A God of Faithfulness

     Faithful and constant. Two words that have come to describe God for me this year. But I am not the only one who has experienced God in this way over the last year...

     My younger brother, Noah, shared his faith story this past Sunday at church for Youth Sunday. He sent me a copy earlier in the week. All I can say is WOW! He talked about how he has lost several people in his life this year, relationships changed, and he found himself feeling lonely and discouraged. One after another, some of the most important relationships in his life took on a totally new light: marriage, a foreign country, death... However, the amazing part of this story that both melted my heart and caused it burst with pride was how Noah found a deeper relationship with Christ through the losses. He shared that he felt God speaking this transformational truth into his life, "Yes, you've lost several people in your life, but I'm still here. Am I not enough? Why is your happiness based on those around you and not on Me, who has promised to never leave you nor forsake you?" W.O.W. 

     When I first read his sermon, I was simply lost in the joy of knowing my brother's heart had been captured by God in a very real way. But as I have read it since then, the truth that God spoke into his life has been something that has challenged me. 

     My time here is flying by faster than I ever could have imagined. And all the while, the only thing that I can count on as normal is that there is no normalcy! As soon as I get settled and things become routine, the game changes and suddenly I am called to serve somewhere else. In that, it is easy to attempt to grasp onto those around me, those that the Lord has me serving for this period of time, for my happiness and joy. Being a part of these lives has been transformational, and each experience that God has gifted me with He has also used to refine me and work within me. But the time will come that these relationships will draw to an end, and when that time comes, my hope is that I can remember the truth that was spoken into Noah's life this year... Joy in a faithful and constant God. 

     Right now it is easy to find that joy and fullness in Christ. After all, I am living my dream surrounded by amazing people that God has gifted me with for this season. But the real test will come when I return to the states and face the bittersweet of ending one chapter to start the next. 

When I Took a Bus

This past weekend, my friend Jodi and I set off for a few days away in Awassa. Awassa is essentially the Addis Ababa of southern Ethiopia. With everything from stop lights to an ice cream shop, Awassa has all the natural qualities of Ethiopia with a bit of a more developed spin. 

Friday morning we set off to the bus station for my first experience with public transportation. I had NO idea what I was getting into, but I certainly looked forward to the experience of doing things just like any other Ethiopian. Wow! Twenty minutes into the ride we had a stop; upon reboarding the bus, they let the local beggars on for a quick chance to bring in some money. I quickly learned that allowing beggars to board is a totally normal thing. Just a bit further down the road and we pulled over quickly to pick up a few people headed to the next town... and their 8 chickens. There was a short debate about whether or not the chickens could board, but when it was all said and done we found ourselves with a handful of chickens as seat-mates. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried! The rest of the trip remained pretty uneventful with the exception of a few window wars and a guy hanging out the door as we drove on down the road. 

We arrived in Awassa and I drank in the newness, the beauty of the lake, and the experience of seeing another piece of Ethiopia. We stayed in a guest house a short distance from the lake, not too far from the fish market. That made for a lovely smelling walk to town each morning. Storks roamed the area, hippos mooed away the evenings, and monkeys swung from the nearby trees. Each night we enjoyed dinner at a restaurant overlooking the lake as the sun set off in the distance. It was beautiful! The mornings were easy-going, sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee and listening to the birds and watching the rays of sunshine bounce off the water in the distance. 

We spent one day by the side of the pool at a local resort. I decided I was going to pamper myself with a pedicure. After nearly 10 months of Africa built up on my feet, they were begging for a little love. I spent a whole 70 birr ($3.50) for my hour and a half pedicure. I'd say it was worth splurging, wouldn't you?

Sunday afternoon we returned home. This bus trip called for a lot more patients than the 1st. It was cold and rainy, the girl behind me was smacking gum like it was her job (which is one of my pet-peeves), and the man three seats down decided it was his responsibility to provide music for everybody. With his radio turned up as loud as he could get it, he jammed away. We arrived home though, without a hitch, and with that our weekend getaway came to a close. It was so nice to get away for the weekend and enjoy a change of pace. I got some great pictures, and thoroughly enjoyed spending time in fellowship with Jodi. What a weekend...  

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!