has six children. Her marital story is a little complicated by the fact that her husband has 4 other wives and she is the 5th. She has great joy in the children and grandchildren that God has blessed her with. She’s suffered from her prolapse for the past 1.5 years and is now prolapse free! She’s recovering and should be traveling back home on Thursday. As you can tell from her photo she is a beautiful fun woman!”

Surgical Success Stories - Amarech & Ukume (#335 & #336)

Amarech is 55 and married. Incredibly, she has given birth to 11 children and eight are still alive. She’s had her prolapse for one year.  You probably noticed the large skin tag that she has on her forehead. The doctors asked if she would like it removed during the surgery and she said, “Yes!”  So they were able to take care of that as well during the case and she is recovering and doing nicely!

Ukume is 65 years old. She is widowed and have given birth to 10 children, eight of whom are still alive. She’s had her prolapse for one year and it had become very severe. Her surgery went very smoothly and she’s now recovering and should be able to return to her family very soon.

Surgical Success Stories - Gurushe & Danite (#333 & 334)

This is Gurushe who is a 65-year-old widow. She’s had her prolapse for one year and it had become very severe over that time. She has four children and they are all still alive and doing well. She was so happy to have her prolapse finally corrected!

Danite had been experiencing her symptoms for about five months before she saw the doctors. She has six children and all of them are still alive as well. She is doing well after surgery - thank you for your support!

Surgical Success Stories - Desalech & Azabech (#331 & 332)

This is Desalech who is 45 years old. She’s married and gave birth to nine children, six of whom are still alive. She’s been suffering from her prolapse over the past three years and is now prolapse free!

The doctors had the privilege of operating on Azabech. She’s only 35 but had developed fairly severe prolapse over a short period of time. She actually came in accompanied by her husband which was wonderful, but somewhat unusual for the prolapse patients. If they have a husband he usually stays at home and works while he awaits her return. They have five children together and they are all alive and healthy. Thank you for helping Azabech!

Surgical Success Stories - Almaz & Tadelech (#329 & 330)

Almaz is 50 years old. She is widowed and lives with one of her four living children after having given birth to seven. She also had severe prolapse that she’s had for two years and is now prolapse free!

Tadelech is 45 years of age. She came from a little further away than some of the other patients and arrived with her daughter who was able to translate into her tribal language. She has six children and they are all still living. She lives with her husband as well as some of the children. Even though she only noticed her prolapse 8 months ago, it became extremely severe in that short course of time. As of this afternoon she is prolapse free and a changed woman!

Surgical Success Stories - Sirate, Azalech & Kebebush (#326 to #328)

Sirate is 50 years old. She gave birth to nine children and they are all still alive. She has had her prolapse for one year and today is prolapse free and recovering!

Azalech, who is 40 year old, had suffered from her prolapse for the last three years. She has seven children and all of them are still living. She did extremely well in surgery and is now resting and recovering.

This is Kebebush and she thinks that she is 40 years old. She had six children and five are still alive. She’s married but she has been estranged from her husband for a long time. She had very severe prolapse that she’s had for a year and she is now prolapse free by the grace of God and your generous support and help.

The remarkable life of Tesfa Alebachew

When we opened the metal gate and walked into the shelter in Harar, Ethiopia, we were in awe.

Vibrant pink, blue and green-painted walls, rows of cute planted pots, and meticulous grounds. It’s home to dozens of children who have nowhere else to go or no one able to take care of them.

And all of it stems from one man, a guy who lived a hard life, and had a vision to make sure kids like him could travel a better path.

“I lived on the street from age seven to 17. That’s why I established this organization,” Tesfa told us. And he was more than willing to share.

“If my story could help others, that would make me so happy. I am not ashamed of the life I have lived.”

Tesfa works just one week of every month, selling items in Djibouti, a big trading hub in East Africa. The rest of the time, he’s at the shelter in Harar, keeping it running, caring for the children, and ensuring their needs are met.

He isn’t paid for any of that work. He’s dedicated his life to it anyway.

There are 90 children in his care.

“I am with them until the end of their success,” Tesfa told us. “Some who don’t have family think of me as their father. I am with them to the end - they may even need a grandfather,” he said with a smile.

He’s turned personal heartbreak and tragedy into something beautiful.

When Tesfa was a young boy, his mother died. His father had left years before, and he had no other family to look after him. He ended up living on the street, selling khat (pronounced chat) to businessmen and asking if they had any work for him.

Khat is a plant that’s chewed or brewed into tea so people can experience its high, which is similar to amphetamines. It’s been used spiritually and socially for many, many years and is sold at busy, bustling markets, largely in east Africa.

“Street life is very difficult,” Tesfa said. He honed his communciation skills by talking to people and looking for odd jobs.

And his inner determination was never dimmed. Even while homeless, Tesfa was volunteering and raising money to help fellow street children. His goal was often to buy schoolbooks.

At one point, he ended up in jail, after a raid to clear out all the children and folks living on the street. He told us how he pleaded with the guards for a break to write his Grade 8 exam, a three-day affair that can help determine a child’s future.

“I was granted a reprieve to take the exam, and then went back to prison. That’s how life is on the street,” he told us.

Later in life, when he was a teenager, Tesfa’s father found him. He was a wealthy man who had other children. Living with his dad didn’t go well, Tesfa said. They couldn’t relate to one another after so many years apart.

“I was hurting psychologically. They didn’t really accept me as their own.”

He was hesitant to go back to the streets, especially because others there knew of his newfound family money. Instead, he moved out on his own to chart his own path. He built his own kind of family.

The shelter is more than just a place to stay. It’s beautiful, it’s safe, it’s homey. And Tesfa has built an incredible network, convincing local merchants, business owners and townspeople to contribute to his project.

Most can’t offer money, but they give services - a barber cuts the boys’ hair, a hotel offers up leftover food. That in-kind donation is almost unheard of in Ethiopia. We were absolutely amazed by Tesfa’s system.

The global pandemic rocked the shelter, though, as it did many non-profits and social projects. Tesfa’s community support simply dried up. Everyone was scared to contract the virus, and many local people lost their source of income.

He reached out to Mothers with a Heart for Ethiopia, currenlty the shelter’s only international supporter, for help.

You responded.

Tesfa sent videos of thanks when the donations started flowing, showing off the food and cleaning supplies donors helped to purchase.

The kids were overjoyed.

These are children who have been through unimaginable trauma, just like Tesfa. They’ve slept in doorways, been beaten by shopowners, robbed of what little they have, and lived in fear of government officials and police and people on the street who are bigger and stronger and also fighting for survival.

Tesfa, even when he was a homeless 10-year-old, was a leader. He helped his friends on the street to stay engaged and seek an education. Some graduated university thanks to his help.

Now, he’s ensuring that hundreds of vulnerable children don’t have to go through the same struggles he did.

And more than just providing clothing or food or a roof overhead, he’s built a home.

“If the 90 children are going to succeed, we have to be a family. If one is sck or in trouble, the 90 will contribute their skills to help,” he said.

We are so inspired by Tesfa’s work, and the amazing gifts he offers these children. Thank you, Tesfa, for sharing your life journey with us and reminding us of the good in the world.