To Ethiopia...

In just a little while I will be heading to Ethiopia.  I've been able to visit this beautiful country enough to have the airline think I must really be somebody!  We were upgraded flying to St. Louis once.  (Why not all the way to Ethiopia, Delta!)  As I think about leaving soon, I cannot even explain how excited and humbled I am to be doing this again.
First, I'm excited because I truly love this country.  The people are unexplainable.  The best way to say it is, whether it is because three of my sons are from there or simply because God spoke it to be, I feel like I am one of them.  Regrettably I don't speak Amharic yet, and I'm clearly lighter skinned and hairier than anyone I've met there, but I feel at home in Ethiopia.  I cannot wait to feel that again.
Second, I'm humbled by going to Ethiopia again.  It is an honor to adopt and be called into that.  Sending Nikki to bring Durant home, and then bringing home Ezra and Jackson was such a gift.  Going to Ethiopia with teams to serve through KVI was such a gift to me personally and to my family.  All of these things are true, yet this trip is different.  We left our home, our family and friends, my dream job, and everything that is familiar to go and start this new journey that we feel so strongly that God is calling us into.  It is humbling to feel this sense of calling.  It is humbling to feel so strongly that if God isn't guiding our steps we will sink into the lake beneath us like Peter, or into the hands of enemies like Abraham or Joshua. (I'm not comparing myself to them, but just feeling the Scriptures in new ways!)  I cannot wait to see our friends in Ethiopia, meet the children and mothers we will serve, and pray for God's guidance and direction.  I'm so humbled by the thought that God has invited our family to do this work.  We wake in the morning with such meaning and truly sense that God is guiding our steps.
As I prepare to leave, I'm praying that God will stir people's hearts to give towards the beginnings of this project.  We are praying for $5,000 to start LIA, our very first project where we are partnering with our friends at Arise for Children.  This money will be used towards getting children into school, putting food in some hungry bellies, offering job training for mothers in need, and the staffing to lead it all.  All of this money will be given directly to the needs of our friends in Ethiopia.  Please pray about your role in this first trip.  If you are interested in being a part, please email me matt@eyesthatsee.org or simply send your support to:
Eyes That See
11408 Shelbyville Rd.
Louisville, KY 40243

Thank you and God bless you!