| From M.A.R.K 10:14 Great testimony of one of the kids at the street shelter... "One of our favorite ongoing testimonies from the team and the kids in Ethiopia is that of Abayneh. It was around this time last year we shared with you about Abayneh, the young boy from the streets missing both his arms from the shoulder down. Abayneh lived with us for just under 2 weeks during a very focused time seeking God for renewing in his heart. Abayneh wanted nothing to do with his parents or family, who lived just about 1 hour outside of Addis Ababa, the capital city. The whole family was reeling from many of the effects of extreme poverty and Abayneh had a hard time staying home for more than two or three days without running to search for something, anything. We kept asking him if he wanted to return to his family, but each time we found really strong resistance. As we prayed for Abayneh after he moved into our home, the Lord gave us Ezekiel 36:26-27 for him, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes..." We shared this word with Abayneh after he had been with us for just over a week and told him that we believe God wanted to give him a new heart for a new purpose and new beginning in his life. He liked the thought of what he was hearing, but didn't really know what it might mean. Neither did we. The next few days we spent a lot of time praying with Abayneh, and gathering around him as a family to pray over him. More than anything, we wanted him to feel drenched in the Lord's love. The second day we were praying this passage over Abayneh, he asked if he could call his parents to talk. The next day Abayneh came to us and said that he wanted to call them again, this time because he wanted to talk about going home! Something was changing in Abayneh! After talking to his parents, he informed them, and us, that he was ready to go back home and begin living again with his family. Several leaders from the team of Spiritual Fathers & Mothers escorted him home and began to build a relationship with Abayneh's whole family now. This opened the door to shepherd and disciple his mom and his dad. It opened the door to offer support and love to his siblings. Abayneh went home with a new heart from God, and it opened the door for God's transformation within their whole family. Getaneh (one of the primary team leaders) just returned this week from visiting Abayneh and his family. The family has seen God provide them a new house of late, medical care, food, and schooling for all their kids. But most of all, our hearts were joyfully broken to see a photo from Getaneh's trip to see Abayneh and the family. The smile on Abayneh's face was more than we could ask for. Previously he couldn't even be at his home for more than a couple days, and now this photo showed Abayneh still at home with his family almost one year later, with a big smile on his face and a new heart that had overflowed throughout his home. (Abayneh-in red, pictured with his family) Thank you for joining us in lives and families like Abayneh! Thank you for helping pray for and support other kids at the shelter, and from the street, who are in the middle of similar testimonies. Thank you for your prayers and support towards the team of Fathers and Mothers who are walking through these stories with not only the kids, but the kids' families. Thank you! ~Joey & Destiny LeTourneau | 
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