Friday November 23, 2018

Friday November 23, 2018

We arrived in Addis after midnight.  Our friend Fekadu was waiting at the airport for us and speedily delivered us (emphasis on the speedy part) to our guest house where we met up with Aimee and her crew.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that she was up, although by then it was nearly 2 am.  After settling in we were able to get about 3.5 hours sleep before meeting our driver to head over to the Hope for Korah compound.

When we arrived, Berta Breakfast was in full swing. This is a nutritionally dense pancake that the children eat before going to school each morning.  This was my third time in Korah and it was nice to see how much the children have flourished since my last visit 2 years ago.  Caroline and Meron made some fast friends and then it was time for us to head to Kaldi’s for our breakfast. This is the Ethiopian Version of Starbucks and boast the best macchiatos around.  Well, I take my husband’s word for that because I’m not a coffee drinker (which can get a bit complicated in the land of coffee ceremonies).

We then returned to the compound to paint the desks used for after school tutoring as well as some of the classroom doors.  When I found out about the painting project, I was glad to have something hands on to do, especially for the girls, but alas, I am not a painter, I am a nurse, so I entered this task a little apathetic.  As we painted desks, Aimee and I wrestled with the purpose of our time here.  Was this really a valuable task or were they just keeping the “missionaries” busy?  I wanted God to use me.  As we completed the project, I realized how time consuming it would have been for one or two people and that the time we spent painting allowed the staff to attend to more pressing matters at the compound.

During our lunch break, Jake, the American staff person for Hope for Korah, prayed a prayer that would stick with me for the rest of the day.  He prayed that God would allow us to be sensitive to the needs around us.

Our first Bajaj ride

A simple prayer and one that would be answered quickly.  We had planned for some of the team to finish up painting after lunch while Aimee, Jake and I did medical home visits to follow up on some of the people in the care of Hope for Korah.  Now this was right up my alley.  I love using the nursing skills God has given me to care for others.

Our first stop became our last as we immediately realized the urgency of the needs of the very first person we visited.  As we left to gather supplies, I remembered that prayer Jake had just prayed, that we would be sensitive to the needs of those around us.  A prayer that requires a stillness and awareness that we often don’t have.   We tend to rush through our days, never pausing to be still and take in the needs of those that the Lord puts in our paths. It was a valuable reminder.

I prayed that the Lord would give us wisdom and for the remainder of the afternoon and early evening, we worked as a team to compassionately care for this precious man.

When we had finished, he waved his hand at me in such a way that I wasn’t sure if he was waving me away because of all of the unpleasantness of the procedures that we had just put him through or if he wanted me to stay.  I reached out my hand and he grasped it tightly and began to praise Jesus and thank us for the care we had provided. I was relieved that even across language and cultural barriers, he understood that we were there to help him.

As a nurse, there are many things that have to be done that are rather unpleasant, both for the provider and the patient.  Some things you never would imagine that you’d would have to do at all.  After praying over our new friend, we headed back to meet our driver.  Walking down that cobblestone path Jake turned to me and said, “I guess it’s true what they say, we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.”  The Lord in his kindness had empowered us to all come together and complete the tasks that needed to be done to help a fellow brother in Christ and it was a beautiful thing to be a part of.

He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. 

Micah 6:8

Thursday November 22, 2018

Thursday November 22, 2018

Today we spent Turkey Day in Turkey.  Istanbul, Turkey that is.  I have to admit that when we booked our flights we were a little leery of flying Turkish Air and being in Turkey. It didn’t help that everyone we talked to about it worriedly warned us to be safe.  I think anytime we step outside of our comfort zones  there is a tendency to be apprehensive.  I remember feeling that same feeling much more acutely the night before we flew to Ethiopia the first time. It’s the fear of the unknown and the unfamiliar, I think.  Now, I welcome the new experience and the way I see it, it's better to take the risk than to miss out on what God has planned.  And Turkey did not disappoint. We landed in one of the most modern airports we’ve ever been to. Again, we were struck by the world travelers that convened at each gate.  We exchanged US bills for Lira and did what any good American would do…….we grabbed coffee and muffins from Starbucks (way to break out and be adventurous).

As we approached our gate, the familiar sound of Amharic could be heard as we joined our fellow passengers, most of whom were unmistakably Ethiopian.  As we waited for our flight, I did a cram session of Amharic greetings and phrases.  I’m always in awe of the many languages that our friends in Ethiopia speak.  Maybe someday I’ll spend an extended amount of time in Ethiopia so that I can pick up more of the language.

As we boarded, Nick was seated next to a lovely lady from Holland.  She was on her way to take a 30 day tour of Ethiopia.  How amazing is that? Upon meeting us the conversation quickly went to the sad state of American politics and how the world perceives America, our leaders and our people.  It’s so interesting to hear other people’s perspectives.  She relayed that Americans are thought to be very narrow minded, putting “America first” and believing that America is all there is in the world.  She said that their evening news is filled with the events of American politics, and none of it is very flattering.  She also admitted to not being very religious. Then she spoke of the Christians that she knew, her own neighbors, who claimed to love Jesus, but did not welcome in the stranger or the needy or the person that was different from them and how confusing that was.  And it is.  How many times do we as Christians send conflicting messages through our actions and our words?

The conversation was pleasant, she asked tons of questions and really tried to understand American culture and the current political state and how divided everything is.  I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately.  How it’s either Democrat or Republican and what a cat fight it all is right now.  She suggested that we all learn to compromise and work together, listen a little more and talk a little less.  Otherwise, we lose our democracy all together.  It makes sense to me.  

Our view as we left Turkey

So, on this Thanksgiving Day let’s remember:

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Romans 12:18

Wednesday November 21, 2018

Wednesday November 21, 2018

After weeks of preparations, all of the list have been made, all of the schedules relayed, pick ups and drop offs coordinated and to dos completed.  Leaving the country is never a breeze, but when you’re leaving a herd of kids at home, it takes quite a bit of planning.  This is the first time that Nick and I have been back to Ethiopia together since we brought Eli home six years ago.  I always experience so much on my visits and it’s hard to relay all of it.  It’s an interesting thing when a foreign country becomes so familiar that it feels like a second home. That is what Ethiopia feels like to us and we can’t wait to be back. 

We are especially excited for our girls, Caroline and Meron, to go and know it will be a life changing trip for both of them. The world is so big and we really want our kids to know that.  So often we get comfortable in our own little worlds and we want them to see the beauty of the cultures and people from all over the world.   

As we disembarked at Washington DC, we got a wonderful taste of the world’s diversity in one bus ride.  There were so many different cultures represented on the ride from our terminal to baggage claim that it would have been difficult to count.  A flood of different languages were spoken amongst the sea of different hues and it was like music to my ears. It made my soul full. 

We recently attended a conference about race and the gospel.  We talked about how our preconceived notions of others shape the way we interact with them.  It made me reflect on the way I was raised and I am truly so thankful for the way I grew up.  My maternal grandmother was the daughter of Italian immigrants who endured discrimination because of their race and later lived under the stigma of mental illness when my great-grandmother became mentally disabled. My father was raised by a single mother who was excommunicated from the Catholic church because she divorced her abusive husband.  She courageously raised her four children in poverty.  My parents knew what it was for their families to be thought of as less than or outcasts and they had always been taught to treat people with kindness and equality, a lesson they passed on to me. 

I grew up in a city that was made up of many different cultures and races.  I had African American, Hispanic and Asian friend in my neighborhood and schools.  I even had an Ethiopian friend named Simret and a friend who had escaped from Vietnam and made it to our country on asylum.  From a very early age, I knew that people were people no matter what they looked like or what disabilities they had and that they should be treated with dignity, respect and love. I want our children to know the same. 

I believe that God placed me in such an environment to open my eyes and heart to children all over the world.  As a child I always wanted to adopt.  It just made sense to me.  So the fact that we have children of all shades and races in our home feels like the fulfillment of a dream. 

Now, because of that dream, I have an unbreakable connection to an entire country and culture of people.  As I sit on our last flight to Addis Ababa with my “twin” daughters I can’t help but marvel at Gods love and faithfulness to bring our family together and to allow us this time to spend amongst friends and family in the beautiful country of Ethiopia.