Hope in Action: Issue No. 3

Dear Elpis Friends and Supporters,

As we draw close to our upcoming mission trip to Awassa, we want to remind you of one of the most special highlights of sponsoring an Elpis child: the opportunity to send a backpack filled with clothes, school supplies, and thoughtful gifts for your child.

Our team will personally carry these backpacks with us to Ethiopia and place them directly into the hands of the children you sponsor. What an incredible privilege this is—not only to meet practical needs, but to tangibly remind each child that they are deeply loved and remembered.

This gift is more meaningful than you may realize.

Recently, one of our sponsored students shared what receiving these backpacks meant to them over the years. They explained that what stood out most was not simply the items inside, but “the feeling that someone far away was thinking about me. It always made me feel really special and cared for.”

As a child, the excitement centered around opening the backpack and discovering what was inside. But as they grew older, they began to understand something even more powerful behind each gift: love, care, encouragement, and connection.

They shared how the backpacks brought joy, excitement, and a sense of being seen and remembered. Simple things like notebooks, pens, and clothing made a daily difference, but even more impactful was the reminder that someone believed in them and cared about their future.

Perhaps the most touching words they shared were these:

“The backpacks are not just things. They really mean a lot. They bring joy and make us feel loved.”

That is the impact you are making.

Your faithfulness does far more than provide supplies. Through every backpack, you are communicating dignity, value, encouragement, and the love of Christ to a child who treasures these gifts deeply. Some children even hold onto certain items for years because they represent a relationship that means so much to them.

As you finish preparing your backpack, we hope you do so with excitement, knowing that what you send carries far more than practical items. It carries hope. It carries encouragement. It carries the reminder that this child is not forgotten.

All items should be packed inside the backpack whenever possible. If shoes are too bulky to fit inside, they may be tied or attached to the outside of the backpack.

Please also remember to use your checklist to mark off the items you included, and attach the completed checklist to the backpack when you turn it in.

Please also be in prayer for the mission team traveling to Ethiopia at the end of June. Tickets have been purchased, and the packing of supplies for Elpis has begun. We are excited to see the work that God will do through this trip.

Thank you for your continued generosity, prayers, and investment in the lives of these precious children. We are so grateful to partner with you in this meaningful work.