Excitement fills the air as we anticipate ringing in 2018. The coming of the new year is also a time to reflect on all that God has done in 2017. Join us as we celebrate all the good that has happened in Ethiopia this past year and as we eagerly look forward to what God has in store for the Mossy Foot Project ministry in 2018.
As we look back over the past year, God’s gracious hand is evident in so many ways. One huge answer to prayer was being able to import 25,000 pairs of children’s shoes from Samaritan’s Feet duty free. Our director, Zebdewos, put in many long hours and trips to government offices in the capital to bring about this success. Many children in patient families have already received shoes and we will continue to distribute them throughout the next two years.
Here, Daniel, one of the clinic staff, helps find the right shoe size for a small child during a shoe distribution.
Another way we have seen God work is through our dedicated Ethiopian staff who have served so faithfully. Most of them voluntarily sponsored several patients, buying treatment supplies for them until their feet were in good condition. When the patients graduated from the program, the sponsors attended their graduations to meet and encourage them.
Healed patients are highly encouraged to give back, since they have received so much: feet in good condition, the ability to be self-supporting, and acceptance in the community. Former patients who received vocational training now give back by training others. Recently, a group of twenty-five young people between the ages of 18 and 25 graduated, receiving certificates in hairdressing and barber work.
In addition to providing regular training for our Mossy Foot Project staff, we also conducted training for government officials and government health care workers about mossy foot disease. We are excited that the government has given us a letter letting us work in five new, unreached areas outside of the Wolaita region, where our 16 clinics are located. Our plan is to have mobile clinic visits to these areas so that we can treat patients and share the good news of eternal hope.
As we anticipate the New Year, our hearts are full of gratitude for our dear friends and partners, who join us in transforming the lives of those suffering from mossy foot disease. Here Mossy Foot Project Staff great you with thankful hearts.
