Hey everyone! I hope your summers are still going awesome! I can't believe this six weeks has already come and gone. The good-byes have begun, which is difficult, but I am so thankful for the relationships I have made here. I will definitely miss everyone as well as Ethiopia.
I want to continue to thank all of you for the prayers during my time here. It means so much to me! I know God is doing amazing work here and will continue to do so. I am just so humbled He trusted me to do His will here.
We have been really busy the last week, which really isn't a big change, to try to finish everything up. The trip last Friday to Meki was great and we got a lot accomplished. The place is really starting to come together. We worked with the workers there and finished installing concrete on the porch. We also laid the remaining PVC piping for the toilets/shower. We also completed filling in previously dug trenches and dug a small foundation for the wheel-chair ramp to the toilets which they began pouring shortly after we left. God has really blessed us there. We have been praying to be able to contact various doctors/nurses which is difficult because Meki is kind of out in the middle of nowhere. But while we were working a girl came onto the compound and asked for a job. She is a nurse who has practiced for nine years! What a blessing! So Melaku has her contact info and will contact her when the clinic is finished! We also begun planting some trees around the grounds. The place will look really amazing when it is finished.
The weekend was great as well! On Sunday Teddy, Elias, and I went hiking. Addis is surrounded by many large hills/mountains and they wanted to take me hiking before I left. It was amazing and the view was beautiful from the top. We could see the whole city.
On Monday and on Tuesday we met with the families we chose to sponsor their children to begin with. There are nine total. We are really praying this program will kick off. It was amazing to talk to these families. Melaku and I explained the program (he translated) and why we wanted to start it. The families were very surprised and VERY thankful. They just kept saying "Thank you, God bless you". My heart breaks for some of these families. Some of them are just unable to provide schooling for their children due to circumstances they are in no control over. Anyways the kids were amazing and it was so good to meet them.
Yesterday the people at Hollis Language School had their official good-bye to me. They bought me coffee and it was really awesome. It has been such a blessing spending the last six weeks with them.
Also last night Melaku and his family took me to a cultural place for dinner. There was a live band playing traditional Ethiopian instruments and they have live dancers. It is so awesome because Ethiopia has almost 80 different, distinct cultures within it, each with their own dancing/music style. So we got to see some of them. They said the only more diverse African nation is Nigeria, with over 90 different cultures/tribes.
Anyways Teddy and I are about to head to Mercato, Africa's largest open-area market. There are always a ton of people there. I am excited to go.
God has truly blessed my time here. It is amazing how easy it is for us (talking about myself) fall into the same routine at home, mainly because it is so comfortable and what we're used to. Many times I totally miss the point of a relationship with Christ and focus on a 'religion' or being a 'good guy'. He wants to be present in every aspect about our lives and moreover He deserves that. It has been awesome learning from a guy like Melaku and the others here. Thankfully God never loses His faith in us and will wait for us to wake up! He is good!
Anyways I am in kind of a rush.
I leave tomorrow in the morning and head to Dubai. I then leave at night and have a 14-hour flight to Atlanta, where then I will finally head to Texas. Please pray for safe and smooth travels!
I love you all!
Grace and Peace!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Ethiopia Cont'd
Friends and Fam!
I hope this blog continues to find you all doing amazing and enjoying summertime!
It is really starting to hit me that I only have a week left here. When I first arrived I remember thinking how long six weeks felt, but it really has flown by. God continues to reveal so much to me and Melaku is really teaching me a lot.
God really does have big plans for us, for all of us. He just wants us to realize those plans. I feel as Christians we are always searching for the BIG things to do, the BIG impacts to make, or the 'people to save'. God can do the biggest of work through the smallest of things. For He is in the smallest of details. It is his plan to save and redeem, for that is His nature. We should not seek for the huge moments, for God will make those happen regardless. It is not us that really does anything anyways. You never know how far a small gesture or motion of love towards someone will go. For regardless of how people appear, everyone wants to be loved. We are called to be His tool, an extension of His grace. And we are called to present that grace to others. We must put our full faith in Him and let Him do His will with our lives, which is really scary at times... We have no idea where He will take us or what He would have us do. But be prepared for He loves to take us out of our comfort zone, for this is where leaders and true faith are forged. How easy is it to be faithful in comfortable circumstances! He not only wants us to develop into these leaders, but expects it. As a father disciplines his child, He will discipline us and guide us in the right direction! He calls us to action and will faithfully guide us along our journeys, even though we will fail Him many times. I am so thankful for God continuing to do work in me and teaching me the meaning of the word servant and faith. It is a difficult lesson to learn at times, but what good lesson isn't?
Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God
-Romans 15:17
It is impossible to express in a blog all I have learned here and what God is doing here and in my life. So I greatly look forward to talking to all of you when I return and sharing my experiences! It has been an awesome five weeks thus far and I am just praying God will continue to teach and mold me during this remaining week, and that I am able to accomplish what He sent me here to accomplish.
So far this past week has gone well, except for a little sickness that has hit some of us. I think it's a flu-bug that is going around. Melaku got sick one night then I got sick the next. As I have said this week is really busy so I made myself come into the school and get some work done. Thankfully He provided me the strength to accomplish all my tasks! When I got to the school I found out two others had gotten sick that night as well. It was just a little 24-hour stomach flu, I feel much better now. I left yesterday (Wednesday) after lunch and got some sleep, I was pretty exhausted. Good thing I am really super tough.
Tomorrow Melaku and I are headed to Meki, we will probably stay there overnight, depending on the work we get done. We are going to try to finish the main construction items on the clinic. We should be able to. I am excited about it. I haven't done any manual labor since I have been here. I did do some push-ups one day though. But only like a thousand. No big deal.
I hope everyone had an awesome 4th of July! Mine was different (obviously) but still really good. After church I went to my friend Elias's house. There we had an Ethiopian coffee ceremony. These are very popular and it has been the way they have prepared coffee for a very long time. Elias taught me how to do it. We sort fresh coffee beans, roast them and grind them ourselves, then make the coffee. The coffee is REALLY dark and they put a ton of sugar in it. It's really cool. It will definitely get your blood flowing. After that we went back to the house and some people came over and we watched Nacho Libre of course. We also played cards and had some snacks. It was a good time.
I want to continue to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers, and encouraging e-mails. You all are amazing and I am so thankful for the AWESOME support system I have. You all are more of a blessing to me than I could ever express.
Also on a side note, if anyone knows anyone in the San Marcos area who needs a roommate, hook me up. I still have to find a place to live when I get back. But no prob!
I love you all! Thanks for everything! Fight the good fight!
Grace and Peace!
OK I know this is long but I wanted to share a small excerpt from my daily devotional from yesterday that I thought was really amazing (July 7):
"If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all noble things are difficult. The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but the difficulty of it does not make us faint and cave in, it rouses us up to overcome. Do we so appreiciate the marvelous salvation of Jesus Christ that we are our utmost for His highest?"
Much love!
I hope this blog continues to find you all doing amazing and enjoying summertime!
It is really starting to hit me that I only have a week left here. When I first arrived I remember thinking how long six weeks felt, but it really has flown by. God continues to reveal so much to me and Melaku is really teaching me a lot.
God really does have big plans for us, for all of us. He just wants us to realize those plans. I feel as Christians we are always searching for the BIG things to do, the BIG impacts to make, or the 'people to save'. God can do the biggest of work through the smallest of things. For He is in the smallest of details. It is his plan to save and redeem, for that is His nature. We should not seek for the huge moments, for God will make those happen regardless. It is not us that really does anything anyways. You never know how far a small gesture or motion of love towards someone will go. For regardless of how people appear, everyone wants to be loved. We are called to be His tool, an extension of His grace. And we are called to present that grace to others. We must put our full faith in Him and let Him do His will with our lives, which is really scary at times... We have no idea where He will take us or what He would have us do. But be prepared for He loves to take us out of our comfort zone, for this is where leaders and true faith are forged. How easy is it to be faithful in comfortable circumstances! He not only wants us to develop into these leaders, but expects it. As a father disciplines his child, He will discipline us and guide us in the right direction! He calls us to action and will faithfully guide us along our journeys, even though we will fail Him many times. I am so thankful for God continuing to do work in me and teaching me the meaning of the word servant and faith. It is a difficult lesson to learn at times, but what good lesson isn't?
Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God
-Romans 15:17
It is impossible to express in a blog all I have learned here and what God is doing here and in my life. So I greatly look forward to talking to all of you when I return and sharing my experiences! It has been an awesome five weeks thus far and I am just praying God will continue to teach and mold me during this remaining week, and that I am able to accomplish what He sent me here to accomplish.
So far this past week has gone well, except for a little sickness that has hit some of us. I think it's a flu-bug that is going around. Melaku got sick one night then I got sick the next. As I have said this week is really busy so I made myself come into the school and get some work done. Thankfully He provided me the strength to accomplish all my tasks! When I got to the school I found out two others had gotten sick that night as well. It was just a little 24-hour stomach flu, I feel much better now. I left yesterday (Wednesday) after lunch and got some sleep, I was pretty exhausted. Good thing I am really super tough.
Tomorrow Melaku and I are headed to Meki, we will probably stay there overnight, depending on the work we get done. We are going to try to finish the main construction items on the clinic. We should be able to. I am excited about it. I haven't done any manual labor since I have been here. I did do some push-ups one day though. But only like a thousand. No big deal.
I hope everyone had an awesome 4th of July! Mine was different (obviously) but still really good. After church I went to my friend Elias's house. There we had an Ethiopian coffee ceremony. These are very popular and it has been the way they have prepared coffee for a very long time. Elias taught me how to do it. We sort fresh coffee beans, roast them and grind them ourselves, then make the coffee. The coffee is REALLY dark and they put a ton of sugar in it. It's really cool. It will definitely get your blood flowing. After that we went back to the house and some people came over and we watched Nacho Libre of course. We also played cards and had some snacks. It was a good time.
I want to continue to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers, and encouraging e-mails. You all are amazing and I am so thankful for the AWESOME support system I have. You all are more of a blessing to me than I could ever express.
Also on a side note, if anyone knows anyone in the San Marcos area who needs a roommate, hook me up. I still have to find a place to live when I get back. But no prob!
I love you all! Thanks for everything! Fight the good fight!
Grace and Peace!
OK I know this is long but I wanted to share a small excerpt from my daily devotional from yesterday that I thought was really amazing (July 7):
"If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all noble things are difficult. The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but the difficulty of it does not make us faint and cave in, it rouses us up to overcome. Do we so appreiciate the marvelous salvation of Jesus Christ that we are our utmost for His highest?"
Much love!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Happy 4th!!!
Well it isn't quite the 4th yet but by the time anyone reads this it probably will be. I hope everyone has an awesome weekend and blows up tons of stuff. For some reason they don't celebrate America's Independence Day here.... I am not sure why...
Things continue to go great here and I can't believe how fast the time has gone. We are continuing to stay busy and already have the next week planned out.
Melaku and I are planning a two-day trip to Meki to finish some construction items this week. The clinic is very close to becoming operable so we are trying to push hard and finish up these items. Melaku was talking about wanting to get it finished so I said, "Well let's go do it!". So we are. I think we are going Thursday and Friday and staying there over the night.
This morning I did something fantastic. I hand-washed some of my clothes. It was great. I actually kind of liked it. There is something peaceful about it. Beza (Melaku's daughter) took like 15 pictures of me doing it for some reason. I think because of their hospitable culture, especially towards us whiteys, they usually don't let us really do anything. They always want to help, which is cool. But I only had a few things I wanted to wash so I told them I am doing it no matter what.
Later on today we are having a program at the church. We invited a guest-speaker and a lot of non-church members. It should just be a good time for fellowship and we are having refreshments afterwards. Melaku teaches every Saturday evening to a group of youth-pastors and leaders. Today he asked me to go with him and share the Word as well. I am excited about it. He will translate for me, it should be a good time.
So earlier on this week I was going back home and saw a person in the village with a Texas A&M hat on. It was my first sighting this trip. Yes I got a picture. It was the most amazing thing ever.
Anyways thanks again so much for the prayers. I am just praying I stay diligent and we are able to accomplish our goals we have set for my time here. We have almost totally finished kicking-off the child sponsorship program so I am very thankful for that.
I love and miss you all and am praying for all of you!
Oh-also, it is now July, which means it's almost August, which means it is time for a little..... AGGIE AND COWBOY FOOTBALL! Oh yeah! Very important.
Also there is a marathon - 1/2 marathon in San Antonio in November I think I will run the 1/2. Anybody wanna join? I can't remember the exact date. If a bunch of people want to we can make it a group run. Don't be a sissy.
Grace and Peace!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Things continue to go great here and I can't believe how fast the time has gone. We are continuing to stay busy and already have the next week planned out.
Melaku and I are planning a two-day trip to Meki to finish some construction items this week. The clinic is very close to becoming operable so we are trying to push hard and finish up these items. Melaku was talking about wanting to get it finished so I said, "Well let's go do it!". So we are. I think we are going Thursday and Friday and staying there over the night.
This morning I did something fantastic. I hand-washed some of my clothes. It was great. I actually kind of liked it. There is something peaceful about it. Beza (Melaku's daughter) took like 15 pictures of me doing it for some reason. I think because of their hospitable culture, especially towards us whiteys, they usually don't let us really do anything. They always want to help, which is cool. But I only had a few things I wanted to wash so I told them I am doing it no matter what.
Later on today we are having a program at the church. We invited a guest-speaker and a lot of non-church members. It should just be a good time for fellowship and we are having refreshments afterwards. Melaku teaches every Saturday evening to a group of youth-pastors and leaders. Today he asked me to go with him and share the Word as well. I am excited about it. He will translate for me, it should be a good time.
So earlier on this week I was going back home and saw a person in the village with a Texas A&M hat on. It was my first sighting this trip. Yes I got a picture. It was the most amazing thing ever.
Anyways thanks again so much for the prayers. I am just praying I stay diligent and we are able to accomplish our goals we have set for my time here. We have almost totally finished kicking-off the child sponsorship program so I am very thankful for that.
I love and miss you all and am praying for all of you!
Oh-also, it is now July, which means it's almost August, which means it is time for a little..... AGGIE AND COWBOY FOOTBALL! Oh yeah! Very important.
Also there is a marathon - 1/2 marathon in San Antonio in November I think I will run the 1/2. Anybody wanna join? I can't remember the exact date. If a bunch of people want to we can make it a group run. Don't be a sissy.
Grace and Peace!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, June 28, 2010
1 Month in! . . . Almost
Hey everybody!
Things continue to go awesome here in Addis and I am loving life! I understand that I start almost every blog like that but it's true!
Yesterday (Sunday) we went to Meki again and had a great time. We took the whole church on a bus and it was a great time for fellowship and just hanging out. The construction continues and more is getting finished every week there. They plan on hiring one full-time doctor to work there once construction is finished (at least with this phase) so prayers about that are appreciated! We had a church service outside and worship. Melaku asked me to teach again so that was cool. It is a cool experience and continues to help me grow a lot. I gave some of my testimony and the importance of being like-minded (because of all the tasks CrossWay has here in Ethiopia) and not being distracted. My main readings were from Hebrews 12:1-3 and Philippians 2:1-11. After that two of the church members got baptized which was really awesome! That was followed by Communion. After Communion we ate lunch and played a game of soccer. It was great! They were all bugging me about America losing to Ghana the day before.... so they are out of the tournement... No bueno. I had actually become very dedicated to American soccer, at least while I am here. But I do know it's almost July, which means the month before August, which means AGGIE FOOTBALL. Yessir.
Melaku and I continue to be busy every day. We are constantly planning for the future and working on different projects. I have kind of become his right-hand man in a sense for the time I am here. He says it's great to have someone here from the 'outside' who can evaluate how CrossWay is being ran here. I help him lead meetings and he actually had me come up with some policies to help maintain discipline within the office. Can you believe it? NO MESSIN' AROUND SLACKERS! Ha!
On Saturday Teddy and I went to a Bazaar at a local church. Most of the people there were missionaries so it was great to see all the whiteys and talk to them. It was the largest concentration of firinjees I had seen since arriving. We made a friend from Austria and she came to church with us. She is here for a year. Crazy!
I continue to teach English and have classes every day. I enjoy it and have a great respect for teachers! It can be difficult at times, considering I don't really know Amharic, but Melaku or another worker helps me. Teaching is fun, it would be an awesome profession!
I have almost reached the 1-month mark here and constantly pray I am acheiving what God sent me here to do. I am so appreciate for all of you who are supporting and praying for me. I know it makes a huge difference. This trip wouldn't be possible without you!
Thanks again everybody! I love and miss you all!
Grace and Peace!
Things continue to go awesome here in Addis and I am loving life! I understand that I start almost every blog like that but it's true!
Yesterday (Sunday) we went to Meki again and had a great time. We took the whole church on a bus and it was a great time for fellowship and just hanging out. The construction continues and more is getting finished every week there. They plan on hiring one full-time doctor to work there once construction is finished (at least with this phase) so prayers about that are appreciated! We had a church service outside and worship. Melaku asked me to teach again so that was cool. It is a cool experience and continues to help me grow a lot. I gave some of my testimony and the importance of being like-minded (because of all the tasks CrossWay has here in Ethiopia) and not being distracted. My main readings were from Hebrews 12:1-3 and Philippians 2:1-11. After that two of the church members got baptized which was really awesome! That was followed by Communion. After Communion we ate lunch and played a game of soccer. It was great! They were all bugging me about America losing to Ghana the day before.... so they are out of the tournement... No bueno. I had actually become very dedicated to American soccer, at least while I am here. But I do know it's almost July, which means the month before August, which means AGGIE FOOTBALL. Yessir.
Melaku and I continue to be busy every day. We are constantly planning for the future and working on different projects. I have kind of become his right-hand man in a sense for the time I am here. He says it's great to have someone here from the 'outside' who can evaluate how CrossWay is being ran here. I help him lead meetings and he actually had me come up with some policies to help maintain discipline within the office. Can you believe it? NO MESSIN' AROUND SLACKERS! Ha!
On Saturday Teddy and I went to a Bazaar at a local church. Most of the people there were missionaries so it was great to see all the whiteys and talk to them. It was the largest concentration of firinjees I had seen since arriving. We made a friend from Austria and she came to church with us. She is here for a year. Crazy!
I continue to teach English and have classes every day. I enjoy it and have a great respect for teachers! It can be difficult at times, considering I don't really know Amharic, but Melaku or another worker helps me. Teaching is fun, it would be an awesome profession!
I have almost reached the 1-month mark here and constantly pray I am acheiving what God sent me here to do. I am so appreciate for all of you who are supporting and praying for me. I know it makes a huge difference. This trip wouldn't be possible without you!
Thanks again everybody! I love and miss you all!
Grace and Peace!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Stories, Thoughts and Observations from Ethiopia
Greetings all!
I pray this blog finds everyone doing incredible, getting an awesome summer tan, and enjoying life! I always realize that since I don't update my blog THAT often I often omit different things I see because of time or size and many times I forget to put things in, so here is some stories, etc. of my time here...
-About a week ago when myself, the Swede, and three Ethiopians went swimming, one of the other fellas (Teddy) left his bag that contained his passport and bank card, in a taxi in an exchange point so he had to go find out how to get it back. So he and Mohammed went to chase it down leaving myself, Johaness (Swede), and See-Sai, a former Pastor here in Ethiopia. Well See-Sai decided to go somewhere, we still don't know where, and told us to wait for him, thus leaving myself and the Swede, who also speaks very little Amharic waiting on everyone. So first we did what any like-minded whitey would do, bought some bananas to eat. So soon there was a small group of children staring close by (this always happens, I kinda love it) and we tried what little conversation we knew with them, so it lasted about 45 seconds. Then up came an older woman begging, we of course also having little money and unable to understand what she said.Then came a man up to us to tell us about his church. Then came a crazy person whom even the Ethiopians didn't know what he was saying. This crazy person drew an even larger crowd of laughing locals. So here we were surrounded and having absolutely no idea what anyone was saying. We just kept wondering when our friends would return. I of course thought the situation was hilarious and just stood there smiling. Thankfully our friends returned after about 5or 10 minutes and we were on our way...
-So everyone's name here has a meaning. Most are biblical names or names that have some to do with the bible or spirituality. For instance some popular ones translated are 'angel', 'light from above', 'patience', 'God's gift', etc. Anyways I wanted a name with meaning so I told the others at the English school. They soon came up with one, 'Rabash'. I asked them what it means and they said 'Notorious'. I thought this was kind of cool so I went with it. I told Melaku when he arrived and he laughed and I asked him why. He said the other translation for it was 'Disturber'.... So yeah.. haha.
-As I have said football (soccer) here is very popular. Well I bought a ball for the school (they have a soccer team) and my friends to use at their discretion. Well we went outside after a good rain last weekend in the neighborhood and started to play, knowing a huge crowd of neighborhood boys would soon come join, especially since their was a furinjee (white man) playing. Sure enough soon we had 4 or 5 different teams. I of course had to prove myself to these Africans so was going hard. I promptly tripped on a rock and fell on the wet ground. This happened to others too so I felt a little better about myself. Anyways after about 10 minutes I needed a break. The elevation here is so high I got winded really fast... oh and I am also out of shape... Anyways, I did score one goal against Africans.. boo ya.
-About a week ago we visited the Addis Ababa Sheraton Hotel. It is insanely nice. Look it up on the internet.
-They sell grilled corn (bucolo) on the side of the road everywhere. I love it. I buy it all the time. It costs 2 Birr, which is the equivilent of about 15 cents.
-I have only heard two Lady Gaga songs while I have been here. Both caught me off guard. She has yet to take over this country. 'Telephone' was on in a restaurant yesterday and I dedicated it to you Will Thomas Zorn.
-I miss Mexican food, Nacho Dorito's, and driving a vehicle.
-Funniest things anyone has said to me yet... "I love you more than I can say"
Anyways that's about all for now. We got the go-ahead to start this sponsorship for kids so we are constantly planning for that. This weekend we are going to Meki again on Sunday. Melaku has asked me to preach again so I am excited for that. After church we plan to play soccer and go swimming. The CrossWay International team works very hard here and I am glad they get a little break. They very much deserve it.
God is showing me so much here and helping me grow so much. It is really hard to portray it in these blogs, but I am SO thankful for all your prayers! When I come home I greatly look forward to catching up with all of you! Thanks again! Someone eat some fajitas for me already!!!!
Grace and Peace!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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I pray this blog finds everyone doing incredible, getting an awesome summer tan, and enjoying life! I always realize that since I don't update my blog THAT often I often omit different things I see because of time or size and many times I forget to put things in, so here is some stories, etc. of my time here...
-About a week ago when myself, the Swede, and three Ethiopians went swimming, one of the other fellas (Teddy) left his bag that contained his passport and bank card, in a taxi in an exchange point so he had to go find out how to get it back. So he and Mohammed went to chase it down leaving myself, Johaness (Swede), and See-Sai, a former Pastor here in Ethiopia. Well See-Sai decided to go somewhere, we still don't know where, and told us to wait for him, thus leaving myself and the Swede, who also speaks very little Amharic waiting on everyone. So first we did what any like-minded whitey would do, bought some bananas to eat. So soon there was a small group of children staring close by (this always happens, I kinda love it) and we tried what little conversation we knew with them, so it lasted about 45 seconds. Then up came an older woman begging, we of course also having little money and unable to understand what she said.Then came a man up to us to tell us about his church. Then came a crazy person whom even the Ethiopians didn't know what he was saying. This crazy person drew an even larger crowd of laughing locals. So here we were surrounded and having absolutely no idea what anyone was saying. We just kept wondering when our friends would return. I of course thought the situation was hilarious and just stood there smiling. Thankfully our friends returned after about 5or 10 minutes and we were on our way...
-So everyone's name here has a meaning. Most are biblical names or names that have some to do with the bible or spirituality. For instance some popular ones translated are 'angel', 'light from above', 'patience', 'God's gift', etc. Anyways I wanted a name with meaning so I told the others at the English school. They soon came up with one, 'Rabash'. I asked them what it means and they said 'Notorious'. I thought this was kind of cool so I went with it. I told Melaku when he arrived and he laughed and I asked him why. He said the other translation for it was 'Disturber'.... So yeah.. haha.
-As I have said football (soccer) here is very popular. Well I bought a ball for the school (they have a soccer team) and my friends to use at their discretion. Well we went outside after a good rain last weekend in the neighborhood and started to play, knowing a huge crowd of neighborhood boys would soon come join, especially since their was a furinjee (white man) playing. Sure enough soon we had 4 or 5 different teams. I of course had to prove myself to these Africans so was going hard. I promptly tripped on a rock and fell on the wet ground. This happened to others too so I felt a little better about myself. Anyways after about 10 minutes I needed a break. The elevation here is so high I got winded really fast... oh and I am also out of shape... Anyways, I did score one goal against Africans.. boo ya.
-About a week ago we visited the Addis Ababa Sheraton Hotel. It is insanely nice. Look it up on the internet.
-They sell grilled corn (bucolo) on the side of the road everywhere. I love it. I buy it all the time. It costs 2 Birr, which is the equivilent of about 15 cents.
-I have only heard two Lady Gaga songs while I have been here. Both caught me off guard. She has yet to take over this country. 'Telephone' was on in a restaurant yesterday and I dedicated it to you Will Thomas Zorn.
-I miss Mexican food, Nacho Dorito's, and driving a vehicle.
-Funniest things anyone has said to me yet... "I love you more than I can say"
Anyways that's about all for now. We got the go-ahead to start this sponsorship for kids so we are constantly planning for that. This weekend we are going to Meki again on Sunday. Melaku has asked me to preach again so I am excited for that. After church we plan to play soccer and go swimming. The CrossWay International team works very hard here and I am glad they get a little break. They very much deserve it.
God is showing me so much here and helping me grow so much. It is really hard to portray it in these blogs, but I am SO thankful for all your prayers! When I come home I greatly look forward to catching up with all of you! Thanks again! Someone eat some fajitas for me already!!!!
Grace and Peace!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Sunday, June 20, 2010
"NACHOOOOOOOOO"
Hello again friends and family!
I continue to be healthy and happy here in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!
This week has been great and time here goes by really fast. Usually by 10:00 I am ready to go to bed. I continued teaching English this week and am really enjoying it. It is a great way to get to know people and learn more about Ethiopia, as well as share our culture as well. I have now taught them some sweet Michael Jackson dance moves, and what a 'wet-willy' is. Very important business I know. On Tuesday (The day I have no classes), myself and four others (My Ethiopian friends and the Swede) went to the pool I had mentioned earlier. It was about an hour taxi ride but it was great relaxation bro time. The best part was there was a waterfall close by which we hiked to. It was only about five-minutes away. It was a beautiful walk and we hung out there a bit. Johaness (I think I spelled his name wrong in the last blog) actually brought some Head and Shoulders so we washed up in the waterfall. It was probably one of the coolest things ever. That counted for our shower this week. That actually isn't a joke. You don't shower as much here, mainly because the weather is so nice you never sweat. Johaness and I got a pretty major sunburn out there so we had to buy some aloe and have been using that pretty heavily.
I had a concern I wasn't as busy as I could be so I brought that up with Melaku and we looked at my schedule and pretty much re-did the whole thing, except for the English classes. Some of the things we had intended to do didn't work out but work has been provided so I am very happy right now staying quite a bit busier. We are just in the planning stages here of starting a children's education support ministry. There are thousands of kids here who can't afford to go to school because of many different reasons. I am really excited about this and things are already beginning to fall in place. We wrote a rough-draft proposal for it and have been having meetings with possible future personell. The ultimate goal is to start a school here. Mainly because many of the school's here do not provide a good education and through this the ministry could be self-sustaining and able to take in more kids. It is very cheap (for Americans) to pay for schooling here because of the income and inflation here. It only costs about 4 or 5 American dollars per month. Pretty crazy. Anyways prayers for that are greatly appreciated!
Yesterday (Saturday) we went to Meki, a town about 130 km North of Addis. CrossWay International (The organization I came here through) has built a clinic there that still has some minor work to be done on it. They have electricity and running water through a well CrossWay dug. We are trying to raise awareness and get it furnished so it can open. There are also plans to build a guest-house for the doctors and a school on the grounds. This would be the first clinic in that town and be an incredible way to keep people of the surrounding area healthy and to spread the word of God. I wish I could just get a big group of friends and bring them out here for a work week! We could get so much done! (If you want to come, feel free, I still have over three weeks baby!)
Melaku asked me to lead the lesson in church today so I did that. I was nervous, which is foolish, but God provided. I think it went really well. I taught on our mission in life/the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20). It was my first time to teach like that in a church and Melaku wants me to more now, so we'll see! I had an interpreter for those that aren't so good at English but most people can understand pretty well.
I am so slow at updating my blog because we ran out of internet minutes at the house so I have to make my way over to an internet cafe. Me and some of the fellas are hanging out the rest of the day. We will probably watch a movie and have our usual sunday Bible study. We are wasting time here because it is pouring right now. It rains 6 out of the 7 days of the week here (it is the rainy season). I really like it though, because it is only in the afternoon and usually for a short while.
This next week should be good. I am busy with English school and our meetings. I am teaching someone English privately all week so we will see how that goes. I can be self-sufficient here now if I need to, at least Melaku trusts me. I have gone to our school and various places by myself now so that's good. I can speak just enough Amharic to get a taxi and tell them where I need to go. I can also conversate somewhat with the kids that come stare at my white skin. Sometimes they run away though.
It is hard to summarize my entire week in this but I try! Oh also, Melaku loves the movie Nacho Libre with Jack Black so we watched that the other day (Thanks Trevor!). I forgot that that movie is incredibly hilarious!
"GET THAT CORN OUTTA MY FACE!"
Sometimes in between class at the English school we watch football (soccer). They love it here and I actually watched USA the other day and got really into it.
I miss all of you a ton and a continued thanks for all the prayers! I usually re-read these and check for typos but don't feel like it now so if it isn't perfect I am so very sorry.
I can't wait to come back and see all of you and to sweat everyday in the hot Texas heat!
Anyways I hope this finds everyone doing well and having an awesome summer! If you are taking classes (lame), well..... BUMMER FOR YOU! haha. Just kidding. I am sorry you are suffering. Also, for those that emailed me thanks a ton for the encouragement.
I love you all!
Grace and Peace!
I continue to be healthy and happy here in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!
This week has been great and time here goes by really fast. Usually by 10:00 I am ready to go to bed. I continued teaching English this week and am really enjoying it. It is a great way to get to know people and learn more about Ethiopia, as well as share our culture as well. I have now taught them some sweet Michael Jackson dance moves, and what a 'wet-willy' is. Very important business I know. On Tuesday (The day I have no classes), myself and four others (My Ethiopian friends and the Swede) went to the pool I had mentioned earlier. It was about an hour taxi ride but it was great relaxation bro time. The best part was there was a waterfall close by which we hiked to. It was only about five-minutes away. It was a beautiful walk and we hung out there a bit. Johaness (I think I spelled his name wrong in the last blog) actually brought some Head and Shoulders so we washed up in the waterfall. It was probably one of the coolest things ever. That counted for our shower this week. That actually isn't a joke. You don't shower as much here, mainly because the weather is so nice you never sweat. Johaness and I got a pretty major sunburn out there so we had to buy some aloe and have been using that pretty heavily.
I had a concern I wasn't as busy as I could be so I brought that up with Melaku and we looked at my schedule and pretty much re-did the whole thing, except for the English classes. Some of the things we had intended to do didn't work out but work has been provided so I am very happy right now staying quite a bit busier. We are just in the planning stages here of starting a children's education support ministry. There are thousands of kids here who can't afford to go to school because of many different reasons. I am really excited about this and things are already beginning to fall in place. We wrote a rough-draft proposal for it and have been having meetings with possible future personell. The ultimate goal is to start a school here. Mainly because many of the school's here do not provide a good education and through this the ministry could be self-sustaining and able to take in more kids. It is very cheap (for Americans) to pay for schooling here because of the income and inflation here. It only costs about 4 or 5 American dollars per month. Pretty crazy. Anyways prayers for that are greatly appreciated!
Yesterday (Saturday) we went to Meki, a town about 130 km North of Addis. CrossWay International (The organization I came here through) has built a clinic there that still has some minor work to be done on it. They have electricity and running water through a well CrossWay dug. We are trying to raise awareness and get it furnished so it can open. There are also plans to build a guest-house for the doctors and a school on the grounds. This would be the first clinic in that town and be an incredible way to keep people of the surrounding area healthy and to spread the word of God. I wish I could just get a big group of friends and bring them out here for a work week! We could get so much done! (If you want to come, feel free, I still have over three weeks baby!)
Melaku asked me to lead the lesson in church today so I did that. I was nervous, which is foolish, but God provided. I think it went really well. I taught on our mission in life/the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20). It was my first time to teach like that in a church and Melaku wants me to more now, so we'll see! I had an interpreter for those that aren't so good at English but most people can understand pretty well.
I am so slow at updating my blog because we ran out of internet minutes at the house so I have to make my way over to an internet cafe. Me and some of the fellas are hanging out the rest of the day. We will probably watch a movie and have our usual sunday Bible study. We are wasting time here because it is pouring right now. It rains 6 out of the 7 days of the week here (it is the rainy season). I really like it though, because it is only in the afternoon and usually for a short while.
This next week should be good. I am busy with English school and our meetings. I am teaching someone English privately all week so we will see how that goes. I can be self-sufficient here now if I need to, at least Melaku trusts me. I have gone to our school and various places by myself now so that's good. I can speak just enough Amharic to get a taxi and tell them where I need to go. I can also conversate somewhat with the kids that come stare at my white skin. Sometimes they run away though.
It is hard to summarize my entire week in this but I try! Oh also, Melaku loves the movie Nacho Libre with Jack Black so we watched that the other day (Thanks Trevor!). I forgot that that movie is incredibly hilarious!
"GET THAT CORN OUTTA MY FACE!"
Sometimes in between class at the English school we watch football (soccer). They love it here and I actually watched USA the other day and got really into it.
I miss all of you a ton and a continued thanks for all the prayers! I usually re-read these and check for typos but don't feel like it now so if it isn't perfect I am so very sorry.
I can't wait to come back and see all of you and to sweat everyday in the hot Texas heat!
Anyways I hope this finds everyone doing well and having an awesome summer! If you are taking classes (lame), well..... BUMMER FOR YOU! haha. Just kidding. I am sorry you are suffering. Also, for those that emailed me thanks a ton for the encouragement.
I love you all!
Grace and Peace!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Africa: Day 10
HOWDY!
I haven't heard that in a while and it felt good to type it! Regarding "Aggie-ness" I do have my family here and some at the English school starting to 'gig-em' so that's always good.
This is day 10 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and we just got back from church. Actually we just got done eating (and washing the dishes). I had to stop writing for lunch. Speaking of that I just ate my third full-Ethiopian meal of "Injira". The first week they gave me entirely Ethiopian food in case I got sick or anything so they have been easing me into it (I also drink bottled water instead of pipe-water). It is a very different type of food and hard to explain. It is a spongy, thin, moist, type of bread that has a kind of sour taste to it. You spread it on your plate and spread various sauces on it. There are many different sauces ranging from meat, vegetable, or rice types of sauces to name a few. It isn't the best tasting thing in the world but it isn't the worst either. I am starting to get used to it.
Church here, at least the church they go to as that is the only one I know, is different. This morning they prayed and had worship time for almost an hour and a half first. This is much longer than I am used to back home. They devote time and set time aside during the week for prayer and worship which is such a good example of obedience and devotedness. I have said before how it seems American culture seems to be in a much bigger hurry, myself included. It is difficult for me during this at times, especially because of the language barrier. God is definitely working on my patience. Psalm 40 has been going through my mind all trip. An hour and a half is a long time for me to sit still (imagine that) but it is definitely good for me as it really is NOT a long time at all. Then after that we had the lesson then split up into groups to talk about the meaning more deeply. A good friend of mine here, Teddy, helps translate for me during the lesson but they speak more English during the small group. They have been discussing the Sermon on the Mount for the last three months and this morning it was specifically Matthew 7 and judging others.
This past week went well. I continue to practice my Amharic and am getting slowly better. I feel very safe here and can communicate almost just enough to survive. I have taken the taxi around the city with friends a couple times and I will probably have to a time or two alone, which should be cool. They actually have motorcycle taxi's here so I will probably hit those up (just kidding mom.........but not really). I am still greatly enjoying learning about the culture and continue to learn more everyday. This week I was thinking about going to the market and picking up a wife, so that should be cool.
Melaku graduated from Theology school yesterday so that was a blessing. We had a graduation party at the house which was great and pretty much like a typical graduation party; food, friends, etc. You don't have to graduate from Theology or seminary school here to be a pastor. I was surprised because Melaku is very smart, especially about the bible, and a great teacher. I am very happy for him.
Three years back they had a group stay with them from Sweden and one is visiting a pastor he sponsors here in Ethiopia for the next week. He is 24 and his name is Johanssen. He is going to a school (I think it's an orphanage) later this week to help take care of kids and give them gifts and just love on them. I asked him if I could go so hopefully that will work out. I would love to do that. Little kids flock to us white folk. Also later this week we all (Johanssen, Melaku, and my Ethiopian friends) may go to the country-side and swim. There is a pool there but also a small waterfall with a pool at the end that people swim in. I haven't left the city yet but apparently the country-side here is beautiful. I am hoping we have time I would love to go see it!
Yesterday Teddy and I went on a walk around the city for about an hour or so. It was good to go out and see the city. There are always a ton of people walking everywhere, and being white many people actually stop and talk to us. It's great and a great witnessing tool!
Anyways God is definitely very present here and the people are very devout and 'strict' with what they do compared to back home. I feel it is a great example and it is a great change of pace. Not that there is a lack of that back home it is just amazing to get to know these people on a personal basis and to find out their different backgrounds and convictions. I am enjoying my time and God is definitely putting challenges in front of me but it is nothing I can't overcome through Him. He is my rock and my deliverer.
Deuteronomy 31:8
Anyways thanks so much for reading! I think about home and all of you constantly and am so blessed to have your prayers and support! I think I am going to go read outside and wave at the little neighbor girls when they stare at me (this is a daily occurrence). They are so dang cute.
Also Will, my mom sent me your comment in my e-mail about you wanting a goat or a sheep. I could actually very easily purchase one here if you want one, the problem is getting it on the plane.... I will work on that. I will trade you a goat for one of your famous songs on the mandolin. I hope your skills are continuing to grow! Sometimes they buy goats here and slaughter them themselves for food. I hope they do that while I am here and let me. If you think that is cruel I hope you didn't read it.
I forgot to say I do get emails if you want to send me an encouraging word or two. Thanks! rev.fear24@hotmail.com
I am not guaranteeing a reply because I don't check it very often.
Love you all!
Grace and Peace!
I haven't heard that in a while and it felt good to type it! Regarding "Aggie-ness" I do have my family here and some at the English school starting to 'gig-em' so that's always good.
This is day 10 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and we just got back from church. Actually we just got done eating (and washing the dishes). I had to stop writing for lunch. Speaking of that I just ate my third full-Ethiopian meal of "Injira". The first week they gave me entirely Ethiopian food in case I got sick or anything so they have been easing me into it (I also drink bottled water instead of pipe-water). It is a very different type of food and hard to explain. It is a spongy, thin, moist, type of bread that has a kind of sour taste to it. You spread it on your plate and spread various sauces on it. There are many different sauces ranging from meat, vegetable, or rice types of sauces to name a few. It isn't the best tasting thing in the world but it isn't the worst either. I am starting to get used to it.
Church here, at least the church they go to as that is the only one I know, is different. This morning they prayed and had worship time for almost an hour and a half first. This is much longer than I am used to back home. They devote time and set time aside during the week for prayer and worship which is such a good example of obedience and devotedness. I have said before how it seems American culture seems to be in a much bigger hurry, myself included. It is difficult for me during this at times, especially because of the language barrier. God is definitely working on my patience. Psalm 40 has been going through my mind all trip. An hour and a half is a long time for me to sit still (imagine that) but it is definitely good for me as it really is NOT a long time at all. Then after that we had the lesson then split up into groups to talk about the meaning more deeply. A good friend of mine here, Teddy, helps translate for me during the lesson but they speak more English during the small group. They have been discussing the Sermon on the Mount for the last three months and this morning it was specifically Matthew 7 and judging others.
This past week went well. I continue to practice my Amharic and am getting slowly better. I feel very safe here and can communicate almost just enough to survive. I have taken the taxi around the city with friends a couple times and I will probably have to a time or two alone, which should be cool. They actually have motorcycle taxi's here so I will probably hit those up (just kidding mom.........but not really). I am still greatly enjoying learning about the culture and continue to learn more everyday. This week I was thinking about going to the market and picking up a wife, so that should be cool.
Melaku graduated from Theology school yesterday so that was a blessing. We had a graduation party at the house which was great and pretty much like a typical graduation party; food, friends, etc. You don't have to graduate from Theology or seminary school here to be a pastor. I was surprised because Melaku is very smart, especially about the bible, and a great teacher. I am very happy for him.
Three years back they had a group stay with them from Sweden and one is visiting a pastor he sponsors here in Ethiopia for the next week. He is 24 and his name is Johanssen. He is going to a school (I think it's an orphanage) later this week to help take care of kids and give them gifts and just love on them. I asked him if I could go so hopefully that will work out. I would love to do that. Little kids flock to us white folk. Also later this week we all (Johanssen, Melaku, and my Ethiopian friends) may go to the country-side and swim. There is a pool there but also a small waterfall with a pool at the end that people swim in. I haven't left the city yet but apparently the country-side here is beautiful. I am hoping we have time I would love to go see it!
Yesterday Teddy and I went on a walk around the city for about an hour or so. It was good to go out and see the city. There are always a ton of people walking everywhere, and being white many people actually stop and talk to us. It's great and a great witnessing tool!
Anyways God is definitely very present here and the people are very devout and 'strict' with what they do compared to back home. I feel it is a great example and it is a great change of pace. Not that there is a lack of that back home it is just amazing to get to know these people on a personal basis and to find out their different backgrounds and convictions. I am enjoying my time and God is definitely putting challenges in front of me but it is nothing I can't overcome through Him. He is my rock and my deliverer.
Deuteronomy 31:8
Anyways thanks so much for reading! I think about home and all of you constantly and am so blessed to have your prayers and support! I think I am going to go read outside and wave at the little neighbor girls when they stare at me (this is a daily occurrence). They are so dang cute.
Also Will, my mom sent me your comment in my e-mail about you wanting a goat or a sheep. I could actually very easily purchase one here if you want one, the problem is getting it on the plane.... I will work on that. I will trade you a goat for one of your famous songs on the mandolin. I hope your skills are continuing to grow! Sometimes they buy goats here and slaughter them themselves for food. I hope they do that while I am here and let me. If you think that is cruel I hope you didn't read it.
I forgot to say I do get emails if you want to send me an encouraging word or two. Thanks! rev.fear24@hotmail.com
I am not guaranteeing a reply because I don't check it very often.
Love you all!
Grace and Peace!
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