My official work with teaching will begin here a week or so after the Ethiopian New Year (September 11th) when the kids start back to school. I will be working to teach English to students who are in the preschool and kindergarten programs at the local church. I am ever so excited for late September to bring this new and exciting responsibility, new relationships, and new opportunities to be a contributing part of this community. As I wait for school to begin I still find myself teaching... We have just wrapped up another week of homeschooling for Dawit. I have been able to get involved with his schooling a little by taking on a few subjects each day; as schools in the states are all back in full swing, I find myself missing being in the classroom so what a joy it has been to be doing what I love: teaching... In AFRICA!
Though I came to teach, I have come to find out that I'm also here to learn.
More times than not, I find myself in the role of teacher; however, since arriving in the hills of Ethiopia I have quite often claimed the title of student! In my short time here, just by living on the farm, I have learned a great deal about hatching and raising chickens. I have learned how to cook various new dishes, including tortillas from scratch. Slowly but surely, I have picked up some of the local language, Amharic. Each and every time we go into "town", or anywhere beyond the 4 walls of our house for that matter, I learn just a little bit more about social roles and etiquette. Through relying on Jesus Christ as my constant, I have even learned more about what it is to share a deep and personal relationship with the Savior of this world.
Of all that I have learned, that last one is by far my favorite! How sweet it is to know that My God is the same yesterday and today, in the states and in Ethiopia, when I am sick and when I am well, when I am feeling encouraged and when I am discouraged. In Matthew 28, Jesus commands us directly to go and make disciples of all nations, spreading the truth of who HE is! And His promise to us: "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
