Love Does

First of all, amesegënallô (thank you) to all the people who made it possible for this team to make it to Ethiopia this time around. We have a great group of people involved with this trip and everyone really adds something special to the group dynamic. First off, I think everyone has really enjoyed the trip so far, not to mention benefitted from it. We are having a really (besides a few people being sick) all round great time.

Today, we spent our third day at the Korah camp. You can really see the relationships forming between everyone and the kids. On day one it was interesting to see how everyone would react to all the activity and attention but everyone handled it just fine. By now everyone has their own children who all coming running once we arrive in the van.

My group (Kasshun, Deareg, Donies, Fwadu, Abraham, Tesfya, and Mikyas) are my favorite. Every day I arrive to the church, without a doubt, there my little “clan” waits for me. The greeting consists of them waiting in the same spot every day, followed by handle holding and a special handshake we created on the first day. The day follows with a group session in the church continuing into separate group sessions. Today we played hangman and Simon Says (A BIG HIT). We then all feed them Injerra (a pancake like bread) and wot (sauce). After lunch we can do whatever we want with our kids whether that is just sitting and talking or playing soccer. Unfortunately, the rain has kept us at bay with the whole soccer playing so we resorted to playing in a mud pit. So today we sat around and told stories about soccer instead. These kids sure do enjoy soccer.

Today was supposed to be the day where the group was to pick out five goats to be slaughtered and fed to the kids. So after all the activity settled down, we jumped in the van and headed to the local goat market which happened to be on the way back to the guest house. Our guide, more like great friend, Yose jumped out and tried to make a deal for the goats but it turns out that the prices of goats have jumped up to about 60 dollars per goat compared to about 20 due to the Ethiopian holiday of Buhe, a childrens holiday. The plan was to hog tie the goats, strap them to the roof, and slaughter them in the back yard of the school. Talk about a cultural experience. But with the prices so high, that is going to have to wait until next week.

We returned to the guest house to find a gathering of children outside of our gates. Not having enough of activity for the day, we quickly found a soccer ball. By the time I knew it, we had two goals made up of piles of stones. 4v4. Game on. These kids are good. The next hour that followed would turn out to be the highlight of my trip and one of the best experiences I have had in my life. Playing my favorite sport with Ethiopian children under the African sun.

What. A. Day.

 -Thayer

FYI: Packing an alarm clock  for a work trip to Ethiopia during  Ramadan is not essential. Around 5am every mourning, the call to prayer wakes us light sleepers up from dreamland, much to my displeasure.

We started our day back at Korah today with more of a game plan to entertain the kids. Our three activities were coloring, pasta nacklaces, and a David and Goliath reenactment… you can guess which character Colin was cast as. However, when it rains here it can put more of a damper in perfectly laid plans, for upon our arrival at the church we discovered less kids than the day before, due to the fact that many were at home around their fires just to stay warm. We scrapped the play to save for a larger crowd, and split up to do our respective activities. Another fun fact for future teams to log away in the ” don’t do this”  memory bank is to use food as jewelry… wow, we were not thinking. Half the kids were stringing it on the cord like instructed, while many were eating, then stringing, then eating, then stringing, then shoving in their pockets, then stringing again. Our efforts to save some for the next group of kids were foiled as well, since more than once an older child would run in the “classroom”, scoop the pasta off the table into their shirt, and run off. The extra bag of pasta was hijacked as well. Melissa, Cody and I weren’t sure what to try to do, how do you tell a hungry child that the pasta is for making jewelry and not for taking home to your sister so she can have a lunch? Needless to say, little was left fo the second group of kids, so just tying the remainder of the string around small wrists and necks had to be good enough.

 A few games of hang-man on the chalk board managed to keep the attention of the second group a bit longer, but as our organized activities  continued to decend into choas I had a revelation. These kids cared less about what they were doing with us, and more about just being around us. It was only our second day, yet every one of us has a specific group of kids that attend to us and know our names. My little snuggle buddy Mellat, who is maybe 25 lbs and all 2 foot tall, is very protective and will try to full on slap other larger kids who try to hold my hand, though I’ve been trying to teach her to share me with others. After the we managed to help the church staff feed the kids lunch, I had to try and fullfill my promise to play soccer with some of the older boys. Everyone was just kinda relaxing with the kids after their meal, and since the sun had come out I got the ball from the office and asked where the field was. I was told the field had a fallen tree on it so we could play here… and the staff proceded to open the gate to a connecting area that was a larger dirt area. Well, it would have been a nice dirt area during the dry season but since it’s the rainy season, we proceeded to play a small soccer game in a mud pit, complete with pools of stagnent water on each end to keep things interesting. Lizzy cared for the smaller kids and kept them from falling neck deep into the mud while myself and a few hardcore boys played some keep away and juggling. Another ” go ahead and pass on this idea” for future teams, don’t play soccer in the mud pit. My suspicions about the mud’s unusual consistancy was later confirmed when we were told the run off from many outhouses made its way to this very mud pit. So since the soccer was my idea and I had followed it through, I took the responsisbilty to clean the poo-mud off the ball and put it away.

We departed after having our own lunch in the church and instead of touring more of the city, went back and spent our afternoon relaxing with the staff at the guest house. Card games and ping-pong were the preffered forms of entertainment and the hours ticked away as we enjoyed the company of our hosts.

Did I mention the people are rediculously attractive here? I mean like realy hot, man. Both in appearence and heart, I have met few Ethiopians that aren’t genuine and from Sashemene to here in Addis, the quality of service and care from these people has been five star. I’m particularly fond of our driver Tsegay ( Si-guy) who not only has avoided countless collisions with other cars and pedestrians, but seems happy to see us every mourning and gladly braves the streets to get us to our destinations. I’m in love with this experience, and though our trip is half over, Pray for more amazing encounters as this country continues to pour into and grow our team. 

-Douglas

    Today we went to Great Hope in Korah in the middle of Addis to begin our work at the camp. When we pulled up to the church there were twenty or so kids standing around the van and the second we got out they swarmed us bursting into incredible smiles their whole faces lighting up and grabbing our hands to hold them and touching our skin and hair. They asked us our names, our ages, and where we from in accented english so that each question had to be repeated sevral times.

       We were introduced to Kayla and her friend from New York they were working there all summer running the camp. They asked if we had any plan about what we wanted to teach that day at the camp which of course we did not. They just laughed and guided us into the sanctuary. The kids grabbed at us and guided us to places to sit delighting in our smiles and attempts at amharic. We began a game of guessing where Doug drew a picture on the chalkboard up front and the kids tried to guess what he was drawing many of the things that got easily such as monkey and house other things only a few of the older kids knew such as ocean. When they began to tire of the guessing game we switched to singing which Maddie and Avery led up on the stage with animated hand gestures. We sang Jesus Loves You, Row your Boat and then the kids took over the song selection singing some english church songs and many amharic songs. When they ran out of songs Avery told Bible stories saying two or three sentences then Yosi would translate. Some of the kids listened others asked us questions. I had three girls all nine or so braiding my hair they would make a braid then promptly take it out, one girl had a hair clip which she took out of her hair and used it to brush through my hair. Kim had like five three year old girls playing with her hair. The kids seemed confused by Mellissa’s hair which is very short they could not seem to decide wether or not she was a boy or a girl. Mellissa would put her hat on and she would ask boy girl boy girl and then pull it off and yell GIRL and the kids would double over laughing.

      When Avery finished her bible stories we headed outside and just played with kids. Maddie rocked a clapping game with many of the seven and eight year old girls while Collin weight lifted with children. Thayer had a clan of boys surrounding him all learning the hang loose sign from him. Avery never stopped taking pictures. Doug had one little girl Mellat who would not let him go she turned him into a jungle gym climbing all over him. We ate our lunch at the school then headed to market. Collin and Doug both purchased a “man scarf”. From the market we headed to a cafe then home to the guest house.

lizzy

Today was our day to start our work at the school. As  I have learned everything operates rather slowly here in Ethiopia. Our scheduled time to start was nine o’clock in the morning but we finally got going at noon. While we were waiting, some of the local kids took us for a short walk. It was less than 200 yards from the school, but it was an amazing sight; one of the best waterfalls I have ever seen! After the hike, we began our work which consisted of replacing cabinet doors, sorting rat infested matresses, and cleaning the womens restroom. The matresses were in very poor conditon and were almost all not worth salvaging. The cabinets were all put back into working order with new hinges and latches. Our biggest success, by far, was our effort on the restroom; we painted and scrubbed making it look virtualy new. After the work was complete we went into Hawassa for dinner. Yosi, our guide, took us to a resort that would give the Ritz Carlton a run for its money. What a feeling, to go from living in some dorms and really “roughing it” to seeing this massive resort in the middle of town. It was right on the lake with a really nice pool, marble floors, piano, bar… etc. In most instances I would have not even thought twice being in an establishment like this, but after our first few days I felt extremely out of place. It really humbled me to see people fighting for thier next meal just outside the gates of the resort. This expierience was really the first time it hit me, as it was much easier to see what were used to, right next to the average citi,zen of this country. We left the resort, all with somewhat confused looks and headed to dinner. We enjoyed another great Ethiopian meal, and some amazing ice cream.  It is so rewarding to see the  smiles on everyones face here, they are so rich in faith, it blows my mind. God is everywhere and it inspires me to invest more in my faith, and attempt to become as rich in spirt as the people I have met here. Since we got all the work done at the school we are heading back to Addis tomorrow. I have never looked forward to a real toilet and a warm shower this much. I am really enjoying the trip and look forward to what is to come in the remaining time. Much love to all of you!!

-Cody

So the girls woke up today pretty fearless, then came getting ready in the bathrooms. The smell engulfs you as you are greeted with soiled damp concrete and you can’t really tell the difference between the showers, the toilet and the sinks. The water coming out of the faucets is a shade of sand brown that turns your stomach. With horror on their faces Kim and Maddie realized that they had washed their faces in this water the night before in the dark……yes they did. After getting ready you feel dirtier than then you went into the bathroom.
I opted for washing my hair in the spigot in the courtyard and taking a baby wipe bath. God bless baby wipes. Not glamorous but it worked just fine. We then were given tea and sweet bread with jelly which we enjoyed casually on the porch. I can’t say enough about how much I love out team. We all fit together just like a puzzle. Each one of us is uniquely different and beautiful, but together we all are a wonderful powerhouse and a picture of beauty. It is such a joy being together.
They told us we were not allowed to work on the day of rest so we were planning on visiting a sugar cane plantation but instead headed up the mountain where we found some hot springs. As we pulled up, working our way through the most desolated town I had ever seen, we were greeted and flocked by 50 kids. To say the least we stood out. They all kept looking up at us with watery eyes, their hands out saying “one birr, a gift for me”. We were all slightly taken aback since we all have a huge heart for children. We proceeded to hike up mountain accompanied by a local guide and about 10 kids. As we crossed over the bridges made of logs and stones and piles of baboon poop (which I stepped in ;)……in my flip flops), we learned the language and all stayed in awe of what we would see next. About half way up the mountain we realized we each had a child that had “adopted” us for the hike to make sure we were safe.
They were all little angles. We got to see volcano glass, showers that were hot springs flowing out of the mountain, a small village family that lived at the peak of the mountain and views that made us stop and took our breath away. I just can’t even describe how much you could feel the spirit of Jesus as we stood up on the top of that mountain. So we headed back down for lunch after a choral of a welcome song from the kids at the top of the mountain.
The hardest part for me was the end of the hike when the little guy who was my angel had brought me some sugar cane. It meant so much to me until he held out his hand and said 20 birr. At that moment I realized I was being used and it wasn’t about the fun, or the friendship or keeping us safe. Every moment of every day that he lives, he is living to make money for survival. I almost started crying but at the same time felt a bit angry. I had been punked into caring.
So we went to lunch and enjoyed the sugar cane I paid so much for. We had spaghetti and mystery meat sauce. I am just telling myself it is goat 😉 Then back home we went. On the way home I was talking to Yosi and he opened my eyes to the fact that it was no easier for him to see these children than it was for us. I guess it doesn’t matter how much you see it….the sight of poverty breaks everyone’s heart. Living here doesn’t make it any easier. So after returning to the school we took naps and had some quiet time. We then ate dinner which consisted of 2 pieces of Njira which is a sour crape like patty with some kind of sauce resembling very thing chili. We had our team meeting then the girls decided to take showers.
We opted for the spigot shower in the moonlight and the other three not showering were portable walls for both privacy and for the sake of the other women in the compound. Kim almost fell over trying to put her clothes back on. As you can imaging we were all rolling with laughter. Then came Lizzy’s turn. She did fantastic and was multitasking….washing her clothes while she showered. Then Maddie lit up the whole experience. She couldn’t get over how she felt like an elephant in the rain forest. She proceeded to throw her arm over her head like a trunk while soaking the moral support team (me ;). Her giggles were so cute and she said to pass on the word that if you haven’t had to live in Shashameni…… “Put your big boy pants on ;)”.
So after throwing out the bug spray…. Summer is not in the room with us. Goodnight to a fantastic day…..Goodnight Day 3
-“Jesus Juker “ ie Averee 😉

Tonight was such an exciting night. We went to the college in Shashameni. They told us we were staying in this courtyard that was surrounded by 3 dorm halls, a bath and washroom and the house of mamie and her family. Greeting us in the courtyard were clotheslines strewn with brightly colored tattered clothes, flies, bees the size of half dollars, small cobblestone paths being engulfed by grass and weeds. We then headed to our dorm room which all of the girls shared and there we found metal hammock bunk beds with a flower patterned mattresses.
After meeting the wash ladies, mamie and the president of the college we began moving into our rooms. We dressed the beds and then started the ordeal of getting our bug nets hung while trying not to get covered in the cockroaches as we lifted each of the ceiling tiles. After about a half an hour we all finally had our mosquito and roach free fortresses. We then made the decision to escape for a bit and head into town for some dinner. We had lovely pasta dishes and lots and lots of coca-cola. I ordered a water and little did I know I was getting a foot and a half tall bottle and with a hole in the ground for a toilet- my nice cold bottle of water was a challenge in the making.
We then for three hours tracked down some sugar and flower (which is near impossible to find). While shopping we bought some sugar cane toothbrushes which you gnaw on till the fibers fray and then you proceed to brush each tooth with the frayed end. This as you can imagine was quite the commodity.
We then traversed the bumpy dirt roads back to our courtyard sanctuary, which even though not physically the most comfortable, was quite the escape from the heartbreaking scenes in the city. The overwhelming scenes of animals that were bones with skin, children who were only 40lbs wearing xxxl shirts that were so dirty and full of holes they might as well be naked, flies swarming the eyes of the babies who had become so accustom they bore the discomfort, the laborers breaking their backs under the sun just trying to earn enough for a mean and the horse and donkey buggies bulling 15 times their weight in grain and straw being beaten with whips as they tried tirelessly to pull the loads they could barely move.
Needless to say, it was great to feel safe again. It gave our hearts a break. We then tried to head to bed and as we were settling down the whole team hung our heads in exhaust and started laughing as we realized it was only 7:30. The boys headed to their dorm which was as far as you could go across campus and the girls began the experience of their lives.
As we headed into our bug net forts, we realized there were cockroaches spotting our walls. They don’t harm you so this would not have been so bad except that Summer is deadly afraid of them and started fogging our walls with roach spray. This in turn caused hundreds of them to flood out from behind the door frames. Kim and Melissa started grabbing shoes and killing the roaches left and right as the roaches started darting around the room trying to scatter to save their lives. After one hour we could not breath because of the spray. After enough migraines to go around, we finally were sleeping and Summer spent the night in the van.
Goodnight to a great start to the trip….Goodnight Day 2