First things first, I want to give a shoutout to my old high school friend, Danielle Keiner, now Danielle Mann! Congratulations on your recent nuptials, so sorry I couldn’t be there, but I look forward to seeing you and Kirk when I return home.
So in my last blog I brought you up to speed on the first two weeks of Ethiopia. Now I want to give you an in depth-look of the latter half of the month:
After we left Mataa Haraa, we returned to Addis Ababa, the capital, so that two of my teammates could go to the doctor. Then I filmed a vlog with my teammate Jen, which I will post on Facebook later. For the record, I’m still not proud of the fact that I am technically a “blogger” but for now, it is what it is.
Then we travelled to Welenchete, where we partnered with a small church. Our experience there is exactly what you sign up for; sleeping in tents, traveling to small remote villages spreading the gospel, playing Simon Says with children. And I’m gonna brag for a minute here- I am AMAZING at Simon Says, assuming I am Simon. While we were outside the Welenchete ministering to people, we prayed healing over a man who I kid you not the DAY BEFORE GOT SHOT IN THE HEAD! He was walking and talking a day after getting shot in the head. Evidently there’s a real Hatfield-McCoy situation happening nearby. Two different tribes are fighting over water rights and grazing pastures.
But the next day was among my favorite of the race. I got to lead two men, names Dilbo and Boro to the Lord. Seeing the sincerity and joy in their eyes, especially the 20-year old Dilbo’s eyes, made every second of my Race thus far worth it.
My quiet times were amazing. At about 5 AM almost every morning this lovely, albeit tone-deaf choir would begin rehearsal in the sanctuary about 20 feet from my non-sound proof tent, so needless to say I was up reading my Bible far away shortly thereafter.
My time with God was amazing. He revealed so much to me about who I am, what motivates me, and most importantly, that I must stop trying to earn intimacy with Him. No number of quiet-times or memorized-verses or mission trips are going to make Him love me anymore than He does now. The rest He offers is available to me right now, just as I am. That was huge.
My team is amazing. We love each other’s company. They challenge me, we have great conversations, and some of them even get my Office references.
Oh and guess what. I killed another goat. The men at the church wanted to gift us with a feast our last night there, and expected us to contribute. It was delicious, and I learned that these people don’t waste anything.
Now of course it wasn’t all sunshine. We had kids staring at us like some kind of exhibit at Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum. The bathroom/shower/toilet paper situation was a challenge. And on top of all that . . . I’m tired. Just bone tired man. I’ve been missing home, missing Stouffer’s lasagna, decent showers, and my feather pillow. For the record (again)- The World Race is NOT easy. Burn out is a thing. “Downtime” doesn’t always mean rest, and sometimes the one thing you have for yourself, say an ice cream cone, is literally stolen from the palm of your hand by a monkey that has jumped into your lap. Stress happens. But I thank God for every second of stress this month. Without it, Ethiopia wouldn’t have been the gift it was. We relied on Him, this being our “Ask the Lord” month, and He provided.
Apoloigies for the time it’s taken me to post again. Wifi in Ethiopia is about as popular as a rancher at a vegan restaurant. But I have several videos I’m hoping to post soon, that I hope will bring some laughs, or at least a temporary reprieve from one’s dreary, workaday life, as well as an upcoming guest blog.
Prayers for my team as we head to our tenth country tomorrow . . . RWANDA! Prayers for our upcoming debrief and safe travel. Looking forward to coming home soon.
Peace and Love,
Matt
