Since we were going to Africa I have had low expectations of our living situation, which I was more than okay with. It’s safe to say that I was expecting to have stay in a house made of mud with squatty potties and bucket showers.
We hopped on the plane to Ethiopia, and as I as walking back to my seat there were two little girls with their mom talking about where they were going and I thought I heard on of them say, “We are going to Ethiopia!” and I said, “We are going there too!” There Mom asked where we were going specifically and I replied by saying, “We don’t really know.” and she replied by saying, “God does.” That was how I knew that it was going to be a really great month spent in this beautiful country.
We got off of the plane and went straight to immigration and then grabbed our bags. However, we had to unfortunately leave Andre behind because there was more to her visa process since she is from Costa Rica. They almost didn’t let her into the country, but by the grace of God she was let into the country after sleeping in the airport for a couple of nights. We prayed so hard for them to allow her in. The Lord is so faithful.
The people here are so beautiful and kind and the Lord shines so brightly through them.
Despite my expectations for our living situation we drove up to some brick buildings, which were the first ones we had seen since leaving the city of Addis Ababa. We drove past several houses made of mud and sticks. We were greeted by sweet children chanting, “Welcome, Welcome, Welcome!” I began to tear up because the Lord is so so good and he has brought us all safely to this beautiful place. Once we parked, the children began helping us unpack the vans and bring things inside the brick buildings. Each child gave us big hugs and had such big smiles on their faces, so eager to love us.
The place we are staying is in the middle of nowhere, but we have more than I could have ever imagined to have in Africa. We have beds with sheets, pillows, and big blankets, stove tops, a toaster oven (which I’ve made banana bread in), running water, hot showers (sometimes), a washing machine AND a dryer(am I really in Africa?), energy/water saving toilets, and 24 sweet children that love so hard, women who cook and clean for us everyday, and a soccer field.
I wouldn’t mind staying here forever. I have everything that I could ever need and more. The Lord is so faithful and good y’all.
