Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Zelalem's Story - Hope when life seems hopeless


My name is Zelalem Dubale. My two older siblings and our mother were left alone when my father died many years ago. One of my sisters died a few days after I was born. My father was a farmer for many years. He and my mother never wore shoes while farming. He left no income or treasures for us when he died. 
One night when I arrived home from the woods, I saw a small wound on one of my feet. I thought that it was an ordinary wound made by the thorns just like other times and ignored it. But the wound continued to cover my foot and it continued to get worse. My foot began to swell. I was not sure what was going on but thought the swelling was because of the injury that I had before. But it turned out to be much worse than this.
One friend told me something that rekindled hope in my heart. My friend told me about a place that provided free foot treatment and said he was sure if I went there that I would be healed in a few months. I had to think about this deeply. From my home, I had to walk for hours and hours to get to the Arba Minch hospital. Walking to Wolaita Soddo could take days. But now at least I knew where I could be healed.  "Click Here to Read Zelalem's complete story" 

 

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Our President, Sharon Daly Visits Mossy Foot

This month, Sharon Daly, the President of the Mossy Foot Project is in Ethiopia to participate in a Conference on Podoconiosis called by the IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities) in Addis Ababa as well as to visit and provide guidance to the work at all of our clinics in the Soddo area.
Please pray that Sharon's will be both beneficial as well as encouraging to both our staff as well as our many many patients there in Ethiopia.

Monday, October 31, 2011

"Thriller" Dance Event Supports the Mossy Foot Project

Our thanks to Louise Bretz of Connextions Dance Studio in Venura, CA for hosting a "Thriller" dance event this past weekend with proceeds going to the Mossy Foot Project.

We have to have some of the Southland's most creative and enthusiastic supporters!
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/oct/30/dancers-gather-in-ventura-to-attempt-thriller/

Monday, October 24, 2011

A Photographic Journey to Ethiopia's Mossy Foot Project

A few months ago, our long time supporter, Keith Pytlinski published photos of his trip to Ethiopia to see the work of the Mossy Foot Project.

Keith's words describing his adventure are moving and challenging and his artistic skills both as a photographer and editor are considerable.  Read about Keith's experience with the people of Ethiopia and have a look at his work at www.m5photography.com.

Thank you Keith for your enduring support!

Paying It Forward for Mossy Foot!

A couple of months ago, one of our long term supporters, Allyson, held a cooking camp for kids in Texas.  In the process, she shared the work of the Mossy Foot Project with Michael Anderson.

As Allyson blogged about her 50th birthday and how great it would be for friends to make a donation to MF in lieu of a gift, Michael surprised her by emptying his piggy bank and doing just that by making a $50 donation.

What a great lesson in generosity, learning at a young age to "pay it forward".   Guess we can never know what impact our incidental sharing can have.  Thanks you so much for your kindness to the children of Ethiopia Michael!

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Welcome Our New Partner, Beautiful Feet

Mossy Foot Project is pleased to announce a new partnership with Beautiful Feet, an organization founded on the realization that "being barefoot can be deadly." The mission of Beautiful Feet is to reach as many needy children as possible with shoes and sandals. This goal is a key aspect of the vision of the Mossy Foot Project as we work toward eradicating podoconiosis in Ethiopia in this generation. Serving in partnership with Beautiful Feet will be an important step to starting many feet on a healthy path. 

Beautiful Feet is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization built on the premise of buy one, give one. Your purchase on their Web site will make one more pair of shoes available for a child in need. These shoes will be distributed in Ethiopia by the Mossy Foot Project as part of a comprehensive treatment and prevention program. We are thankful for this organization and the blessing that these shoes will have in the lives of Ethiopian children.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Meet Aster Lemma

Aster Lemma began to experience symptoms of Mossy Foot disease as a young teenager. After marriage at the age of fifteen, her symptoms worsened, so much so that when she was pregnant with her first child, her husband threatened to throw her out if the child was a girl.When she gave birth to a daughter, he did as he had threatened.

Aster and her little child led a desperate life of rejection and poverty. But God did not forget her. At her lowest moment, able only to crawl on elbows and knees and threatened with execution by the hand of a family member, God granted her a great deliverance and gave her the strength to walk to a clinic she had heard about where good people gave free treatment to poor women like her.

Read her story in her own words on the Mossy Foot Web site and see for yourself how God moved both supernaturally through prayer and visions and naturally through the consistent medical treatment provided by the Mossy Foot Project to restore Aster and her daughter from the brink of death.