We Moved!!

       This week, we have seen quite a bit of transition. We decided as a family that it was time to move to a little town about 100km (60 miles) from Chencha. This move was one that had come up in some e-mails before I even crossed the ocean, and after God dropped the perfect opportunity in our laps we took a step of faith and decided it was time to go. A week ago we packed up a good portion of the Chencha house and headed down the mountain to our new home in Soddo. 

        Now, you are probably asking lots of questions... "What does this mean for your ministry?" "How does Soddo compare to Chencha?" "Why the move?" Etc. 

        The move came about as my host family had pretty much accomplished their goal--they had worked themselves out of a job in Chencha. This is the ultimate goal of every missionary: to come in, empower the people, and watch them become self-sustaining in whatever it was that the missionary came to do. In this case, with the ag-project in Chencha where we were living, they had reached the phase where space was necessary to see if the farm could run on it's own. It was certainly sad to move off of the property because the staff there really feels like a family, but we will still be making frequent trips back, and Jon will still be in Chencha weekly to see how things are going with their self-sustainability. The work for my host family is still the same, just with added distance to give the staff the ability to really discover their strengths and abiliteis. 

        Compared to rural Chencha, Soddo is a hoppin' place! Where as life in Chencha meant rustic living in a village like setting, Soddo is a town and as a result is a bit more western. We have gone from a Chica-Bet (a mud house) on the farm in Chencha to our new home which has an indoor kitchen, their own rendition of indoor plumbing, and even glass windows. One of the biggest advantages here is that we have a feringe (white westerners) missionary community which makes all the difference in the world for minimizing cultural stresses. We are able to be a part of weekly Bible study, fellowship, and Sunday afternoon church. Yes, you read the correctly. Sunday afternoon, as in 4:00pm. They've got it going on!! Getting to know other missionaries has also been quite an encouragement. 

        For me, this move has meant plugging in with a mission VERY quickly! Up until this point I have been on mission for missionaries working with Jon and Jess and the kids through all the transitions that have gone along with leaving the farm. This has been good time to bond and grow together as a family, as I have been ever so blessed to call them mine. Looking forward though, I am excited to plug into something of my own. I'm looking forward to spending time with a local children's home that has captured my heart. They work predominantly with young children and those with special needs. In addition to that I have been privileged to travel to a rural pregnancy clinic and help care for mothers who do not have access to quality care on a regular basis. My goal in all things here: to pour out the love that I have been overwhelmed with all of my life. God has given me great opportunities to serve the people here... 

        So there you have it. Life in Africa is changing. That is exactly how things go here. And as in all things, God is at the center of this leading our hearts to where He wants to use us to further His kingdom. 

God's an Artist

 



Happy New Year!

                                    

          Happy Ethiopian New Year (a few days late). On Thursday, September 11th we welcomed in the year 2007 with lots of visiting with friends, more coffee than you could ever imagine consuming in a given day, and copious amounts of dorro wat with injera (a local chicken dish eaten with a fermented pancake like bread called injera). Welcoming a new year here is similar to the states in that it leaves you reflecting on the previous year and looking ahead to what is to come.

        The process of reflection took me back about 7 years, to what my life looked like in 2007. I was in the midst of the chaos they call middle school. ICK! Though, this is right about when God started laying Africa on my heart. And here, 7 years later (or no time later depending on which calendar you follow) I am living my dream in a situation that ONLY God could have orchestrated. It seemed as if these days would never come, preparing was a test of patience, but the result is so worth the wait. 

        Here, with a family I feel like I have been a part of my whole life, with people I have grown to love in such a short time, and with a new opportunity to serve right around the corner I feel complete. I am filled with joy and have never felt so alive. This is what it is to live, to come across a dream and follow it. It is not always easy, but it is worth it. 

Only in Africa

You might be a missionary in rural Ethiopia if: 

• You plan extra time into your trips because you may find yourself behind herds of animals and taking unplanned and unmarked detours because of construction. Alright, let's be honest here. It is not that you "may find yourself" in these situations... It is more a matter of how many times it'll happen. 

 

• You get excited when a bathroom has toilet paper in it. And let's not even talk about the thrill that comes with seeing a toilet... The excitement is kind of like Christmas and your birthday all rolled into one! 

• You have a love-hate relationship with rain! 
• Rain love: Cool water to drink, a good excuse to curl up and drink hot tea (though here you really don't need an excuse), and we can shower and wash clothes as often as we want. 
• Rain hate: Cold, muddy, sometimes long-term power outages, and being trapped inside. 

It is just life. The rain comes and goes. If it is dry in the morning, you can plan on a wet afternoon, and often it works the other way around too. 

• You are preparing to celebrate New Years. On Thursday, September 11th, we will be ringing in 2007. Yep, you got that right. I am back in my middle school years, though this time around is much more enjoyable than my first round of 2007 was. 

• You look around and sometimes wonder, is this even real? Then you realize that yes, it is indeed real and that not only is our God an amazing father... He has a side job as a world class artist! 

With You Always

 

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." 

Rolling into Week 3

        I cannot even begin to tell you how often I sit here looking at a blinking cursor and blank white page wondering how in the world I am going to put into words all that I am experiencing. This is one of those times. As a good friend described it, "New people, new food, new culture, new home, no inside plumbing... WOW!" I want to spill the beans and share each and every detail, but there is no way to recount two weeks of life and there is no way you want to sit and read that..... So, let me just share with you a few random Hannah-facts about life in rural Ethiopia.

Relationships are BIG! Whether it is going down to have coffee with some of the staff or sharing bumbalino with a neighboring family, people appreciate time. 

Electricity: take it or leave it. For all of you who were worried: YES, we do have electricity. It is just unpredictable. There are days when it goes out 4 or 5 times a day, then there are times when it stays on for a full day or 2. You just never know. 

Despite popular belief, Africa is not always blazing hot. In fact, here in Chencha things are pretty chilly, at least for right now. Currently, we are wrapping up the rainy season, though it has been awfully sunny for the past two days. As the rain moves away, my understanding is that warmth will move in. 

BYOTP (Bring your own toilet paper). I'd say 4 out of 5 times, when you use a public bathroom, it is a TP free zone. Carrying toilet paper was a trick I picked up on VERY quickly! 

Life is beautifully simplistic. There is a certain beauty that thrives in the lifestyle here.  It comes from the relationships, the lack of constant connection, the freedom to be a little dirty, the mindset of giving and sharing with others even if it is all you have. 

        As I roll into week 3, I am happy to be pretty well settled in. I am grateful for easy adaptations, doors opening in the near future, a handful of words that I have picked up in Amharic, and the beginnings of what will amount to great relationships by the end of this year. Please pray in the coming week that God would continue to provide opportunities for me to serve, that I would continue to pick up on the language, and that in all things--good and bad--I would turn to God. 

Here. Happy. Home.

Yesterday marked the end of my first week in Africa. Sometimes I catch myself looking around and thinking "is this even real?" Seeing as this has been something I have spent so many years dreaming about, it seems like a natural reaction. The fact that I am indeed really here, even as I begin adjusting to the routines of daily life, seems totally and completely surreal. 

 

Above is a picture just down from our house... Just to the right of the blue building is where we live. And that green building at the top of the hill, that's the Onesimus chicken hatchery house. Over the past few days I have spent a little time in there cleaning eggs and collecting from the hatch. 

Below is again, just down from our house. This will give you an idea of what Chencha is like. Currently it is the rainy season so the days are foggy and the nights are wet, but in a month or two I'm picturing blue skies and clear views.

       

A quick overview of the past week: After arriving on Wednesday morning around 7:00am (midnight your time) we began our day with some breakfast and a tour of Addis Ababa. After unloading my stuff at the guest house where we were staying, we went back into the city to meet the staff of Onesimus and check in on the girls at the half way home. I did not quite understand all that the girls were saying, but spending that time with them was a treat. After turning in early that night and catching up on a few days worth of sleep deprivation, I was able to welcome day two rested and ready to go. We spent the day stocking up on supplies and preparing to head south the next day. Out trip to Chencha began on Friday and was a two day endeavor with an overnight stop about six hours in. Saturday afternoon we arrived in Chencha, and after five or so days of traveling, I was at my new home! 

       Last night I was reading back over some of what I have journaled in the last week. I had to laugh as I read everything from "oh my goodness, I am so excited to be here" to "what on earth am I doing here?". Times when, in the same day, I was both overjoyed by the reality of what is happening in my life and yet totally overwhelmed by the newness. As my first week here draws to a close, I am so very content to call this place home. I have been blessed already in my time here: by the people, by my family, and by the beauty and simplicity of life. Please pray as the weeks tick by that I am able to be as much of a blessing as others have been to me thus far. God is going to do great things in this year. What an honor it is to be a part of His plan.

So there you have it. The long-awaited first post from Africa. In short.... I am here, I am happy, and I am home.