I sleep in my tent. I have half the things in my pack that I started with 9 months ago. Most nights I get to listen to the rain as I fall asleep and when I wake up around 6 or 7 it’s cool, sunny skies. We stay with the Pastor and his family at his house with free lodging. They have a few woman who stay and help with cleaning and cooking. This is normal for Ethiopia. They have neighbors on each side of them separated by a cement wall as tall as their house. No grass, just a cement driveway. That’s where we sleep.
Ministry days have consisted of prayer with the Pastor and his team or evangelism outreach. So far we have led 10 people to Christ and have gotten to share the Gospel and pray with over 100. They’re long days of walking and openly being led by the Spirit to talk with people. On Sundays we preach at different churches and this Sunday we’ll be singing. Church consists of a lot of prayer, different people getting up to speak randomly and a choir. Every church has been a little different in their unique way of service but it’s always full of energy and “Amens,” “Hallelujah.”
They let us use their living room/dining room as a place to sit, eat, keep bags, and food. They live simplistic with a double burner camping stove top and charcoal grill to cook food and a large cooker to make injera, a crepe like flatbread that they use to eat their food with. The family makes it for themselves and sells it in their small store in front of their house. The food is spicy and fresh. We are able to shop at the open markets twice a week to buy food as a team. They are crowded and as white people, we stick out, a lot. But we form friendships easily as we visit the same vendors and some have even given us a few free avocados. The Pastors wife helps us to haggle down the overcharged prices when they see she’s with white people.
Now let me mention the best part. Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee and the family keeps fresh coffee beans in their cabinet. Ethiopians have a coffee ritual where only the woman prepare and serve the coffee. They do the whole process from roasting to brewing in front of you so the person may enjoy the aroma of the coffee roasting before drinking. It is a strong coffee served in a small cup. They are adamant that it is only women who can prepare it and men can never serve themselves. They have treated us to this many times. After the coffee is cooked they pop popcorn over the same charcoal grill and serve while the coffee is brewing. They may even make a coffee leaf tea made of the leaves of the coffee plant, onion, ginger, and salt.
Their calendar and clock is different than we’re used to. They are technically about to enter into year 2009. They also have a thirteenth month which consists of either 5 or 6 days. These days leading up to their New Year, which is September 1st in their calendar but America’s September 11th, Christians use for prayer. Their clock is based off of 12 hours per day rather than 24 hours.
The city we are staying in uses public buses as transportation which are really just large 12 passenger vans where they can cram in at least 20, very uncomfortably, but it gets you from place to place. They also have a “Bijaj” it’s almost like a motorcycle with a cab on it that can fit 3 people in the back. We like to walk on foot as much as we can and it helps us see more of the city. Just last week we saw hippos, an anaconda, birds as large as a small child and baboons, not to mention the goats and cows that are herded every which way on sidewalks and streets. The baboons will chase you if you’re white, unless you throw something at them.
Their New Year is being celebrated tonight after a week of prayer together as a team. As we were out this morning shopping around on our off-day they picked up a goat. Though the women here are often the ones that slaughter and cook the food, the guys on my team found the pleasure of wanting to help out. Or at least watch the process. So we will be having goat tonight along with other Ethiopian delicacies and probably wash it all down with a cup of fresh coffee.
At the end of the night I will shake the ants off my tent before unzipping and crawling in. I use my Luci light to read or listen to a podcast before succumbing to sleep around 10. Night.
>>> We’re currently trying to fundraise to bless the members of these churches with Bibles. They either don’t have the means to afford one or to buy one consists of traveling three-four hours to the capital. Please consider praying about donating or for prayer support that we can raise it before we leave in 2 weeks. Blessings. www.youcaring.com/absolute-fullness-of-christ-church-638657 <<<
