Hello everyone,

I trust  all is well on your side. I have been amazed how time seems to be moving faster and faster. I don’t know how spring went by with lots of rainy days followed by unusually rainy summer (half of the summer) which made it the wettest summer on record, but the rest of the summer with blazing hot days with no rainfall. Now it seems like we have zipped through the Fall and we are already having winter like weather; it is 22 degrees, gray skies,; and snow on the ground and it is only mid November. I believe we are in for a long cold winter. Lord, please help us!

My mind has been in a dizzy spell like the weather, but I will try to share with you the wonderful and amazing thing that God has done in the past few months in helping Rebuilding A Nation advance the cause of Raey School which we have been partnering with since September 2018. After I returned from Ethiopia in early May I went full force with the help of my friends in Somerset Robin Citak and Leisha Garland to organize two fund raising dinners in Virginia and in Somerset in order to raise awareness funds for  Raey School. I also received help from my friends, Women of Destiny, who live in Greater Washington, Virginia, and Maryland area. They enthusiastically pledged to prayer and to give financial support. Once I received from encouragement and support from both groups I went  full speed to planning and execute the fundraising dinners in Virginia and Kentucky. Thanks be to God in short order I was able to secure the venues as well as the caterers for both events quickly thanks to friends like Lidia Abebe who willingly came alongside eager to help in any way she could. So, before I knew it I was going full steam with all I have in me to plan a fundraiser; not one , but two fundraiser within a month in two different states! By the way, my family and all of those who know me well know that I hate fundraising and I always vowed that I will never do a fundraising. So, how did I get into fundraising? The short answer is God tricked me! In all honesty it started with hearing the small voice of God (again!), saying that I need to share about Raey School to friends and family so they too can be used by God to minister to the children at the school by donating money, praying, and sharing their gifts and talents as well their profession to better the lives of the children. I realized I have been called to this work to call and say “ come let us rebuild”( Nehemiah ) . The job at hand is too big and complicated to be done by one or two people. 
I am happy to report that with a lot of prayerful support from many , we were able to pull off the two fundraising dinners successfully . To date we have raised $26,000 and it is still growing!To God be the glory and praise! The plan is to use the fund we raised to help with the expansion project that Raey School has undertaken to build additional classrooms to 8 th grade and facilities such as library and an office for a school nurse.
Zewdu and I traveled to Addis in October to see family and friends, but I was able to extend my stay by one week in order to do work with Raey and other schools like Raey. Zewdu and I were able to attend meet the Board of Directors for Raey School and we participated at their annual end of the year report (according to the  Ethiopian Calendar the year  ends in August and the New Year  begins on September 11/12 depending if it is a leap year or not). Raey School presented an accounting of their expenditures and receipts for the past year and the audit of their accounting done by an outside accountant. The meeting was also attended by an appointed government official who was present to verify that that Raey School was operating under the rules and guidelines set for a  nonprofit organizations by the Ethiopian government. I have brought a copy of the financial statements as well as a copy of the architectural plan as well as the estimated cost of the building expansion. I will make all the documents available on the website .The other major mile stone achievement for this year is the link I was able to create between Raey School and Medane; a nonprofit that was formed the medical needs of the students at Raey School. Anita and Justin Charles who live in Pennsylvania have adopted two boys from Ethiopia and Anita who is a Nurse Practioner wanted to have a sustainable and regular way to provide health care to the students. After almost a year of  talking on the  phone and numerous emailing back and forth as well as sending Joel Charles, Anita’s brother in-law who is on the board of Medane came  to Addis in October when I was there . Joel spent a few days at Raey School meeting with Fre and Mengesha as well as verifying their financial status   and their legal status. He then reported his findings once he returned to the Board of Medane and I was informed by Anita recently that the Board has agreed to sign an MOU with Raey School and proceed to hire a school nurse for the school hopefully starting next school year and also have teams of medical professionals travel to Ethiopia to give medical, dental, and vision screening semiannually or annually. Praise the Lord! In addition, I was able to bring Dr Tenaye Tadesse, a local Pediatrician, on board to be involved in making this vital service available to the vulnerable children at Raey School. Furthermore, on this trip I was able to connect Kaleb Mengesha, the son of Fre and Mengesha, with Salem Kassahun, who manages a well small industry using Ethiopian textile to different types of fabrics that are sold locally and internationally as well as, basket weaving , and jewelry making which we hope will be skills we can use to train the parents of the students at Raey School in order to generate income to help the parents to better their families as well as to generate income for Raey School as it seeks ways to be self reliant with it growing needs. Raey School was awarded a $200,000 Ethiopian Birr grant to help set up a business to help it generate income and to help raise the quality of life for the parents of the students it serves. Therefore Kaleb and his brother Joshua as well as their friends are looking into making and exporting Ethiopian leather products .Finally, on this trip I was able to make initial contact and I was even able to briefly visit a school around 40 kilometers outside of Addis that was started by a friend around 9 years ago to serve the poorest of the poor of that area. I will tell you more about this school and school like this , that God willing, I am hoping to be involved in helping by proving some monetary assistance as well as by sharing the resources like health care, books for their students , and other resources inside and outside the country. My goals for this year is to work hard on raising awareness about Raey Schools and schools like Raey who have been started by Ethiopians serving the underserved in their community. I hope to form a board soon and implement Quick Book , an on line accounting software, in order to bring accountability and transparency in how Rebuilding A Nation  operates. I covet your prayers for continued guidance and help of the Lord as I seek to grow my nonprofit. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and everyone of you for your prayers, encouraging words, financially, as well as advice and counsel regarding Rebuilding. I couldn’t have been able to come this far in such a short time. So to all my supports near and far I say may thank you and may  God richly bless you! As it stated in an African proverb “ it takes a village to raise a child” and you have all been involved in one way or another to raise up children who will be the future teachers, lawyers, nurses, doctors, engineers, etc of Ethiopia who will change the lives of their families and who will be future leaders of their country. “I have a dream“. Let it be, Lord!

Thanks,Makeda