Hello all the way from Harbu Chulule, Ethiopia! I completed the first 3 months of my race in Guatemala and I have moved to Africa. I wanted to take some time to write a blog about Ethiopia. I have very limited access to cell service so I wanted to handle this “blog style” so I don’t have to explain everything to each person individually. Because there’s a lot!
Ethiopia is very different than Guatemala- shocking I know. Ethiopia is located in Eastern Africa and the capital is named Addis Ababa. I am in Harbu Chulule- which is about 3 hours outside of Addis. This country is a beautiful place. Ethiopia is very high in elevation and rich in coffee beans. Fun fact! Ethiopia is the birth place of coffee. Most people here are intrigued by us. If we drive by we almost always get a wave or a thumbs up. But walking through the village is a different story. People often will follow us to where we are going to watch what we are doing. We have been surrounded on several occasions. Some locals are not very pleased with the fact that we are here. Racers have had rocks thrown at them. So it is a little different from the welcoming arms of the people of Guatemala. However, the kids in the village are the cutest little rays of sunshine. If they see you walking on the road, they will run up to you and grab your hand and walk with you to wherever you’re going.
We are working with a ministry called Hope Ethiopia. They have adopted over 30 children into this home. Here on the base every child that lives here has a home, a house mom and is given an education and so so so much love. They have kids here as young as 3 and some as old as 18. Hope Ethiopia provides a home for kids who have been born into really dark situations. Hope Ethiopia is run by Ralph and Glenda. They are from Canada and one of the most faith driven couples I have ever encountered. Everything they do is to benefit the kids. They are some of the best people I know. I strongly encourage you to go to the Hope Ethiopia website and read about this ministry. They are also involved in clean water efforts and reforestation. They also work hard in teaching young women in the village valuable life skills. They offer them a place to work where they can learn to make leather goods and cook.
We aren’t surrounded by a lot. But there are some little stores around us where we are able to buy popcorn, coke, or orange soda. Which have become some of my favorite things in the world.
The most common question I get is “What does a typical day look like for you?”. So I’m going to write out a little schedule below of what I do everyday.
8 am – Breakfast! (This can be anything from cereal to eggs, and it usually includes bread… with Nutella!)
8:30 am – Devotional! Devos are something I have gotten very into on the race. I think they are a great way to start your day.
10 am – team ministry time! (My team has been assigned to painting, so we will paint any building that needs it)
12 pm – Lunch (potatoes and rice are a common lunch)
1:30 pm – Afternoon ministry! (I chose to work with the women on the base. So At 1:30 I work with the women in the village who work here and teach them English)
2:00 pm – House moms! (At 2 pm we go to the children’s homes and help the house moms and hang out with them. They are amazing women. They have chosen to raise the kids as their own. They deserve to be poured into)
5 pm – ministry is over. (This is free time that we can spend doing things like laundry or team time)
6 pm – Dinner! (This is usually soup… but on really lucky days we have chicken!)
The rest of the night is free time. And my team usually chooses to have a movie night every night. After dinner we make a big bowl of popcorn and climb onto Alanas bed and watch a movie on my laptop.
10 pm – Bed! (We are in bed by 10 unless the movie we watched is super long haha!)
So there you go. That’s a typical day for me. The weekends here are very restful. There isn’t a ton to do but I keep myself busy with my devotions, watercoloring, playing with kids and watching movies. Sometimes I do find myself missing my weekend trips to Deep Ellum or even Houston. But I am learning to slow down and enjoy a simple lifestyle.
