While being in Ethiopia, washing your hands happens pretty often. I work in the gardens in the morning, Reforestation in the afternoon, and playing with the children when I have free time. While gardening, I am breaking up clay-like dirt for two hours, to prepare it for planting. It takes a lot of work, and without having many tools to work with, our hands become covered in the dark grey earth. Watching the dirt swirl down the drain, is only satisfying as it serves as a reminder of proving that we had a hardworking morning. Reforestation starts as a 45 minute walking journey from the base to the site. Once there, we sit in a circle around a mound of dirt and begin packing it into little plastic cylinders. Once the mound has disappeared into individual packages, they are taken to be planted with a seed for a tree. We then collect the watering cans, two for each of us, and walk to the brook to fill them, then water the growing saplings. We repeat this watering process until every tree is watered. After completing this, we journey back to the base to wash our hands and get ready for dinner. When playing with the children, we run around, play soccer, carry them, play catch, have dance parties, and movie nights. These children are not dirty, but the theoretical dirt on our hands shows the relationships that are growing each day and the memories being made. Dirty hands are something that you will see and be a part of while ministering in Ethiopia, and it is the best way to know that even the small things that are done, can have a great impact on you, those around you, and the community.
