Day 72: Eyob and Mahder roller skating for the first time.

Day 71: Tariku, Yohannes, Bereket and Detcho sporting their new hats and gloves.

Day 70: We made sure to celebrate Christmas with a little bit of Honduran Christmas tradition...fireworks!

Day 69: Auntie Cots reading one of our favorite Christmas books for the choir...The Tale of the Three Trees.

Day 68: Bereket feeding Uncle John (Christa Hahn's father) a Christmas Cookie...Ethiopian style.

Day 67: Super heros and princesses.

...their devotion to the Lord...

In April of 2011, Covenant Bible Church had the honor and privilege of hosting the His Little Feet Children’s Choir. As it turns out, this was the blessing of a lifetime and one of the highlights of our church calendar for this past year.

His Little Feet is a ministry organization that brings orphaned and vulnerable children on tour in the United States to raise awareness of the plight of children in poverty-stricken countries.

The group that we were blessed to have minister at our church was a group of children from an orphanage in Ouanaminthe, Haiti. The orphanage they are a part of is called Danita’s Children. This particular group was a group that was near and dear to our heart, since our church has been sponsoring kids from that orphanage for the past seven years.

I was personally very excited about these particular children since I had been to visit them on a few occasions in Haiti. I was excited for them and for our church for a number of reasons.

For one, I was excited to see the kids that I have built relationships with over the past few years and for them to get to meet the people of our church who had loved them from a distance for some time.

Beyond that, I was excited to see them get to come and visit our wonderful country. Most of these orphans have lived in absolute poverty all their lives. I thought it would be such a blessing for them to get to visit here and see all that we have to be grateful for.

While these things were great reasons for them to get to come here, it was not at all what I remember most about those few days that they were here. The thing that moved me the most about the children was their devotion to the Lord as they ministered to our church and community.

I have never met children of their age with the kind of focus they had. We had 15 kids ranging from about 7 to 18. As it turns out, the thing that mattered most to them was not to see all the “stuff” that we had to offer. What excited them the most was to share with us the great thing that they had in them.

This great thing that I speak of is their personal and very real relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Those kids worshipped with a passion that I rarely see in young or old in this country. They moved us and inspired us beyond belief. They challenged something deep within us all to care for others, each other, and our lost and dying world.

Even as I write this down some five months after the fact, I am moved to tears. I am very grateful for the ministry of the kids from Haiti and to His Little Feet for the sacrifice they all made to make this ministry possible. My life was changed that Sunday morning, and I will be forever thankful for the gift God gave us through their ministry.

Pastor Mike Devine
Covenant Bible Church
Lincolnton, NC

His Little Feet is so grateful to have wonderful partners like Pastor Mike who join with us in helping, loving, and training orphaned and vulnerable children worldwide!

Day 66: Christmas Morning at the Hahn's.

Day 65: Making little feet cookies for Santa.

Day 64: Brunch with Uncle Stan and Auntie Sara. Thank you for a beautiful morning together!

Day 63: Stringing popcorn and cranberries for the Christmas tree.

Day 62: Thank you Longmont Clinic, Dr. McCarty and the entire medical team who serve, love and care for the HLF children and staff.

Day 61: We cry out oh Lord for the children in need...every step of the way...oh Lord we pray...that we would be Your little feet.

Day 60: Detcho loves to give kisses. Here he is trying to give kisses to a goat at the Christmas tree farm.

Best Sticker Prize Ever

His Little Feet has a tradition that stems back to the beginning days of the ministry. All of the Uncles and Aunties are always looking for positive behavior in the children.  When noticed, the adult brings great attention to the child’s good choice and a sticker is given on the “You’re a Ten” sticker chart in the bus.

At the end of each week, any children that have received 10 stickers then get to reach into the prize bag and pull out a prize. Prizes for “You’re a Ten” range from getting to choose which seat on the bus one would like to sit in for a day, all the way to getting to stay with Uncle Mikey and Auntie Christa in the hotel for one night.

This has raised quite a bit of excitement in the overall group, as the children are striving to be more like Jesus and have come up with actions, words, and deeds that are bringing great results on the “You’re a Ten” chart.  The children have learned how to say “please” and “thank you.” They have learned how to share with one another, how to allow others to go first and how to encourage their friends.

One night as Auntie Kourtney was “tucking” Eyob and Yohannes into bed, Yohannes brought up “You’re A Ten.” Rather than telling Auntie why he should get a sticker, he proceeded to give reasons why his big brother should be rewarded in this way.

After Yohannes had listed off some of Eyob’s outstanding good deeds, Auntie Kourtney decided to turn the tables a bit and asked Eyob why Yohannes should get stickers. Eyob listed off some reasons for Yohannes to be rewarded.

After they finished, they laughed and said, “Auntie Kourtney, you should get TEN stickers!”

Auntie Kourtney asked, “For what?”

The boys started listing off reasons for Auntie Kourtney to receive stickers: “Because you always help us get ready in the morning…because you say yes to us when we need help…because you always are so kind to everyone around you…because you show Jesus to others by the way you love them.”

After the boys told Auntie Kourtney why she should get stickers, they went on to tell her what her gifts should be. 

Yohannes first said, “A bicycle.”

Eyob decided that he would come up with a better gift: “A Spiderman costume.”

Auntie Kourtney, highly amused, looked at Eyob and said “What would I do with a Spiderman costume?”

In a rather matter-of-fact way, Eyob said, “You should just wear the Spiderman costume for fun.”

Yohannes then tried to think of a better gift than Eyob: “How about a Four Wheeler?”

Then before Eyob could “one-up” his brother, Yohannes came up with the best gift he could think of. He put his sweet little hands to his chest and extended his palms up as if offering a gift from his heart to Auntie Kourtney.  He simply said “I would give you God's Spirit!”

Eyob decided that he had no better gift to give. With Yohannes’ deep chuckle and Eyob’s bright smile, the conversation ended.

WHAT A GIFT!  May we all remember that the best prize of all is to receive Jesus!  This Christmas may we all remember that the best gift to give others is JESUS!

Day 59: Gracia, Auntie Cinthia and Mahder having fun in the snow...priceless!

Day 58: Uncle Ben sharing his testimony in the concert...powerful and unforgettable! We praise God for all He is doing in and through Uncle Ben.

Day 57: Arrived home today to Windsor, CO...ready to celebrate Christmas in CO!

Day 56: Amelework and Tsion painting Zaira's fingernails. Zaira loved her time hanging out with the girls and having her nails pampered by her new friends. Nail color choice of the day...pink polish with purple sparkles...adorable!

Day 55: His Little Feet Christmas Socks. Today we celebrated Christmas in Nebraska at Uncle Dick and Auntie Jane's House (Mike Hahn's parents). As always, Christmas socks were the first gift to open. Thank you Uncle Dick and Auntie Jane for an incredible time in NE. We love you!

Day 54: Detcho, Yohannes, Yabsira, Edwin and Eyob discussing Christmas time in NE. If you were in the middle of this conversation you would hear a little Amharic, a little Spanish and a little English...priceless!

Hearts for the Lord - Host Home Reflections from Uncle Ed

"I had never heard of His Little Feet until a week before we had a couple of His Little Feet kids stay with us.  A friend of mine who had just adopted a little boy from Rwanda let me know that some kids from a kids' choir made up of primarily orphans needed a place to stay while in Nashville recording and preparing for a tour. 

I was completely humbled to have Amelework from Ethiopia, and Gracia from Honduras stay with us along with their staff member, Brooke.  These two little girls were just precious and clearly had hearts for the Lord. These girls had only been in America a couple of weeks and literally knew very little English, but they were so vibrant and it was a joy to communicate through signs and most of all to sing together at night as music just has the ability to transcend the language barrier. 

It was amazing to me that these little girls were working hard all day in the studio then had the stamina to interact with us at night. 

We were blessed to spend an evening with Mike and Christa (Hahn) and it became so clear why God has His hands on His Little Feet - this couple is all about serving Him and taking the Word seriously by putting into action the call to care for orphans on a deep level. I praise God for their commitment to excellent music, but most of all for their clear love for Jesus and these amazing children."

Uncle Ed

Host Home (TN)

Note from His Little Feet: Thank you Uncle Ed, Auntie Carrie and family for blessing our team!  We look forward to seeing you next time we are in town!  Amelework, Gracia and Auntie Brooke send their love and greetings.  Merry Christmas!  

Day 53: Auntie Carrie and Tsion

Day 52: Happy Birthday Amelework!

Day 51: Happy Birthday Yohannes!

Day 50: St. Nicholas and the children.

Day 49: The Uncles of HLF 2011-2012: Uncle Aaron, Uncle Ben, Uncle Mikey and Uncle Drew. Thank you for daily loving, leading and being an example of Jesus Christ to the HLF children. You are all truly fathers to the fatherless.

Day 48: Uncle Drew and Yohannes at Lake Michigan.

Day 47: It's official: His Little Feet has a Christmas tree, freshly cut from Dutchman Tree Farm in Lake City, MI. The tree is wrapped, boxed into an 8 foot box and in the HLF trailer, destined for a Colorado Christmas. Thank you Uncle Aaron, Detcho and Nahagi for picking out a beautiful tree!

Day 46: We are so grateful for all the people who have hosted the HLF choir this past month. Here is a peak into a host house, as the father leads his family and a few of the HLF girls in a time of worship and prayer before bedtime.

Smiles from God

Auntie Carrie is one of the wonderful His Little Feet Road Staff on tour with the choir, working all hours of the day and night to serve the Lord and care for these precious children. She shares below about two of the girls and what it means to her to be involved in the mission of His Little Feet. 

I have the privilege of being Auntie to very precious Ethiopian girls, Tsion (11), and Mahder (10), during this leg of our tour. Very similar to being a parent, there have been challenges and hard days as well as victories and the sweetest moments. We have made some precious memories together, and they always keep me laughing. I want to share some fun and touching stories about these endearing little girls and our experiences in our host homes...things that make me feel the warm smile of God upon us. 

In Ethiopia, most dogs are wild, mean, and something to be avoided, and so the girls are naturally very scared of them.  Here, it is impossible to avoid dogs altogether, as most homes in America have pets.  We are working on overcoming that fear, and I think it is going to take awhile. At one host home the girls came down for breakfast after the dogs had gone to the basement. But the Great Dane somehow got out and started barking. I have never seen the girls move that fast! Screaming at the top of their lungs, Tsion climbed on top of the dining room table, spilling her orange juice all over, and Mahder ran and jumped on a chair before climbing me like a monkey!  Though their fear is quite real and not something to be taken lightly, I couldn’t help but laugh!

Tsion is a very energetic, honest, outspoken young lady who knows how to express herself. She also has a big heart, and is very empathetic to those who are sad or hurting. She will notice when I am in more of a sober mood, tired, or not feeling well. One time she told me frankly that I looked very tired and that I should go to bed. She assured me that she and Mahder would be fine without me, that they would finish getting ready for bed by themselves and I could go to bed before they did. Also, when someone is not feeling well, she will pray for them. One time I had a headache and she put her hand on my head and prayed, and another time she did the same when I had a stomachache. She loves people deeply, and has a very sensitive spirit.

Mahder loves order and routine, and will do things the right way even if it means disregarding time restraints!  Her suitcase is always perfectly neat and organized, and if it is becoming messy she will take everything out and meticulously fold each piece of clothing and put it in its proper place. It is so fun to watch her do this. Also, she will not eat until we pray for our meal. If I forget to pray at breakfast, she will say “Auntie Carrie, pray?”  Often she and I will come down first to eat because Tsion has beautiful, thick hair that takes more time to fix. But even if Mahder has her food ready, she will wait for Tsion so we can all pray and eat together.

The children did not understand what Thanksgiving was, and it took quite a bit of explaining, word pictures, and examples to get the point across. After some confused looks, finally Tsion said, “It’s ‘Thank You God’ Day!”  She expressed it so simply, but that’s exactly what it is. Lord, give me the simplicity and faith of a child!

These two girls are special, but so is every child. The children of His Little Feet represent the millions of children all over the world just like them, with unique personalities, thoughts, emotions, and dreams. Many of these children do not have someone to love them, hug and comfort them, or someone with whom they can share their thoughts or tell their dreams, not to mention someone to provide for their basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter. Each one of these children is precious in the sight of God. Look at these children with God’s eyes, and respond how He would. They are His children. We are His hands and feet.

Day 45: Javier singing his solo this morning in Saginaw, MI. He lights up when he sings praises to the Lord!

Day 44: Bereket just taking it all in! He laid in the snow for quite sometime just swooshing his arms and legs back and forth.

Day 43: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! First day ever, in the children's lives, to play in the snow...they loved every minute of it! (Yabsira, Jesus, Yohannes and Detcho)

Day 42: Yabsira, Yohannes and Eyob...drumming to the choir closing song "Reaching For You!"

Day 41: "And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us?" from "Our God." Tonight was a powerful night of worship in Franklin, PA!

Day 40: Yohannes, Edwin and Tariku...becoming great buddies...and they don't even speak the same language! So special to see the Lord mending the children's lives together for His kingdom and His glory!

With a Thankful Heart

When recently asked what they are thankful for, the His Little Feet choir children had many ready replies. One said, “I’m thankful for Jesus dying on the cross.” Another said, “I’m thankful to come to America.” Still another replied, “I’m thankful to have food for eat.”

Their responses may seem typical to the ears of most Americans around this holiday, but there is a deeper weight to these children’s gratitude. This thankfulness comes from a different place because most of these children have been without food to eat, clothes to wear, or adults to watch over them. They can literally say, “Thank You!” to the Lord out of sincere hearts because they remember the faithfulness of God, even when they did not see His material blessings.

Some of the most precious times the HLF staff has with the children are at night when they are being tucked into bed. The staff will always have a devotional or prayer time with the children before they go to sleep, and this often brings about questions and sweet, meaningful conversations. These touching stories are called “Tuck-In Testimonies”, and Uncle Aaron briefly shares one below:

The night before Thanksgiving, the boys were in bed and asking me about our plans for the following day. Their questions led into a 45-minute game of charades of me trying to explain what Thanksgiving was about and why we do it. (Since the boys are still learning English, a game of charades at night attempting to explain the next day’s activities is not uncommon.)

The day before I was reflecting on all that the Lord has blessed us with in our lives. I was led to share a bit of this to the boys, mostly reminding them of what the Lord has done, even just to bring them here to the United States. They seemed to really be moved by the realization of what our Heavenly Father’s nature is. Only by the grace of God were they able to understand my feeble attempt at communicating why these blessings are given to us: for the sake of our King and for the furthering of the Kingdom. The boys’ demeanor changed to one of great joy and thankfulness in the little things. My prayer is that we will not forget our Lord for even a moment as we travel and worship our Heavenly Father.

I was reminded of the following verses:

When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you--a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant--then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.  Deuteronomy 6:10-13 (NIV)

As we enjoy God’s love and the richness of His blessings on our lives during this Christmas season, may we remember the Lord at all times, for it is truly from Him that all good things flow!

Day 39: Praising the Lord for all His Little Feet!

Day 38: Auntie Christa and Yohannes from Ethiopia. Yohannes is an awesome kiddo. He is loving, helpful to others, loves to laugh and is full of curiosity. This year he is sharing his choir adventure with his brother Eyob.

Day 37: Uncle Mikey and Edwin with the Blue Ridge Mountains behind them.

JUST RELEASED...Footsteps Magazine - Fall 2011. Please enjoy and share with others!

Footsteps Magazine - Fall 2011 - Issue 004

A publication of His Little Feet. 

Day 36: Looks like York, PA is not only hosting His Little Feet, but also super hero Yabsira and super hero Jesus!

Day 35: Happy Thanksgiving from His Little Feet! Thank you to all of the Roanoke, VA families that hosted the team and celebrated Thanksgiving with us all! Great memories!

Day 34: Meet Jesus from Honduras!

Day 33: Yabsira, Amelework, Nahagi, Edwin and Mahder...what a bunch of incredible kiddos!!

Life in You!

“Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” - John 1:3-5

Recently, the His Little Feet children’s choir studied John 1:3-5. Now, it is one thing to teach children a passage of Scripture in a devotional setting, but it is always quite moving when the Lord chooses to take that exact Scripture that has been studied and reveal its truth in our daily lives. When this happens, it enunciates His heart and desire for us to take His Word and be exactly what He has called us to be to the world.

About an hour after the devotional had been given on John 1:3-5, the team was driving in the bus and came across a homeless man selling newspapers on the side of the road. He was selling newspapers as a way to bring in a small income in order to get back on his feet. It just so happened that Mike and Christa Hahn, Founders and Directors of His Little Feet, have a dear friend that works for this same newspaper company.

The Hahn’s decided to buy a newspaper from the man, as well as ask the man to greet their dear friend back at the newspaper headquarters, later that day.

Uncle Mikey motioned the homeless man to approach the bus as Mike handed him money for a newspaper. Uncle Mikey said, “Hey there!  How are you? By any chance do you know a tall 6-foot-10 man named Andy that works at the newspaper?” 

At first the homeless man didn’t seem to know who Andy was. Then Uncle Mikey said, “Andy…the real tall man that works at the newspaper?” Finally, a big smile came across on his face as he said, “I do. Andy? Yes, he works at the newspaper.”

Uncle Mikey shared, “Andy is our friend. Would you be willing to do us a big favor? When you check back in today at the newspaper office, make sure to tell Andy hello from Mike and Christa.”

The homeless man joyfully said, “Oh yes, I sure will, no problem!”

As he walked away from the bus, Uncle Mikey said, “Have a good day!”

As the traffic light turned green and the bus started to move forward, the homeless man turned back around and knocked on the bus window. Uncle Mikey rolled the window back down and said, “Yes?”

All of the children leaned in to listen and watch. The homeless man said these words to Uncle Mikey: “Man! You got some life in you! There aren’t many people that smile and talk to me, but there’s something different about your life! You are just shining!”

With a grateful smile, Uncle Mikey responded, “Well, praise God! We just want to encourage you today in the Lord. It was so good to talk to you!”

The children and staff saw and heard the entire interaction. Then, as the bus pulled away, Uncle Mikey asked, “Did you hear what that man just said?" The children sat in their seats stunned. Uncle Mikey said, “The homeless man said I had 'life in me'!  Whose life did the homeless man see?  My life or the life of Jesus?”  The children all shouted in reply, “JESUS!”

On the very morning we studied the Scripture out of John that says, “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men,” the children were able to see a real, living example of what it means to be Christ to this world…to shine His life and light to others!

The words of the homeless man reminded us all how God’s life shines out of us to others! On this day, the reminder came on the side of the road on an off-ramp in Nashville, Tennessee.

Day 32: Happy Birthday Mahder, Nahagi and Gracia!

Day 31: Thank You Central Christian for an amazing weekend of worship! We love you! - His Little Feet kiddos and staff

Day 30: Uncle Aaron, Uncle Drew and Uncle Ben with the boys, playing secret agent in the hotel hallways (this makes being quiet in the hotel fun!)

Day 29: The team flew from Knoxville to Las Vegas today. Auntie Kourtney had two sleepy girls for most of the plane ride.

Day 28: After the concert last night, this little girl's mom told us that the little girl refused to go home until she could pray for Gracia. This is a picture of the little girl praying a blessing over Gracia's life.

Day 27: One year and a day ago, the first ever His Little Feet Children's Choir arrived from Haiti. As we celebrate the new little lives we now have with us in the choir from Ethiopia and Honduras, we also rejoice and celebrate the precious lives of the 15 children from Haiti. We miss them and love them so much! Please join us in praying for Haiti today!

Day 26: We found Gracia and Mahder giggling under the hand dryer in the restroom today. They loved the warm air blowing on their hair.

Day 25: Yohannes, Eyob and Auntie Kourtney out for a Golf Cart ride in South Carolina on their Monday day off...good times!!

True Worship

Eight-year-old Dianelie, one the 2010-2011 His Little Feet Children’s Choir members from Haiti, shares below some of her reflections from her time spent in the United States:

“I was excited to meet new people when I came to America. At host homes I got to go roller skating and there was lots of toys and lots of games. All the host families were nice to me.

My favorite songs in the concert were ‘Today is the Day’, ‘His Little Feet’ ... oh, all of them! They were all my favorite ones because I was praising God when I sang them! My favorite place I went in America was Disneyland because it has fast rides. My favorite state was Nebraska because it is beautiful and I liked it.

I wanted to come to America to make all of the people know Jesus and to sing for Him.”

Dianelie’s simple yet profound statements about worship should cause us to think about the real meaning of the Biblical concept and whether it is present in our daily lives. When we hear the words “worship” or “praise”, thoughts of congregational choruses and ancient hymns often come to mind. We easily forget that songs are just a small part of the meaning of worship; better said, songs are an avenue to worship.

One New Testament dictionary describes worship this way:

“It is not confined to praise; broadly it may be regarded as the direct acknowledgement to God, of His nature, attributes, ways and claims, whether by the outgoing of the heart in praise and thanksgiving or by deed done in such acknowledgment.”(1)

John 4:23-24 (NIV) says, “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

A Biblical encyclopedia looks into these verses further:

“The texts cited also make of worship something far deeper than the human emotion or surrender of will; it is the response of God’s Spirit in us to that Spirit in Him, whereby we answer ‘Abba, Father,’ deep calling unto deep. Its object is...the loving attempt to pay our unpayable debt of love, the expression of devoted hearts...” (2)

What an amazing sight to see and experience the children grasp true worship to God, with their simple child-like faith. Dianelie and all His Little Feet Children’s Choir members are taught that worshipping God does not just happen when they are singing praises to Him on the platform, but in every aspect and moment of their lives, through their thoughts, words, and actions. People are constantly seeing a picture of Jesus through their smiles, humility, and genuine care for others.

How thankful we are to be impacted by the His Little Feet children’s pure worship of our Lord!

Jesus, we ask that You would guide the His Little Feet children in true worship of Your holy name, and show us all more of what it means to honor You in every moment of every day.

----------------------


(1) Vine, W. E. "Worship (Verb and Noun), Worshiping", Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. Blue Letter Bible. 1940. 24 June, 1996 14 Nov 2011. 


(2) Crannell, Philip Wendell. "Worship", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia. Edited by James Orr. Blue Letter Bible. 1913. 5 May 2003 14 Nov 2011.

Day 24: Prayer huddle with Uncle Aaron and the boys this morning before the service.