A 10 year old Hope Giver
Remember when you were 10 years old? I do. Building dams in the stream. Backyard Football. Video Games. Riding my bicycle. My world revolved around me…myself and I.
I contrast myself to a 10 year old who is focused on seeing changes made for the materially poor living halfway around the globe. Her name is Riley Dreyfus. At a young age she gets a core message of The Gospel much better than many of the rest of us.
Riley came to Ethiopia about a year ago with her parents to welcome her younger brother into their family. Here is Riley telling a bit of her story…
My name is Riley Dreyfus and my parents have adopted from Ethiopia. In July 2011 I had the privilege to go with them on their 2nd trip to Addis Ababa. On this trip we were able to bring my 1 year-old brother Cooper home to the U.S. When I arrived in Ethiopia, I noticed that this place was poverty-stricken. I saw the beggars on the street. I saw the ragged clothes. I saw the barefoot people. I saw the things that many Americans will never be able to see. The result: this 10 year old wanted to change the world.
So, what do you do when you are confronted by eye-opening levels of material poverty and want to see the world changed for those whom are impoverished?
In Riley’s case she chose to springboard off of this experience into action on behalf of those in need. She started an organization named Hope for Hearts that has 2 main objectives…
1. support all types of orphan care and/or prevention
2. help other organizations and ministries to carry out their work
And Riley is doing just this. She is putting these words into practice. Her age doesn’t matter, nor does it hold her back. Rather, she has jumped out there, risking and advocating on behalf of others. She is leading the way in what it means to have Jesus put a passion in your heart for others and then to sacrifice to see Him made known. Her example speaks to youth and adults alike. It is proof to me that The Holy Spirit doesn’t care whether you are 5 or 105. He uses those who have submitted and willing hearts to bring change in His way.
Through a Valentine’s Day Card sale, Riley was able to raise $1,550 for Embracing Hope. WIth that money she now is sponsoring one of the Moms and children in the Project. Her sacrifice in The US by making hand made greeting cards (and her parent’s sacrifice in equipping, empowering and serving her in the process…after all that’s a lot of cards to hand make) is now making a difference in seeing hope embraced by a family here – keeping them together and helping them to move forward.
Riley is now doing a cookie sale for our great friends at Bring Love In. The cookie sales will help to put orphans into forever families here in Ethiopia. Riley is giving of her time to help raise awareness and money which directly impacts children in need here. Imagine selling cookies so that a child here can have a family. That cuts pretty deep into my heart.
Take some time to check out Riley’s website http://hope-for-hearts.org . She is doing great things in supporting orphan care and prevention.
Read her story. Get involved. Be inspired.