CHILDREN RESCUED FROM SLAVERY
At Grace Center, we continue to see miracles every day. Our staff are always willing to be utilized by God to reach the people He has for them on that day. It’s a powerful and amazing way to live, knowing that we are walking with the Lord and doing His will, knowing He will bring those in need.
Here is just one of many miracle stories. Yebizalem found her way to Grace Center feeling beyond desperate and hopeless. Yebizalem was married off to an older man when she was just 13. He was an alcoholic, and sold off family property to pay for alcohol rather than buying food and other necessities for the family. However, Yebizelem had no choice but to stay in the marriage. There was no escape for her. She had never even had any sort of education. She bore six children and then after the birth of her sixth child, her husband disappeared. Left with no way to feed them or herself, Yebizalem was desperate. She sold her two oldest children ages 16 and 12 as slaves. She was paid monthly for the work they did like cleaning, cooking and taking care of livestock.
This still wasn’t enough for her to be able to feed her youngest four children, so she gave the next two children, seven-year-old twins, as slaves without any pay because they weren’t capable of doing the amount of work in which one would receive any payment. They were still too young, and at the same time, all they did was work, herding the cattle, and fetching water. One of the seven-year-old twins cried every day and even told his mom he will never ask for food if she just takes him back, and so he came back to live with her. Even after all this, Yebizalem struggled to feed herself and three remaining children and pay house rent for the dilapidated one room mud hut, void of any furniture or necessities. She begged for food and money just to cover these costs. You can see Yebizalem in the photo above with three of her six children when they first came to Grace Center.
Grace Center was able to rescue all these children who were slaves and bring them back with their mother, putting all the children in school, three of them are at Grace Academy, our tuition free private Christian school, the best school in Bahir Dar and the only school where they will learn about the Gospel during school. The two older children are at another local school suitable for their age and academic level (at this point Grace Academy goes through sixth grade). Yebizalem came to the office overjoyed to show us the report cards of her twins who are both in the top of the class for their grades.
The youngest child is at our Grace Day Care, a free day care program, so Yebizalem is able to work and provide for her children. Many women like Yebizalem wash clothes, bake bread and cook for others. Grace Center also started a bread factory recently with the purchase of a machine that can bake 60 pieces of bread that look like sub rolls in just 15 minutes. This is also a great business for our mothers.
We also covered all other costs for this beautiful family to be able to have the life God always intended for them, that they have never been able to have until now. Most importantly, we have been able to pray with them and teach them about Jesus and His love. Yebizalem and her children know that this miraculous transformation in their lives is only because of God. This also does not happen without you and your generous partnership with Grace Center! Thank you for your amazing partnership with Grace Center to save and transform lives!
