In order to travel to the last continent on our route, we slept in the Bucharest (Romania) airport, spent a day in the Istanbul (Turkey) airport, and slept another night in the Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) airport. We spent only 7 hours in the air and 32 hours in airports, with an additional 5 hours of driving.
During our downtime, I observed various people dressed in clothing reflecting religious beliefs. Many passed by: Muslim women covered in black burkas with only their eyes showing, Sikh men in turbans, Hindu women in saris, and African men in kufi hats. I felt a mixture of emotions: inspiration, fear, awe, freedom, curiosity, pity, and gratitude. I admired the beautiful dress, vibrant colors, and intricate patterns they wore as well as their dedication to faith.
On the other hand, I am thankful that I don’t have to wear a certain uniform to express my love for God. In John 13:35, Jesus says, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” I pondered if the love I portray makes an impact as stark as the traditional clothing that many religious people wear.
When we arrived in Ethiopia, the first thing I noticed was that everyone is incredibly kind. All of the workers I encountered were hospitable, generous and helpful. I slept on two chairs pushed together in a hotel lounge kiosk. Even though I woke up to a family of four staring at me, the friendly man in charge permitted me to stay there instead of sleeping on the floor.
The second thing I noticed was that the men are unbelievably tall and skinny. My lanky-limbed self has nothing on these guys. Their skeletal structure is amplified by skin-tight jeans and slim-fitted shoes. They are also very physically affectionate with each other, holding hands, linking arms, and leaning against one another.
In the morning, our squad was driven to a wonderful hotel that we stayed in for a two-day Leadership Development Weekend. Superlatives abounded: comfiest bed, largest room, warmest shower, highest water pressure, coziest living room, nicest staff, and peanut butteriest/syrupiest pancakes. A woman who was staying there paid for our entire squad’s laundry, which was such a blessing.
Our leaders gave talks about holiness and sanctification, friendship and community, and discipleship for new believers. We had a worship night with stations that included meditating on Scripture, singing in different positions, and praying over our squadmates and Ethiopia. We celebrated the beginning of our last three months of the Race by eating traditional Ethiopian food and playing Charades.
For the first time in two months, our squad split up into teams and spread out to various ministries across Ethiopia. We experienced “African time” when we were picked up by our host, Mazre, about an hour and a half later than the designated time. Mazre and his coworker, Ephraim, took us to our ministry site about twenty minutes away in Addis Ababa.
The city is densely populated with about 3.5 million residents. Goats and donkeys replace the stray dogs that filled Romania’s streets. Kids approach our van windows to sell gum and soccer balls. Many are sent to beg by their mothers. I hear the popped “k” sound of the Amharic language and see signs with the scribbled alphabet that resembles hieroglyphics.
All seven of us dropped off our belongings in one small room with a fridge, multiple closets, and a bathroom. Then, Mazre invited us to sit on mattresses and get to know each other over homemade coffee, bread and popcorn. He told us about Youth Impact, the ministry we will be working with for the month. The organization exists to aid street kids by providing them with mentorship, schooling, food, and activities.
The house we are staying in is a common space for 14 boys and 12 girls to drop in. We will be hanging out with them, helping with homework, teaching English, visiting homes, and playing with them. Already, it’s been a blast as we’ve played ping pong, Frisbee, soccer, cards, and football. We’ve made bracelets, colored, skateboarded, and braided hair.
Each morning, we drink tea and coffee. Ethiopians put on an intense coffee ceremony three times a day where they roast their own beans over charcoal and a grass-covered floor. Because we have a cook, we eat a lot of pasta and bread, but we’ve also eaten traditional injera with wot, a spongy flatbread with different sauces. They scoop the sauce with the bread and don’t use silverware. They also like to feed each other.
A couple times, they brought us to the enormous outdoor market so we could receive Ethiopian prices. In order to gauge if a pair of jeans would fit me, one of the guys folded them in half vertically and wrapped them around my neck. Instead of a changing room, the worker gave me a huge skirt to wear and change under. I ended up buying them for half of the original price since the boys negotiated for me.
During the week, we met with the director of Youth Impact, attended a celebratory event at the ministry’s library, and tried to teach English to a group of rambunctious kids. This is definitely my favorite month so far, as we get to live life alongside an amazing group of people.
We do not have internet at the house, so I will most likely only be able to connect on Sundays or Mondays to catch up and upload blogs. I would love prayers for allergy relief. I’m having a hard time breathing since it rains every day and we live with a dreadlocked dog. Please pray for the kids and the leaders here as well, since they come from very difficult backgrounds and face many struggles. Until my next WiFi connection!
