Where do I
begin? Our trip to Ethiopia and Kenya was beyond anything I could have ever
hoped or imagined. God showed up in big ways and I could talk for hours about his
faithfulness and provision. From beginning to end, I wouldn’t change a thing.
We traveled for 23 hours to get there and 26 hours to get home. We lacked some
of the “modern conveniences” of home. We learned to trust God when we were
tired, scared, sick and unable to talk to Daddy and little sisters. We saw
beautiful things and sad things. We experienced worship in a difference
language but it was clear God was the same. We were encouraged and inspired by
the joy and contentment of Ethiopian believers. We taught Weave’s The Big Story
training to provide them with new tools to use in their homes and classrooms. It
was incredible to be a part of equipping believers to help them raise up the
next generation of Ethiopian believers who will help fulfill the Great
Commission.
We couldn’t
help but notice the extreme poverty all around us, but there was a pleasant and
joyful nature to most every person we encountered. We didn't want to fix it we just wanted to experience life with these beautiful people. The people were generous and
warm hearted. There was an intimacy from the way they greeted one another (and
us) to their hospitality. The landscape and simplicity of life was refreshing. I
had to stop and remind myself often that I was standing on the continent of
Africa. I remember stepping out on our balcony to watch the sunrise our first morning in Ethiopia. I had only slept for a few hours but I was awake and alive like never before. I was so overwhelmed by God's faithfulness to bring me to this place. We tasted new foods and went a little overboard. In my enthusiasm for "fitting in" I ate a little too much new food. The bread and spices did not agree with me but I credited it all to having the complete experience. I never once thought to complain about my digestive issues.
I remember our first year living in Arkansas and how difficult it was. I was so sad that I had given up teaching and coaching. I didn't know when or if those things would ever come back to me. I realized this as I stood in the church at the training one day. It seemed like such an easy choice now. I was teaching again and not just teaching, but teaching people about God's word in Ethiopia, Africa. You talk about God giving me pearls when I was holding on to a string of plastic beads. (Google the pearl necklace story.) God's plans are SO MUCH BETTER than ours. I never could have imagined this would be my opportunity to teach again. The icing on the cake was that I was able to include Jeremiah and Maiesha into the lessons I taught. I shared stories from our lives that connected to these Ethiopian believers and helped them better grasp the material. Wow! That all I can say is WOW!
At the 2 day
training we taught in Ethiopia, we met a 3 year old little girl named Roi who attended
the training with her mom each day. Roi will be 4 in May and she was the
Ethiopian version of our Lydia. She was full of energy and was always talking
and smiling. She was such a blessing to us. She spoke a little English and
would say “com’on” each time she wanted to play. We are friends now on Facebook
so she and Lydia can meet and so our families can stay connected.
Jeremiah and
Maiesha were amazing. About 36 hours after arriving in Addis Ababa they took a
cab 40 minutes across town with Amy, our guesthouse manager, to an elementary
school while I went to our first training day. They jumped into English and
Math lessons with 1st and 3rd graders. I was nervous to let them go without me, but knew I couldn't deprive them of such a great opportunity. We went to an
orphanage in both Addis Ababa and Nairobi – each very different but in both
they were so excited to serve. They played games with kids their own age that
spoke no English and cuddled with babies who will hopefully be reunited with
their mommies one day soon. We called Jeremiah the baby whisperer. They
participated during training with some of the activities and talked to kids in
a Sunday school class about God’s mission and sharing Jesus with kids. They
kept the energy high and even cooked scrambled eggs for everyone each morning
at the guesthouse. They made a lifelong friendship with “uncle” Menge – our
host and ministry partner. Jeremiah has really struggled being home. It was as if he discovered what he is designed to do. He became Ermias (air-me-as is Ethiopian for Jeremiah) and was learning the language. He loved it every time someone asked if he was Ethiopian. He bonded so quickly with people. I know this is just the beginning of his world travels for the sake of God's mission to reach the unreached. Maiesha loved this experience, but she did go through some homesickness and even altitude sickness. She started rough and finished strong.
In Kenya we had the opportunity to take a little adventure to Hell's Gate National Park. What started as a drive through safari to look for wildlife turned into a grand adventure. We decided to take a 15 minute hike into a gorge. A few minutes in a young Kenyan boy named Dennis was leading us on a climb down into the gorge over slippery rock walls and past hot springs. Keep in mind Maiesha and I were wearing plastic flip-flops and I had on a dress. It didn't matter - I wasn't about to miss this. After our hour and a half hike we finally found giraffes after seeing lots of buffalo, zebras and warthog plus a few other animals. We drove by Naivasha Lake the home of over 5,000 hippos. On our way back to Nairobi we realized we were only a few 100 yards away from the Logonot volcano. (It erupted about 100 years ago and shaped the landscape of the park and was responsible for its name.) It was in the Great Rift Valley and we were supposed to be driving up on the rim. We took off across the valley on a dirt road (Google maps called it a hiking trail) to make the climb back to the rim. It was 3 miles of the roughest terrain I have ever been on but it seemed normal for an afternoon adventure in Kenya.
May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. Then the earth will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will richly bless us. Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear him. Psalm 67:5-7
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