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...
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