More stories to share, more pictures to post! The blog that I will write following this one will be a bit longer because I want to share more about the ministry we have been working with and the man in charge of it all, Fikadu Heyi. However, before I get to that, I want to tell you a quick story about a sweet angel God sent to us this week named Seble. A few days ago, two of my teammates and I set out to walk the streets in front of the guest house we’ve been staying to just be part of the community that we’ve called home for the past two weeks. Normally at home in the states, this idea would sound rather silly to me. I know I’ve never purposely set out on a walk around my town to meet strangers or start conversations or just pray silently over the people who I pass along the way. But this trip has taught me to think differently. Why don’t I do that? Why isn’t it a regular part of my life to see the people right in front of me, to take the time to meet someone new, to let myself and my “busy” schedule be interruptible? This new mind set of “life is ministry” continues to excite me and the more we practice it, the more it just makes sense. We were created for each other, for fellowship and relationship. We are put in people’s paths everyday for a purpose and if we don’t take the time to stop and see what (or who) is right in front of us, we might miss some of the most beautiful encounters God has planned for us. So back to the streets, we were walking along, following the quiet promptings of the Holy Spirit to turn down different roads and follow different people, when a beautiful young woman walked by us shading herself with an umbrella covered in bright pink roses. Regardless of the fact that anything with roses immediately draws my attention, she would’ve been hard to ignore with her bouncing curly hair and bright red lipstick. She whispered a quiet “Hello” as she passed by and I jumped at the opportunity to reply with “How are you?”. She responded in surprisingly clear English so I took advantage of starting a conversation with someone who knew my language. She asked a few brief questions about how we were doing and if this was our first time in Ethiopia and then quickly invited us to her home to share some coffee with her. What?? Share coffee with strangers from the street who she just met? Again my eyes were opened to the generosity of people in these countries and their eagerness to welcome foreigners without hesitation to share whatever they have. I would never imagine inviting someone who I JUST met, a random stranger off the street, to join me in my home for a cup of coffee. But why not?? Another reminder for me…LIFE = MINISTRY. We shared wonderful conversation with Seble where we learned that she graduated from college as an accountant but had a difficult time finding a job in her field so she currently works as a housekeeper for a Dutch couple in Adis (where she practices speaking English). Most of her family are Christians, including herself, but she shared that her brother and mother are Orthodox and that her mother is scared to convert to Christianity because of the tradition she is used to and the people in her church and community who would shun her if she stopped being Orthodox. She told us that she prays for the opportunity to touch her mother’s heart with the love of Jesus one day. We talked about the two years she spent working in Dubai, her hopes to find a husband someday soon, and her desire to go back to school to get her Master’s degree. She made us coffee (here they roast the beans and grind them by hand!), shared some injera with shiro (the sour pancake and red sauce made from beans) and told us about a delicious traditional chicken dish (called dorowat) that we should try while we are here. She told us more than a few times that she was so happy to meet us and that she loved us. We got to pray with her before we left and she asked us to come back to visit her another day. We plan to go today. I am so excited to have a new friend here and can’t wait to pour into this relationship that very clearly came from the Lord. We plan to invite her over to our home so we can share some of our foods with her and continue to encourage and love this beautiful sister who we just “happened” to meet a few days ago. God is so cool, isn’t He? He plans our steps and directs our paths and I am SO thankful for the little blessings that He gives us everyday. “Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) Through this encounter with Seble, I was able to capture some of my favorite images from this journey so far, including her pouring our coffee into the traditional tiny cups that she served us with. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I do 🙂
