Ethiopia, the people

You just can't help but notice how beautiful Ethiopian people are. Just effortlessly gorgeous.

In my mind's eye, my skin is just as flawless. And please don't try to tell me otherwise. I won't believe you.

Our whole crew plus our driver and Bisrat went to a traditional Ethiopian restaurant. I would tell you what all of this is on this tray, but quite honestly, I have no idea.

This is the way they serve food. There are no tables with plates and silverware. There is just a small table, similar to a tray table, surrounded by chairs. They sit platters like this in the small table in middle of everyone, and then you just 'dig in.' The item on the edges that is rolled up like tortillas is called injera. It is similar to the texture of a sponge/shammy and is used basically in place of a fork or spoon.

Here is my attempt to be a good sport and 'try some.' After I requested some silverware, of course. I don't eat shammy.



The restaurant had a stage where dancers would come out and perform dances from different regions of Africa while everyone was eating. Complete with outfit changes and props. Bisrat filled us in on which regions the dances represented and what, if anything, was symbolic about them. It was a fantastic experience! Not to mention the people at the table across from us ordered raw meat. Try as I might, I could not look away.



We got the opportunity to attend church with Bisrat. Apparently there are a couple of "Americanized" churches in Ethiopia, but we wanted to be a part of a true local church experience, so Bisrat was kind enough to let us tag along with him. When we arrived the worship had already started. As we walked into the building, and I looked around at all of the people getting their worship on, it was very emotional for me. An in your face, we have a BIG God moment.

Unfortunately, this is the only picture I have from the service. This is a group of the worship leaders praying after the service was over. And let me just tell you, worship for these people is no joke! Even though we couldn't understand the words they were saying, it was easy to understand their hearts. I am blessed to have been a part.

On one of our outings with Bisrat he took us to the ALERT leper colony. They have a gift shop there, and these are some of the ladies making items like rugs and dresses to sell. The leper colony is where Bisrat lived for 8 years before he started working for the guest house.


Lots of kids greeted us when we got out of the van; excited to see us and give high fives and hugs. The moms watched from a distance but were all smiles. I think they seemed to enjoy people coming to see them. Eve brought a bunch of tootsie roll pops, and we handed out all we had. You would have thought they were hundred dollar bills. Even the moms wanted some "sugar." Apparently love of the tootsie is universal. It was fun to get to hand them out, and a reminder that even the most simple of things in life is a luxury for them.



This pictures represents hundreds of thousands of children in Ethiopia. There were children everywhere. Many of them alone. They used buckets like these in an effort to make money. Some of them selling water, others shining shoes, and the list goes on.

Sometimes the magnitude of the desperation in this country felt overwhelming. Especially when it came to the children. They didn't choose a life of poverty or of an orphan, yet they are living it. There are images in life that are forever in your mind's eye, and for me, this is one of those images.

Ethiopia changed me. I will always be grateful for this country and for this experience. I left a part of my heart there. In our comfort and luxury, there is temptation to forget our spritiual need, our brokenness, and our deprivation. We become complacent. Complacency is not okay with me. May I never forget.

Ethiopia, the place.

When we finally landed in Addis we got in the long line to get our visas and from there on to get our money exchanged. The rate at the time was 16.6 birr to 1 American dollar. Needless to say, I don't think I have ever had that many "bills" in my possession. I was rich I tell you, rich!

We then made our way through the exit security and to find our driver, who was to have our names on a sign, so we would know who to go with. We found him pretty easily, which is a miracle considering the mass amount of drivers waiting outside the airport in hopes of getting your business. As we were following this man, who we willingly handed our luggage over to mind you, I was thinking, Okay, I guess we are really doing this. Quite the leap of faith we are making here. I hope he is who he says he is and is taking us where he is supposed to be taking us.

I think I watch too much tv.

There was another couple that was picked up at the same time as we were. They were dropped off first at their guest home and then we were to be dropped off at ours "just around the corner." So we drove a little ways and turned off onto this gravel road.


Now mind you, there are no street lights. It is dark as pitch. We turn right at the end of this road and there is our guest house on the right. We were relieved and rattled all at the same time. After we got checked in, we were informed that we were in fact the only guests in the house for the night, and due to the language barrier, we could not determine if there was going to be any sort of staff at the house with us for the night. We were able to gather that there was indeed going to be a guard outside, which on one of Eve's trips to the restroom in the night, she heard said guard snoring in the room next to us. Needless to say, not much sleep was had that night. There was however quite a lot of conversation between me and God happening.

I definitely watch too much tv.

Our view from our room.

This is the view to the right of our window. That doghouse over in that yard housed some sort of dog that may or may not have barked every second. of every minute. of every hour. of every day. and night. Awesome.


This is the view to the left. How do you like that scaffolding? It is made out of eucalyptus trees and was used everywhere for construction.


And this was the view out onto the horizon. The picture doesn't really do the view justice. You could see much of the city, and the picture doesn't show it, but there was an orthodox church partway up the mountain overlooking the city. The orthodox church teaches the people that they are saved by their works, so the church was placed outside of the city and up the mountain so the people had to 'work' in order to get to it. It was such a stark reminder that there are so many people that do not know that Jesus is the only way to the Father. Heartbreaking, to say the least.


This is the Ethiopian version of the 'bucks. From what I understand coffee originated in Ethiopia, so it is kind of their specialty. I am not a coffee drinker, but others who were with us said it was the best they had ever had. I did buy some ground coffee to bring home for some of the coffee drinkers in my life, and the consensus is that it is amazing.


They have coffee ceremonies which consist of roasting the beans over open fire, grinding the roasted beans, then steaming the coffee and serving it to you. It is very much a part of their culture. Our guest home did a ceremony for us, and it was fun getting to watch the process and be a part of it.



These little shops where everywhere. Every. Where. Tons of them. It was tough to see shop after shop, so many people so desperate for money. It just made my heart hurt.


The animals. Oh the animals. I think they kind of run the place. There would be just random herds of cows walking down the street. A horse here and there. Donkeys, lots of donkeys that the people used to transport their goods. And goats, oh were there goats. There would be gathering places like this with different animals with a pink, painted X on their backs. Turns out, the pink X represented an 'okay' by the government that this particular animal was healthy and okay to be bought/sold. We didn't buy any.


And here is more of the eucalyptus tree scaffolding. Anyone signing up to climb up and down that a few hundred times a day?


Addis is something like the 3rd highest capital in the world. This is the view of a mountain and volcano across the street from the orphanage. At 8200+ feet altitude, I needed oxygen just to climb a flight of stairs; so if we had tried to climb that sucker, this girl would have been a goner. But lets be honest, has anyone ever known me to climb a mountain. Beautiful view, nonetheless.

And then there is this...

A little taste of why we were there. These are the clothes of all of the precious littles in the orphanage waiting on their families.

To me it represents heartache. Heartache for a mom or a dad who, for reasons beyond their control, did the unimaginable and gave up their child. Having two children of my own, it is hard for me to wrap my mind around the kind of love and desperation that a parent would have to feel to make such a sacrifice.

But it also represents hope. Because there are families who have responded in obedience to God's command to care for orphans, for these children, the story does not end with heartache. They are here in this particular orphanage because their forever family is coming for them. There is hope.

Next up, Ethiopia, the people...

Ethiopia

It has been one month since my trip to Ethiopia. Unpacking the emotions and thoughts from a trip like that takes some time. So, here we go...



Me and my travel buddy, Eve. This trip was the first of two trips in the DeGrie's journey of bringing home their sweet little lump of sugar. I will always be grateful for the opportunity that was given to me through this family.

We arrived in Addis around 9pm local time, which was noon at home. We had been traveling for twenty-four hours, so 'tired' doesn't even cut it. And can I just say how proud I am of us. We made our way from Nashville to Chicago, boarded a flight for Germany (just prior to them grounding all flights due to the snow storm moving in), navigated our way through the Frankfurt airport, and ended up at the final destination that was on our ticket.

So what that we got in the wrong line in Germany and were about the leave the airport? Go us!

Some of our activities over the next ten days included but were not limited too...
Killing a few of these. The size of these suckers was no joke.


And drinking A LOT of these. Bottled, of course.


This is the other couple that stayed at the guest home with us. Keith and Jessica were an awesome couple from Atlanta who were there to meet their two boys that will be joining their family soon. These two were a riot; we had a lot of fun with them. The guest house that we stayed in was fantastic. The staff was so kind and friendly and beyond accommodating for any requests that we had. After overhearing others talk, we are convinced we got the best guest house. God put us right where we needed to be and with great people too!


The man in the middle of this picture...were do I even begin. Probably one of the greatest people I have ever had the privilege of meeting. He came into the guest home while we were eating breakfast the first morning we were there. Through our conversation we learned that he and Eve had a mutual friend from home, so we had an instant connection. And bonus, he is an interpretor and works for the guest home. God send, I tell you!
His name is Bisrat, and this man has the love of Jesus coming out of his pores. We got to spend a good bit of time with him through the week, and I loved every minute of it. Hearing his story of where he came from, how he grew up, how he came to Jesus, and all with such a heart of gratitude and humility, it changed me. His heart for Jesus and for his people is undeniable. Inspiring. Convicting. I will be forever grateful that our paths crossed.



Next up, Ethiopia, the place...