Day 7: Friendships...Near and Far

Today I am thankful for:

Friendships... Near and Far

Friendships. I take them very seriously. I take quality over quantity and hold tight to people that are important to me. It has been such a privilege to see friendships stand firm even across the ocean, and it has been equally as wonderful to watch new friendships form over here. I have met missionary women of all ages that hold such value in my life because they "get it". I have friends in the states who are so intentional about keeping our relationship strong. I count myself blessed to have such wonderful people in my life! Such wonderful people who I can call friends. 

Day 6: Snail Mail

Today I am thankful for:

Snail Mail

What can I say... I'm old fashioned when it comes to my love for hand-written letters and cards! My love for them has been amplified even more since being over here. It's just such a fun way to connect with people, and feels so personal and special. Today we traveled into town and made a stop at the posta-bate (post office). Using my broken amharic I asked the guy if there was any mail in our box and sure enough he brings some out. I frequent the place mailing cards and letters to the states so they know me by name. I guess that's my claim to fame around here. A card, a letter, and a package. (S/O to Rachel, Melita, and my grandparents). Made my day as it always does. 

Thankful today for the Soddo post office and for the mail that finds its way into my hands! 

<Snail Mail Address>

Po Box 131 

Soddo-Wolaitta

Ethiopia

Day 5: Encouragement from Mom

Today I am thankful for:

Encouraging words from Mom

Last night just before going to bed I opened up a card from my mom. The card spoke such truth into my heart: a truth that I clung to today with everything in me. 

"You are changing the world one child at a time... Love them like no one else, invest in them like no one else, and believe in them like no one else and they will never forget you or the God you serve!!!"  

Today was tough. As cultural stress met homesickness I had a hard time holding onto the joy that keeps me going strong. Suddenly all I wanted was a hug from my Mom and a reminder that I CAN do this! How timely. Her words from last night played over and over in my head. She was so right. I may not feel 110% in it today, but how important today was. Today, along with each day before, and every day I have left to spend with these kids I need to love, invest, and believe in them with all that I have. It is true, they bring my heart such joy, but above that I find joy in truth that my serving them on God's behalf will hopefully one day turn their eyes and more importantly their hearts towards Him.

While I wish I could be spending time with my Mom, I am so thankful for the words of encouragement that God filled her heart with to give me just at the moment when I needed them. 

Day 4: Baby Giggles

Today I am thankful for:

Baby Giggles

It has been just over a month since I started spending time at the baby home. I sat there with the kids this morning in awe of how far this month together has brought us. These little ones have learned to trust me, accept me, and love me. They have welcomed me into their lives and have allowed me to see deeper into their hearts with each priceles smile and every precious giggle. They have taught me even more about what it is to love, and have showed me the value that love holds. 

When I started at the baby home, there was a litlte guy who did not take long to win my heart. He was the 1st name I learned and the 1st little one that I really connected with. He stood out to me because his eyes held an emptiness, a look of mere existance. It broke my heart and yet all I knew to do was hold him close and love him. And so that is what I did. It did not take him long to warm up to the attention that he was getting, and not too much time passed before he became jealous if my attention was elsewhere. I was overjoyed by his jeaousy because that meant we were getting somewhere... we had bonded. For a week he sat limp in my lap, content to just be close. Two weeks ago though he began sitting up on his own, making eye contact, letting out a smile, grasping my finger, and he even began to giggle. The first time he let out a giggle I thought my heart was going to burst. God has been at work in this little one that just a month ago was merely existing. He is a new baby. What a joy-filled transformation it has been. 

Today I sat on the pourch of the baby's room with little ones all around. I was lost in the moment with one little guy on either shoulder and one fast asleep on my legs. It was a moment of pure bliss. There was lots of snuggling, but more than that there were giggles. Today, I am praising God for baby giggles! 

Day 3: Suquar (Sugar)

Today I am thankful for:

Sost Kilos Suquar 

(Three kilos of sugar)

    
It has been about a month since sugar has been available in rural Ethiopia. That's just how things go here sometimes. They run out of stuff. Sometimes eggs, sometimes benzine (gas), sometimes sugar, sometimes electricity, and sometimes even water. It's just a part of life. Picture this though: you go to your local grocery store, walk down the baking aisle, and realize there is no sugar to be had. Two weeks later you go back: Nothing. You spend the next two weeks asking every shop keeper you know if they have sugar. Still none. Until FINALLY, on a beautiful Monday in November sugar has returned. 

Some fun grocery facts:

• The biggest "grocery store" in Soddo is about the size of the average living room and has AN aisle. 
• When you purchase items such as sugar, flour, pasta, lentils, or beans they measure them out on an old fashioned scale and pour them right into a plastic grocery bag. Have you ever tried to pour 5 kilos of flour out of a plastic grocery bag? It's not exactly what you would call easy. 
• Most shopping here happens at a suke. A suke is a walk-up shop where you can get just about anything you need. (See picture)

Not having sugar has not been the end of the world by any means, but it has certainly added an extra layer of complication when I have gotten the urge to bake. What tops this still: we have not only sugar but eggs also. AT THE SAME TIME! It's a marvelous beautiful thing. 


Today, I am thankful to have sost kilos of suquar (three kilos of sugar) in the cupboards waiting to sweeten our lives. 

Day 2: His Plans Trump Mine

Today I am thankful that:

God had a plan for me far beyond any I could have imagined for myself. 

My journey to Africa is one that goes back to 6 1/2 years ago when I was in middle-school and God first laid the idea of going to Africa on my heart. Back then I didn't know details I just knew that when I graduated I was going to a baby orphanage in Africa. As the months turned into years I could barely contain my desire to hop on a plane and cross the ocean that laid between me and my dream... Me and my calling. Up until just last August I thought I was going to Johannesburg, South Africa to serve in a home for babies that were abandoned on the streets of the city. Last August God opened my eyes that the struggles and challenges that would come with being in the crime capital of the world on my own. Bad news bears! It was not long after He closed that door for me that He presented me with HIS plan: Ethiopia. In January I made contact with the family I am staying with now, at which point plans fell into place as perfectly as puzzle pieces and there was no doubt in my mind that God had orchestrated this. 

Yet another plot twist. Originally I thought I was coming here to help homeschool and teach at a local preschool. I was excited about the possibility as working with kids was really where my heart was, but once I got here and we talked about moving from Chencha to Soddo I was even more excited than ever because of what moving would mean for me. Moving to Soddo opened up the door for me to do exactly what I said I was going to do all those years ago: work in a baby orphanage in Africa!

God called me to faithfulness even when I did not have all the details. He called me to follow His plan and be willing to give up my own. He called me to GO and promised that everything would fall into place. And it has. God has been so faithful, and through all the possibilities that have come and gone, He allowed me to follow my heart and serve the babies of Africa. It's a beautiful thing when life's dreams align with God's plan. 

Today as I reflect back on my journey to Africa, I am thankful that God had a plan for me far beyond any I could have imagined for myself.

Day 1: Skype

One of my favorite things to do leading up to Thanksgiving is the 30 days of Thankfulness where each day I intentionally take time to think of something I am thankful for. It's a good time to be intentional about counting your blessings. So... for the next 30 days I'll be doing a daily post (or nearly daily depending on the internet) with items in my life that I am thankful for. During this time I encourage you to spend time thinking about the blessing in your life.

Today I am thankful for...

Skype

Today, as I eagerly await a Skype date with my family later this evening, I am thinking about what a blessing Skype has been since arriving in Ethiopia. I am so thankful for the ability to see my family in real-time and share with one another the joys and struggles of life. Without fail, getting to see the faces of the family that I love so very much brightens up my day and brings a smile to my face!  Even from thousands of miles away, we can be together. For that reason and so many others: today I am thankful for Skype.