They surrounded me. We spoke through smiles and made up songs and games with little sticks and leaves. The joy was evident and the moment simple, but unforgettable.
This week the Lord led me on one of the most beautiful adventures of my life. I am permanently marked by this rich experience and I will tell the story until the day I die.
The story really starts two months ago in Romania when I started reading a book called No Greater Love. I learned about the terrible practice of Mingi happening in some of these tribes in Africa. If you have not read my blog about it, please do so HERE.
Off to Turmi…
By divine direction, my team and I found ourselves on a trip to the bush of southern Ethiopia with Omo Child staff.
Besides Lale, we were accompanied on the journey by a handful of other Omo staff, including Ayko the manager, and his wife. We piled into a trusty land cruiser, 11 of us total, our bags strapped on the top. The incredible character of the desert road, if you’d call it a road, added to the adventure.
For the first two days we stayed in Turmi, with the Hamer tribe. Two men from there joined our mission. One was Emnet. Emnet was a victim of Mingi, but was spared, and now, decades later, he is living with and blessing his people.
On this trip, we got to see the other side of Omo Child’s vision and mission. They are much more than a home for rescued Mingi victims, who would otherwise have been killed. They are a team of people passionate about bringing hope and change for their tribes.
And that means many things. It’s more than just rescuing children, it’s teaching their people why the killings are wrong, and that Mingi is not a curse, it is a blessing! It’s making their homes a safe place for these children to thrive! It’s more than starting up a school, or giving them resources, it’s teaching them to take ownership and responsibility in how to care for their property. It is more than building a church house, it’s raising up leaders and pastors. It’s empowering the people and equipping them to equip others.
Lale puts it simply. He says, “To go in the right direction, you need two oars to paddle your boat, the gospel, and education.”
Taylor and I have had the incredible opportunity to partner firsthand with Lale’s work for these four days. We had quite a number of meetings and visited many different schools and homes. Our main job was to take photos, documenting the mission, but also taking individual headshots of the “members”, those supporting Omo Child and assuming responsibility in carrying out the vision for change in their specific village.
We drove deep into the bush for these meetings. Lale told us no tourist or missionary has ever been in some of these parts, well, that’s kinda cool.
A meeting would look something like this: we pulled up to some huts where several people greeted us and in a few seconds, quite a number more had gathered. Tay and I were summoned to sit on cowhide mats and were served coffee in huge gourds. Several small children would peer at us shyly and occasionally come sit in our laps.
Lale and Emnet would speak for awhile, describing the work of Omo Child. They asked the people what their needs are, the condition of their schools, and whether or not they are practicing Mingi. Typically the latter is not answered. If they are practicing it, they don’t want to own up to it. Although it is a secret practice, they believe it is right, and unless otherwise educated, do not regret the killings.
Some tribesmen said their needs were a grinding mill, clean water, and more food, while others said they needed school books, phones, and solar panels.
Many of the schools we visited were in very poor condition, due to damage from the elements and animals and just lack of care and responsibility. A few schools were abandoned and no longer functioning. This made Lale and Ayko very sad.
Lale can’t be everywhere at once and he certainly can’t hold them accountable all the time because these are many different villages, many miles apart. For lack of knowledge and education, many of these people have no vision or goal for the future betterment of their condition. But change is happening and there are more and more people standing up and standing with him in his vision and joining his efforts.
We hit the roads early the next morning for our second day of the work. Lale said it is their rule to switch seats. He took up driving and Tay and I rode shotgun, giving us front rows seats to view the marvel around us. We saw the sun rise over the desert. Baboons crossed the road in front of us and dickdicks darted in the brush around us. The morning sounds of many exotic birds filled the fresh air. Talk about all my senses coming alive. Emotions of joy were sky high and as Tay said, “I can’t stop smiling”.
At one of our meetings, we were given a goat. An old billy goat. He was strapped to the roof of our Cruiser, the poor thing. He moaned and groaned as we scaled the bumps and dips of the desert roads. As he begged relief, Tay and I tried to convince ourselves he’d been a bad goat.
We actually stopped at another farm asking if they want to trade our old billy for a younger one (with more tender meat). We were refused, which I can’t really blame them. Later that night Lale showed us the goat meat roasting on long sticks by an outside fire, being prepared for our dinner.
Ayko, Emnet, and Buche invited us to try some of the raw meat, including the delicacies, the liver and stomach. We refused, for the sake of our health, but later, I tried some of the cooked liver. I didn’t really like it, but sometimes good taste is in the cool experience, not the flavor. This old goat provided meals for us for several days.
Lale said there is no word for thank you in their language. You just remain silent. When you see them again, you show them respect and you give them a goat. This place we’d visited had expressed their need for more food. They lacked enough food for their people to eat, yet out of the generosity of their hearts, they gift us a goat to show their appreciation for us. How remarkable!
Next stop: Kara Dus…
After our two days in Turmi, we drove several hours to Dus, Lale’s home village and tribe, the Kara.
The Kara have come a long way, including the elimination of the Mingi practice. Lale’s mission began here. With his own hands, he built the church house. He wrote all the songs they sing there. He says, “I know they need something simple, something they can understand.”
For four years Lale taught school in Dus. That was when the school was new. Now, a decade later, the buildings are in very poor shape, adding to Lale’s mission. He wants to restore it to good condition and teach his people proper upkeep and care of it.
We set up camp in a beautiful area of woods overlooking the Omo River with all its crocodiles. Thankfully the banks were high enough to “pen in” the crocs. In spite of them though, Lale bathed in the river, as do the tribal people. He says, “The crocodiles don’t get me. They know me.” We were off limits to go into the water, as if it were necessary to make that restriction. I don’t think any of us desired to step foot into the croc bed.
We also heard a monkey fight with most likely another animal. Kimbra and Rachel saw about 50 monkeys. I only saw one. Ok. That’s fine, I guess.
I did see a bunch of bees. We ate the honey straight from the comb. We had plenty of good coffee, great conversation, and quality time together singing and sharing stories. Cooking was done over campfire, pasta and more meat from the old billy. Everything about our camp experience was so legit and so GREAT!!
Work in Dus for Tay and me was more of the same, joining Lale and Emnet in their work and continuing our photography profession.
Lale introduced us to his parents, Labuko and Ami. We saw the place where he was born and raised, a simple hut in a small village.
We also watched the process of enjera making and Emnet got us donuts from a girl who was frying them outside her home.
We went to a worship service at church. First when we arrived, we were accompanied by about 30 children, most of them unclothed. Some fought to sit next to us, some sat in our laps. As more people arrived, they ordered the children to sit on the ground and took their spots. It is customary for the younger to give up their seat for an elder.
At one point, a little girl walked into the church, holding an older girl’s hand. At the sight of me, the gasped loudly and her eyes doubled in size. She slipped behind the older girl’s skirt and peered at me. I smiled and she smiled back, her shocked expression relaxing slightly.
Another little girl screamed hysterically as her mama tried to convince her to shake our hands. Most children loved us, but a few were obviously terrified by our pale skin.
The service was so amazing. They prayed and made profound declarations, the congregation shouting “Amen”. They sang beautiful songs, ones Lale wrote. Lale preached from Daniel 3, about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He had three boys participate in a drama to help the people understand.
We felt so loved and accepted in this community.
Very important for relevance in this story is that you also read the testimony of Lale’s life and of Omo Child. I am in the process of writing it. Keep on the lookout for it.
Also for pictures, check out my Facebook page on album, “Turmi/Dus, Ethiopia.”
I have been unspeakably blessed to work alongside Lale and learn from him. He has shared with us the passion of his heart, forever changing ours.
