Hey Guys!
First off I just want to apologize for the lack of blogging these past few weeks. Between traveling and a new country/a new living situation/no wifi at all, it kinda just fell by the wayside.
With that being said, after 2 flights and a 12 layover in Bangkok (which was sweet), we finally made it to Harbu Chulule, Ethiopia which is just south of the capital, Addis Ababa. We have been here for a little over a week, and it is truly amazing! We are partnering with an organization called HOPEthiopia, and they do so much for this small community. One of the many things that they do is provide a home for 28 kids who are either biological orphans or social orphans and sponsor them, while also sending them to school. When we first arrived at the “compound” as they call it, many of the kids were all over the van as we were just getting out and one grabbed my arm and would let go for hours. Malassa is an 8 yr old who lives here with his 3 other siblings and wants to be the president of Ethiopia one day. Every morning when we walk from where we sleep to where we have breakfast, we are always greeted with big hugs from many of the kids. It is so cool to see how they immediately love others no matter what.
At the beginning of our first week, myself, Parker, and a few of the girls from our squad helped out at the local health clinic by cleaning peoples teeth. Ralph, the founder of HOPEthiopia is a dentist in Canada and he comes to Ethiopia every other month and one of the things that he does is helps out at the local health clinic. Aside from that, our team will be working at the local reforestation site as well as their apple orchard where we help plant trees to bring back some of the wildlife that has been lost over time.
Aside from that, the rest of our squad is teaching the kids, working in the kitchen, repairing the road in front of our home, and helping out with various other projects around the community. It has been really cool to live without the common distractions of life for these past few weeks. At first, I thought it would be really easy, but even though it has been hard sometimes, the Lord has been faithful in teaching me that I’m where I need to be and that it’s about the journey with him, not necessarily about the goal. I have had so much more time to just sit and listen to Him and he has said so much, which is super encouraging.
Also, My fundraising deadline is quickly approaching and I need just under $300! If you or anyone you know would like to donate, it would be greatly appreciated
I will also be posting some more blogs with pictures from our first month here in Ethiopia as well as a highlight video from Cambodia, so go check those out! I will have wifi for the next few days so feel free to hit me up if ya want!
