“He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and sets kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.” Daniel 2:21
Where I live, summer has ended and it is evident that autumn is upon us. The leaves are turning colors, the nights are colder, and the days are shorter. While I love summer, there is something exciting and energizing with the change of a season.
The focus of DHI is in transition…we are also entering a new season. We are excited because we believe this is where God is leading and the change in focus will enable us to impact more people with education, hope, and the Gospel. Our Ethiopian partnership, which has allowed us to legally work directly in Ethiopia, has ended and our foreign liaison will soon be moving. Those two things are necessary for us to continue directly running an Ethiopian program.
The past three years working in Ethiopia have been a gift; a gift of opportunity, learning, empowering, relating, and sharing the love of Christ. It has been a time that has shaped DHI into what it is today.
While having a hands-on project in Ethiopia has been our primary focus we are now moving to a three-point program that we believe can be very effective in sharing the DHI program and model with more people who could benefit from it. The three points are:
1 Implement
2 Partner
3 Fund
Implement
While the doors in Ethiopia have closed for us to have a direct involvement we are open to future opportunities. You never know what God will do and whom he will bring into the path of DHI. We are open to being directly responsible for a program in the future if that is where God leads.
Partner
Our goal is to partner with people and organizations that are currently living and working in communities in need of the DHI program and materials. While we won’t be directly involved in the day-to-day operation of the program we will provide all of our educational materials, handouts, and resources, and also consult with and coach their leadership on our experiences and what we have learned over the years. We are excited to share that there are several ministries and organizations with which we are currently establishing partnerships with.
Fund
DHI would like to invite other like-hearted individuals and/or organizations to apply for grants which can be used to either help start new programs, or fund existing programs which are in line with the mission and goals of DHI. We know there are many people with a heart and calling similar to ours and we are excited to have the opportunity to encourage and empower others to do this necessary work around our world.
How do these changes impact you?
- Spread the word: If you know of someone or an organization that is in need of resources and guidance in starting up or running a program that shares the Gospel while meeting the needs of women and children, let us know. We would love to connect with them and see how we can help!We invite you to visit our website to read more about our new focus and see how you might get or stay involved.
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Finances: While we will no longer be involved in directly running a program, we will be partnering financially with many individuals and organizations by providing grants. DHI has an ongoing need of financial support in order to provide these important and neccessary grants, and we would be honored to have you to join us in this way!
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Supplies: While we won’t be collecting supplies (such as items for the post-partum kits, vitamins, cloth diapers, etc.) like we have in the past, we will bring the needs of our partners to your attention so you can continue to be involved in this way.
We hope you find this new season as exciting as we do. Stay tuned to our Facebook page and website to follow the partnerships and watch how the program expands and grows with each new connection.
With His Love,
The DHI Team