Winstead Family

The next time you’re at home, walk out your front door and take note of the things within view. Maybe you’ll see some trees, green grass (that needs to be mowed if you’re at my house), a neighboring home with a friend in the driveway or a car that gets you from point A to point B.

When I walk outside the Orphanos office in Memphis, TN, there are a few things I always see: mailboxes, surrounding business offices and the Subway that I frequent for a $5 footlong.

What if every time you walked outside your home or place of work and within 100 yards of where you stood you saw an orphan? It seems extreme, but it’s reality for Steve and Margaret Winstead.

The Winstead family entered the mission field in January when Steve accepted the job as the Executive Pastor at the International Evangelical Church (IEC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. They knew life would be different in the African country compared to their home in Memphis, but they never knew how different.

The attitude towards orphans in Ethiopia is uninformed and lacking. Most locals treat orphans as third-class citizens. It’s as if Satan has sown seeds in the minds of the people and led them to accept this faulty view of life. The sad thing is that this negligence is ingrained in the society.

In addition, our American culture celebrates adoption as a loving deed typically done for an orphan or child in need. Adoption in Ethiopia is viewed completely different; it’s a burden that most don’t dare to accept. To love someone that’s not their own is totally foreign.

That’s what Steve and Margaret are up against but they’re eager to take steps towards changing that outlook with truth.

On a day-to-day level, that means interacting with the two orphans outside of their gate who can “magically” tell them how much they weigh and who will gladly accept money for doing so. Those interactions are small but serve as a deed of love.

At a higher level, changing the status quo means informing those both inside and outside the church body of what Scripture says about orphans. As National Orphan month approaches in November, IEC will highlight a different orphan-focused ministry working around Addis Ababa in hopes that the Spirit stirs within hearts.

The church also hosted an annual Orphan Conference prior to the pandemic. Steve is confident that it can be revived should the Lord open the needed doors.

I’m praying for a renewed mindset towards orphans in Ethiopia.

If you want to read more, Margaret writes really honest, encouraging blog posts of the family’s time in Ethiopia. You can read past posts and follow along by clicking here.