Sea World

Today the His Little Feet team went to Sea World.  The children absolutely loved their time at the park. They saw orca whales, dolphins, birds, sharks and more!

When Shamu jumped up out of the pool for the first time Detcho exclaimed, “Wow, God is amazing!”

All throughout the day, they would turn to the staff and say, “Did God make that too?” Every experience in the park unveiled more and more of God’s creation to the children. This special day will not long be forgotten.  

Everyone soaking wet but happy after the Shamu Show!

Ocean

The His Little Feet choir children have been extremely interested in whales, sharks and dolphins this tour. Up until just this week, the only way for the children to see the beautiful ocean creatures were to read books and watch movies about sea life.  But this week everything changed…the team finally made it to the Pacific Ocean for the children to experience the ocean first hand.

When Mahder stepped onto the beach sand for the first time, she exclaimed, “Delicious!”

When Javier saw the whale spout far off in the distance, he said, “Seeing the whale was the one thing I wanted to see and I see it!” 

When Bereket saw a dolphin swim past, he yelled out “DOLPHIN!! I SEE DOLPHIN!!!”

Tariku explained to his host home that surfing was like roller skating on the water.

Tsion said she that when she touched the water she could feel God’s power in the waves.

The children were not so fond of the seagulls due to the fact that while everyone was playing in the waves, the seagulls swooped down and ate half of the sack lunches the team had brought. Every child wanted to be buried from their shoulders to their toes in the sand.

And, Yohannes wanted to know how many days it would take to swim to China from the California beach.

Great memories at the beach!

Disneyland

Recently the His Little Feet team visited Disneyland. What an incredible day of fun they had!  The children loved Soarin’ Over California, Splash Mountain, Autotopia, visiting the Princesses, the Grizzly River Run and pretty much any ride they went on.  It was a cool, overcast Tuesday at Disneyland. The crowds were small and the lines were short.

At the end of a very fun day, the team went to the show “World of Color.” An hour before the show, the team got to their show-viewing spot and waited in anticipation for the show to begin.

Nahagi, one of the HLF Ethiopian boys, looked over at one of the HLF staff members and said, “Wow! There are a lot of people here for this show. I wish we could have church right now!” The staff member agreed. After the show, as the team was walking back to the bus, Nahagi said, “That was a really good show, but not as good as worshipping God!  Watching a show only lasts for a short time. But I get to worship Jesus forever!!!”

Orphan Summit at Saddleback Church

His Little Feet is a member of the Christian Orphan Alliance. This past week the HLF staff and choir children attended the Orphan Summit sponsored by the Christian Orphan Alliance at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA.

Check out a recent Christian Post article written before the event unfolded.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/pastor-crawford-loritts-caring-for-orphans-is-heart-of-god-not-a-fad-74346/

Over the two days that the Summit took place, His Little Feet interacted with people from all over the country that came to the conference, seeking to learn more on how they could help orphaned and vulnerable children around the world.  As the His Little Feet staff spoke with various attendees, one thing became very clear: God is moving in the hearts of His people to step up and be the church, loving and caring for orphans!

His Little Feet connected with a number of churches at the Orphan Summit who will be hosting the His Little Feet International Children’s Choir in 2013 & 2014. To find out more on how to bring the choir to your church, please visit www.hislittlefeet.org and click on “Book the Choir”

All God’s Children

One of the many blessings of having His Little Feet stay in host homes during the tour is the opportunity for the choir children to form relationships with kids here in America. It is a joy to see all God’s children play together, no matter where they come from!

"My family was blessed to host a group of three boys, Eyob, Yohannes, and Tariku, in our home.  These young men were wonderful examples of Christ.  They were kind to my four children, always including them in their games, helping them, and sharing with them.  Their grateful hearts were contagious; as my children listened to them pray, they often commented on their words of love and gratefulness.  I am not sure that the children of His Little Feet realize the impact they are making in the lives of people around our country, but I know that their impression is great and will not be easily forgotten.  Our family will always remember these young men who are offering their talents to the Lord, that they might be HIS little feet. I hope and pray that this experience will encourage my own children to follow God’s call."

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

James 1:27 

-Auntie Stacy from Hermiston, OR

Eyob, Yohannes, and Tariku with Host Home Children

Tariku and a New Friend

Children are children, no matter where they are from! :)

Step Up! 5K Walk/Run

This past month the annual “Step Up! 5K Walk/Run” took place in Windsor, CO, at Windsor Lake. Over 250 people participated in the event, including the 14 His Little Feet children from Ethiopia and Honduras. The event brought in over $15,000, as participants raised support all over the country for the ministry of His Little Feet.  Thank you to all of you that participated in this very special event!

All the Step Up! 5K Participants

Mahder from Ethiopia and Friends

Tariku from Ethiopia

His Little Feet Children and Staff

Repairing Walls and Restoring Broken Lives

I thank God for placing me in the right place, with the right people, in His divine, appointed time. It has been a great blessing to my life to be in His Little Feet this year. Whenever I think of His Little Feet, I think of the people who came from Judah to tell the affliction of God’s people to Nehemiah. When Nehemiah heard the condition of God’s people, he wept and mourned, fasted, and prayed to God. This continued for “many days,” not just a few minutes. His fasting was an expression of his sorrow and grief, associated with prayer to God.

In our tour, I see many people concerned and troubled when they see and hear about the condition of 163,000,000 of God’s children. There are many humanitarian organizations that are doing amazing work, but what makes His Little Feet different is that it is Christ-centered. When we help orphans, we not only provide for their needs, but we give them Christ. This is true with our partner organizations as well. For example, when you sponsor a child through Compassion, you are giving them a chance to know Christ. When I have visited several Compassion centers in Ethiopia, I have seen first-hand that the children are taught regularly about Jesus Christ and what He wants to do with their lives.

As a child, two American couples from Ohio personally sponsored me. I am a living testimony of the impact that this kind of investment can have in the life of a child. There was a time in my life when I was like one of the children in those Compassion packets, but the change began when someone took action to help me. I am here because God moved and used those two couples to say, “Yes” to Him in obedience.

I see God’s mercy and loving-kindness toward His children. He cares what happens to each child all over the world. His Little Feet is doing the same thing as those individuals who told of the needs of God’s people to Nehemiah…and like Nehemiah who stood in the gap, His Little Feet is raising awareness of what is going on in the lives of many children in the world today.

Nehemiah prayed on behalf of God’s servants, the children of Israel. He prayed not for something he wanted for himself - he prayed for others, built the walls, and restored the nation. I witness many broken lives being restored, rebuilt, and given new hope as God is using the ministry of His Little Feet. 

-Uncle Belay, His Little Feet staff from Ethiopia

Resurrection Sunday

The choir was so blessed to be able to spend Easter Sunday at their home church, The Church at Ellerslie, in Windsor, Colorado. That morning the entire team worshipped with the church body and listened to Pastor Eric Ludy’s powerful sermon on Overcoming Sin (the link to watch the sermon is below).

After the service, the team had the privilege of a long, beautiful afternoon at the Ludy home, filled with fellowship with each other and joy in Christ. There was a traditional American Easter lunch prepared, along with some rice and beans to add more of an international flavor.

Then the children had an interactive lesson on Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, taught by Eric and Leslie Ludy, while the staff hid 270 Easter eggs in the Ludys’ backyard! Everyone had a fun time during the Easter egg hunt, and it was wonderful to see several of the children more concerned about helping their friends find eggs than looking for their own.

After all the eggs were found (we think!) and some ice cream sundaes for dessert were served, the kids were able to play a variety of games outside in the sunshine. They participated in sack races, 3-legged races, and simple running races. Some of the boys even challenged Uncle Mikey to a sprint! Other children played on the swing set or enjoyed conversation with friends and staff.

The day ended with team pictures and hearts feeling full of love and gratitude for the Lord’s abundant blessings. Romans 5:17 says, “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.”

Thank you, God, for the gift of life through the resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ!

Eric Ludy’s Resurrection Sunday Sermon

http://ellerslie.com/Eric_Ludy_Sermons/Entries/2012/4/8_Overcoming_Sin.html

Happy Easter from His Little Feet! "Because I live, you also will live." - John 14:19b He is alive!

The Gospel

Today we encourage you to watch this powerful, short film made by the Ellerslie Mission Society, depicting the power of the full Gospel of Jesus Christ and what it means for every human being.

Romans 1:16: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes”

http://ellerslie.com/The_Gospel.html