Ethiopia Blog : Wrap up Post
Where did it go? The time…have you seen it? I don’t get it, didn’t we just end month 1? Well appearantly, month 5 is here now.
Let’s recap month four!
Ethiopia :
After our third month in India, I was dreading coming to Ethiopia. I was having a hard time because I did not want to say goodbye to our India family yet. A month seems long initially in our thoughts but it’s so short in reality. You build these great relationships with people and then time passes and you have to say goodbye. I didn’t want to start over again, but here I am now…and I don’t want to leave Ethiopia. Time walked right in front of me and then disappeared. COME BACK PLS…THANK YOU.
We stepped into Ethiopia with new teams, a new culture, and a new continent. I had a conversation with the Lord as we began this new month and we were kind of casting vision for what he wanted of me this month. I just kept hearing, “be willing.” So of course, I listened and I prepared my heart to just “be willing.” Also, he blessed my new team and I with a beautiful space to rest and to pursue deeper intimacy with him. We had our own house and each of us had a bedroom (not typical for the world race). So, as a team we prayed into what the Lord was leading us into and each felt that he wanted us to just rest and spend time with him this month and of course we took the opportunity to share the Gospel whenever an opportunity arose.
Alright, where do I even start? This is going to turn into a novel…just kidding. I may have to make another blog though. Safe to say I fell in love with Ethiopia, the culture, and the people (Bella, you say that about every country). I know, I know, but this one is different! Ethiopia grabbed my heart and the Lord placed beautiful people in front of me. No seriously, directly in front of me.
Let me explain. I am going to use pictures!
1st Picture : My Team!
I was extremely blessed to have these lovely ladies by my side this month. Your team becomes your family. There’s always time to encourage each other, learn from each other, cry with each other, laugh with each other and create unity together. These girls challenged me, encouraged me, and loved on me this month and I was able to do the same for them! Your team can also be your ministry.
2nd Picture : TG and Burta
These two…hearts of gold! At the beginning of the month, all of the girls stayed in a guest house together before splitting into two separate teams. Across the street from the guest house were these little, “hole-in-the-wall” places to get authentic coffee and traditional foods. Our first night, we stepped into one of the restaurants and met these two! To your right is Burta, she owns the restaurant. To your left is TG, she is Burta’s sister. My girl Burta can cook! She made sure our bellies were full and, despite the language barrier, she never failed to make us smile! TG has a true servants heart. She loves well and has a contagious laugh. She could speak a little bit of English and was able to share a bit of her heart with me. Towards the end of our time at the guest house, I was able to connect with them on a personal level and was able to share a little about my relationship with Jesus only to find out that they loved him too! My initial prayer going into getting to know them was, “Lord open up a door to share your love.” But, not only was I able to love on them, they loved on me. The father has constantly been allowing me to walk into circumstances were I am receiving his love. It was a true blessing to meet these two!
3rd Picture : Aziz!
Aziz! He is the one in blue. The first day we arrived at our house in Ethiopia, we met Aziz. There was a house being built in front of ours and he was the person who oversaw and made sure everything was running smoothly. He was so kind to us right from the start. Everyday he would say hello and give us a smile! Eventually we were able to build a friendship with him and some others who I will mention later in the blog. He was willing to listen and always had something nice to say. He is true and genuine and loves people so well! He definitely has a huge heart. He taught us a lot of the language too, which was fun to practice whenever we went out and about!
Picture 4 : Maserat
The Beautiful Maserat! She worked in our house and tended to it. She was very quiet and kept to herself in the beginning of our stay. I had mentioned earlier that Aziz, the guy in the picture above, had taught us a good bit of the language and because of that, I was able to communicate with Maserat more! She didn’t speak much English, but we understood each other for the most part. I would point to something and say the English name for it and then she would say the Amharic name for it. She began to open up to me more. I could tell that she was beginning to feel more comfortable around the girls and I, which filled my heart with joy. I loved spending time getting to know her, and I could tell she enjoyed it too. She never fell short of a smile and would give me the best hugs! She always shared her food with me and she would make me chai in the mornings because we would both be awake before everyone else. The mornings were the best because I was able to let her in on my faith and how Jesus changed my life. I was able to plant a seed and my prayer is that it continues to grow. It’s a blessing to know her and I plan to be back one day to visit again.
Picture 5 : The boys!!
Sheggow on your right and Habitamu on your left! These two…trouble…just kidding. Wow, I have never had siblings before, but I would have to say these two are my little brothers. They are 19 and easy to love. They were just two of the workers that were working across the street from our house, but the more we were able to interact with them, through Aziz, the the easier it became to know them. They both have the biggest hearts and I believe that the Lord has big plans for them in the future. I truly felt like I played a big sister role in their lives. It’s a blessing to know them. My prayer is that one day I can come back and help them get through schooling and also meet their families in the villages. In this picture we are at our favorite coffee stop and they are wearing mine and Jewel’s jackets.
Picture 6 : The Students at BEZA International Church
We were able to find a home Church for the month! It is called BEZA International Church. While being there, we were able to meet a good bit of the staff and also hangout with the students on Friday nights! Such a lively bunch! This place was truly impactful and the relationships that were made are forever. I am thankful to know these people and also to be able to learn from them. They are impacting the Kingdom in large ways and I can’t wait to see what the future holds!
Picture 7 : Kuki and Tsion!
My girls!! Kuki is taking this amazing selfie and then Tsion is on your right in the green sweater! Tsion is the Student Pastor’s wife at BEZA Church and Kuki also works with the Church in the student department. These women…true vessels of the Father. They show and express his love so well to the people around them. Their integrity shows in their actions and they bring so much joy and laughter into any room. As a team, we were able to spend almost a whole day with them. Tsion invited us into her home and had breakfast and tea ready for us when we got there! We were able to open up and share our hearts and stories with them and they did the same. Come to find out we were all struggling with similar things. We also got to enjoy some time spent in worship! The Lord came and sat with us that day and the room was filled with his love. I will never forget that day and all of the treasures it held.
There are so many people that we were able to connect with, pray for, and love on. We are forever grateful for the friendships, the laughs, and the memories! My last words are for Sinite, a friend of ours that, unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of! She walked up to us the very first day we came to BEZA International Church and gave us all the information we needed! We were able to get to know her more and invite her into our home for a day full of sharing our testimonies. I firmly believe she walks with the Holy Spirit and she was able to speak into our lives directly to things we were each struggling with. She is truly an inspiration! We are forever impacted.
Ethiopia will forever be in our hearts! Please continue to pray and intercede for the people of Ethiopia!
Much love to you all,
B
