Pictures

Here's a quick peak into what has been happening here lately, all via pictures.

 

     If your first response was "ICK!" then we are on the same page. I found this ugly thing (totally my opinion, some may find icky 8 legged spiders to be a beautiful addition to this world) on my kitchen floor. I assumed he was dead. If I had known otherwise I most certainly would NOT have stuck my hands that close to place a coin. Sure enough, when I came back to get rid of him, he was GONE! As I shared before, the only thing worse than finding this guy in my kitchen was coming back to find him GONE! A few days later, a similar spider showed up and lost his life to the end of my broom. You always hear about people having these encounters with gargantuan critters in their 3rd world country experiences... I am here to tell you, the encounters are real! A healthy dose of confidence and a cleaning tool took care of this one. Let's hope there are no more.

     These next two pictures I got while in town the other day. I love them because they are so representative of life here... 

 

Donkeys pull carts. They haul loads to and from market. They carry rocks and wooden beams. They bring "donkey water" when the water goes out. They are working animals. Often times they will pull carts, other times they just have loads on their backs. Here, right beside the veggie stand that we like, is a boy and his donkey. Obviously intrigued by the feringe girl (Jess) at the stand. 

And below... the epitome of organized chaos. This is the line for gas at the local station. Gas is mostly used in town by guys who make their money as motor bike and bajaj drivers. When there is gas to be had, the station looks like this. Ok, well, it looks like this on a good day. Most of the time is is a free for all. No line. Though this line looks organized, just to my left was a fight that was just about to break out over who got gas next. The funny part is, in the midst of the chaos I barely batted an eyelash because here, this is just normal. (I would have snapped a picture of the near fight, but I am not sure that would have gone over so well in the midst of their frustrations).

Playing Catch Up

Wow, a whole week into April and I have yet to post anything. 

     Many of you know from my newsletter and updates what I have going on in life right now. And unfortunately, as much as I would like to share on here, I am much more limited in what I can post. I am not intentionally putting my blog on the back-burner, but when my whole life right now is something I am limited in sharing, it is much more difficult to find things to post about.

     I shared a couple weeks ago about feeling caught in a valley. A number of things seemed to contribute to that, but I am thankful now to be well on my way out of it! Holy Week and Easter both proved to be encouraging times for me. This year, the reality of why we celebrate Easter seemed so much more real in my life. It may be because I know my Pappy is up in Heaven this year because of the love and grace that surrounded the death and resurrection of our Lord. It may be because this year I have more freely given myself to God, been more dependent on Him, and have been strengthened by His faithfulness time and time again. Perhaps because of that it just seems closer to my heart. 

Just a quick update on what has been going on lately: 

    This past Sunday, we celebrated Easter. We had a morning church service with the other missionaries in the area, and time of fellowship during a mid-morning brunch. I always enjoy the music at church, it is how I worship, but this week especially the music was top notch! Enjoyed the celebration of Jesus rising from the grave. This coming Sunday, Ethiopians will celebrate the same holiday which they call Fasika. I hope to go to the orphanage and take some new clothes and treats that some good friends have sent in the mail. Celebration of Easter here looks very similar to celebration of Christmas and New Years: coffee, tea, and lots of doro wat! 

     One of my closest friends and I are planning a weekend getaway at the end of April. This is my first real excursion, so I am looking forward to it! We'll visit the town of Awassa and enjoy time walking around the lake, time of relaxation, and quite possibly a bowl or ten of ice cream! We will be taking public transport there (a bus) which I am looking forward to. I am sure it will be miserable, hot, and stinky. And the odds of me getting car-sick are HIGH... But it is such a part of life for Ethiopians, so I feel like I have to experience it at least once. 

     Monday I celebrated 8 months in Ethiopia. It is absolutely mind blowing to me that is has been that long. This time last year I was just weeks away from graduation, and as ready as I could possibly be for August 5th to get here! Now I am starting my 9th month here and realizing that I am just a blink away from the end of July when I will fly home. 

Big God: Little Me

Just before drifting off to sleep last night, I laid listening to sounds of the night. With my window open it seemed as if the night was coming to life. The sounds of crickets filled the air and reminded me of home. Dogs barking in the distance, a mosquito buzzing around (who feasted on my arm last night), and the occasional scurry of the mongoose that lives in my attic. Oh, and how can I forget the hyenas. Yep, I have hyenas that spend their nights calling not too far away from my bedroom window. I guess it's safe to say that I am not in North Carolina anymore. 

Even in an evening of listening to life come alive all around me, I am reminded of what an amazing experience this is! I have had a rough go at it lately as I have tried to, yet again, create a new normal. Home has seemed even further away than usual, and with that my desire to be there has grown even greater. Yet after days upon days of crying out to God for a peace, comfort, and joy that can only come from Him, I felt His very real presence today. 

The reality that I am in Africa literally living my dream in bigger and bolder ways than I ever imagined hit me. The work that God is doing, and that I get to be a part of, hit me. The ways that He has revealed Himself to me in my time here hit me. I am not saying it is an easy road from here. However, what I am saying is that I am thankful to be on mission serving a God who is faithful. A God who looked upon all of His creation and intentionally sought out my hurting heart to reach today.  

Too Pretty!

Today, before the evening rain, God placed a beautiful double rainbow in the sky. It was too pretty not to share!

Early Rains are Back!

You are in America welcoming spring, and here in Ethiopia we are welcoming the early rains! 

After months upon months with full on sun all the time, I am excited to welcome back the rains. Or, the early rains. For the next month or so we will get a nice rain storm every day that will hopefully cool the air and hydrate the dry and dusty earth! That means it is time to pull out the rain boots and the rain coat again--and figure out how to zip my little miss up inside! These rains will last about a month before the sun returns full time. At that point though it will only be a month of sun before the full rainy season comes back.

Excited for the rains and looking forward to the life that it will bring back to the earth here! 

Mountains and Valleys

I have debated whether or not to post this for some time, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that it is okay to share the valley moments as well as the mountain top experiences. Right now, I am in a valley.

Sometimes it is hard to admit that things do not go smoothly all the time. It's hard to allow for that vulnerability and share the reality that some days, weeks, or even seasons of mission work are not always easy. Right now, I am in one of those valleys. 

I am at a point where I am so passionate about what I am doing, but struggling with being away from home. I am living my dream here in Africa, but life in America seems so appealing. I am struggling with feeling disconnected and separated from life on the East Coast. I am both pouring out and receiving love from the boys at the orphanage and my baby girl, but I am longing for the tangible connection with my loved ones stateside. I so want time here to stop so that I can drink in the blessing that is mission work, meanwhile another part of me is willing time to fly so I can be running into those long awaited hugs back home. 

You see, it's a battle. A time when everything is good, and yet I am struggling. I don't share this so you can feel bad for me, but rather so that you can pray for me. But not just me, each and every missionary around the globe that is feeling this same way for this given time. 

This week, be in prayer that God would wrap His ever present arms around my fragile heart and remind me that even in the valley He is faithful! Pray that this truth is one that I would not just believe, but accept. Pray that this time of discouragement and missing home would pass quickly and I would find myself feeling fueled and ready to face whatever God has for me in the next 4 months here. 

1st World Girl: 3rd World Problems

     I recently met with the leaders of the compound that we are living on to explore the possibility of renting a house of my own here on the compound. I am getting ready to start my eighth month in Ethiopia which seems impossible, but along with that I am eager to test out my independence and see what I am really capable of living here on my own. I have learned SO much living with Jon and Jess, and now I am ready to take that into the real world. I have secured a house and am planning to move in this weekend.

     Yesterday I spent the day at little shops around town getting fabric for my "couches". Don't be fooled. I am in Africa so my couch consists of two beds pushed together with a bunch of pillows. I have to laugh at the things we can get away with here... Beds as couches, duck tape for upholstering, and a major explosion of color that falls together so well in the space. TIA y'all (This Is Africa)!  

     This is what I like to call: 1st world girl, 3rd world problem. When it came time to skirt my repurposed beds, I was reminded of my lack of materials to keep everything in place. Well, when all else fails, borrow the neighbor's duct tape. Worked like a charm, and looking at it you'd never know a classic American fix is holding it all together!

Welcome to life in Africa!