What we did, What we saw.

We're landing! My heartbeat quickens. First because that was the quickest, shortest, bounciest landing with the brakes,  I'm sure,  pushed fully to the floor to stop this big metal tube of death.....

and secondly because I had made it! I couldn't wait to see what was out those doors.

I'd already decided that I was going to fully embrace whatever was going to happen without the fear of anyone judging me. It was a good thing

because over the course of the next few days I would quickly become a 

HOT MESS

Getting through customs wasn't THAT bad. Lots of bodies- hot bodies- bodies that don't wear deodorant, jammed into long lines. Getting our visas, finding our luggage and then exchanging money (which was a little crazy) went pretty smoothly. We had a slight scare getting all the donations through the xray machine that checks each piece

of luggage before it exits the terminal, which means that

there is a small possibility "the stuff" could be confiscated for other uses.

After loading every one's luggage onto carts we made our way out of the front doors. I was immediately shocked by how blue the sky was- 

I'm talking

 BLUE. 

I know the sky here is blue too....but this sky was BLUE BLUE!

Making our way down the ramp to the parking lot proved challenging as several times my cart would hit a bump and send my luggage flying off all over the place! The parking lot was full of Ethiopians in groups standing around people watching. I think (if I remember right) I was told that the airport is kind of like a local hangout.

We definitely stuck out as a large group of white (fringi) Americans as we watched several locals who work with One Child Campaign load all our luggage up onto three vans that would be carting us around for the week, and taking us to our Guesthouse where we would be staying in Addis.

*Photo By Karen Brewer

First things First:

The traffic was intense! There are no street signs, street lights, crosswalks, and nothing directing traffic. There were small three-wheeled taxi's everywhere zipping in and out between cars, vans, cattle, goats, donkeys with carts, and people who walk literally everywhere. I learned very quickly that horns are the most important part on a vehicle, and our group quickly became divided between the thrill seekers who loved it (me!) and those that preferred seat belts and traffic lights.

*Photo By Karen Brewer

The scenery was amazing. Truly like nothing Ive ever seen before. Half built structures with scaffolding everywhere, mountains all around, open markets, animals, thick smog,

~Dirt~

dirty people

dirty children

Overwhelming Poverty

A quick 15 minute drive and we arrived at the Guesthouse. Lots of space to fit in lots of people. Three women who stay there to "take care" of the guests greeted us as we made our way inside into our designated rooms, and picked out our bunks. 

We moved in quickly wanting to get settled after the long trip and then we had our first challenge:

We learned that there was a water shortage

and we had very little water

*Photo By Melanie Strobel

We were faced with our first opportunity to

GRUMBLE

But we didn't

The water would be an on going issue throughout the week as well as spotty Internet connections but it was amazing to see how people immersed in first world luxuries all their lives would rise to the occasion of dry shampooing, baby wipe baths and no social media! (And by the middle of the week we did figure out the shower situation and did hit up a few places with Internet.)

All of us were here to focus on other things

That first night we went out across the dirt road to a field and played soccer with some of the local kids. That was the start of my undoing! I knew that this was going to be an

emotional whirlwind and I was ready for it!

*Photos By Melanie Strobel

During our trip we visited several ministries or models as they call them to bring donations like clothing, shoes, hygiene products, children's toys, books, anything and everything you can think of that people who have nothing can use. We visited ministries that were empowering women helping them to maintain jobs and regain some of their dignity that's lost in only ways you can imagine. We visited ministries that created new families by putting children together with widows giving them a sense of purpose and the children a sense of family. We visited a ministry that reunites trafficked women and children back with their families who have so desperately been searching for them, and day cares that love on little ones while their mothers work. 

We visited Chapa Carepoint in Awassa to witness children singing, dancing, feasting- despite having little to nothing. The two days spent there changed me in more ways then ever...what's going on there is tangible and it will grab you and suck you in. It's the place that leaves me up at night, wondering

how I will get back~

SO...

A lot of people have asked me:

"So what did you do in Ethiopia?"

And I usually say:

"Well, we didn't build houses,"

and then I laugh because I've got about 5 minutes to explain something 
that has taken me weeks to understand. 



Here's what we did~

We created sustainable relationships...Like Christ did.
 We made connections

that will go on to help make a difference, like Christ did. 
And then those little differences lead to

BIGGER differences that eventually morph into one

LARGE BLOB OF "DIFFERENCE"

that will and can create

REAL CHANGE!

Here's what we saw~

We saw individuals working together to create differences that will have lasting effects

We saw women striving to take care of their families and getting back dignity

We saw people, families reestablishing the feelings of hope
We saw children relax as their feet were washed

We saw a truly kind people with the deepest brown imploring eyes

that fill with laughter over anything
We saw young girls learn about their bodies
We saw adoptive parents meet their children's family members
We saw the construction of a new care point

We saw people walking miles just to get water

We saw beggars lying in the street with their children

We saw women walking miles with 250lbs of Eucalyptus branches on their backs

We saw children with no shoes, no clothes and no options: HAPPY

We saw people picking through trash for food

We saw sorrow

We saw joy

We saw devastation

We saw grace

We saw LOVE

We saw Jesus in Disguise


I hope that everyone has a Happy Easter
and thank you for reading!
Next Post: 
All about Chapa and My "Things"

In the beginning...

"Dude, do you really think you'll be able to go?" 

"Ya. I think I need to go."

This was how the conversation was going. I was on the phone with my older sister Melanie who heads up Begin With One after I had posted:

I'm there

to her almost jokingly question of 

                                              "Who wants to come to Africa with me?"

I'm not sure why I even said "yes"~ and in all actuality I never really said the words: 

                                             YES, I'll GO

I felt like in some weird way that if I did utter those three words there was still a smidgen of possibility that I could somehow weasel my way out of it if I chickened out. By saying "I'm there," I was already putting my feet on the ground. I knew under NO circumstances would I NOT be there~ 

This was (if I remember the timeline correctly) the third time Mel had asked me "You wanna come?" over the course of one and a half maybe two years. And I always said: 

~NO~

The timing was always off, Beckett was to little, school was on full tilt, Jon would have to figure out everything by himself, I didn't have the time off work, the money wasn't there...

But this time, something was different. When I read her post something clenched up in my stomach. I needed this. I was at a point that I needed to do something different. I was feeling stuck on this hamster wheel of life. I was struggling and I knew it. I was a crabby, frustrated, impatient person that felt like I'd reached the end of my rope LOTS of rope's ago. 

It's not that my life was or is so stressful. It's busy and perhaps over scheduled- but doable. Well, I was sick of the "doable". I wasn't stressed out.....I was BURNT out. 

So what happened? I'm not sure. It started with waking up, not feeling satisfied, always looking for the next thing to fill that perpetual space of "Is this it?". I was fatigued, short with Jon and even shorter with Beckett. And work was another story~ my patients were bugging me, BIGTIME, to say the least. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I was desperately searching for answers. I prayed and prayed that God would just show up and tell me what I was supposed to be doing....

and to tell you the truth, I was at a point where 

I really felt like God was giving me the:

SILENT TREATMENT

I was angry at Him for my circumstances, bitter that my life hadn't turned out 

differently.

Have you ever experienced a 3 year old, in mid-fit, screaming at you in your face? 

Ya~that was me~at GOD

What I needed was an

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT

(dunh dunh dunh)

So here's the cool part that started my journey to Ethiopia:

I didn't feel like this the other times I was asked to go. I had been in a pretty good spot, just cruising through life. And now I realize had I not been that crazed, frustrated, impatient, slightly off my rocker person desperately screaming out at God, He would not have been able to use me like He did. He would not have been able to answer and confirm several things I had been begging and crying out for HIM to answer. 

Don't get me wrong~ He can use you where ever you are, whenever He wants...but just in my personal circumstances 

          I had to be Broken

            so I could be Open, 

                          to really hear Him and really accept the things 

                                   He was screaming back at me!

                                             There not easy "things" to hear~

But there's lots of time for all that...

~~~

What's funny about someone who likes to write, that would be me :) is that I could easily sit here and write the whole story out NOW. It's hard to hold myself back! It feels like a story that's not edited, or that's just staring at me waiting for me to finish~ but alas, that's not how a blog works. 

And....how does that really make a difference? For you, for me? That's not really the journey, right? I just wrap it up nicely, slap on a happy ending, an "oh, she found herself...YAY!" moment...warm fuzzies and ice cream for all~ 

But I can't...first happy endings aren't my style (sorry, I do hope for one though, hee hee) and I've discovered that I have to process this turn around one aspect at a time. 

So until next time~Happy Reading

Post Africa Journal Entry 2.27.13

"I can't sleep. When I try vision's of Africa come back to me ~ disjointed, unorganized images and the longing to be back there makes my chest hurt. Children's smiles, conversations muffled, sights and sounds- images that resonate~ flashes and me searching, wading through all the information that's drowning me. I can't sort through it in my dreams and I awake, sweaty, thinking of jumping, chanting kids, broad white smiles. I lay awake, there in a hazy, half dreaming state. Bleary red numbers beckoning me to sleep, paper beads, looms, dirty clothes, filthy feet and sun baked skin mingling above me, dancing on the ceiling...voices, tossing and turning of sheets."

"When will I get back? How badly I want to get back."

This was me~ 17 days after my trip to Ethiopia. Sleep deprived, laying awake most nights trying to process all that I saw, all that had happened. When I closed my eyes, snap shots of Africa raced back to me like an old movie reel. Silent, jumpy images being played out against the blackness of my eyelids. 

During the days I was a walking zombie, unable to express how totally amazing the trip had been and how so much change could take place in one person over the course of 10 days. 

Who had I become? How could I go back and be the same person? 

What is my 

Purpose?

I literally couldn't put words with the emotions I was feeling~ and I'm a writer! 

This left me with my current:

                                         dilemma, affliction, conviction....

                                                                                   whatever you want to call it~ 

My hope is that by starting this blog, 
                                                               this journey,
                                                                                    this FLIGHT....

I can become the Change Maker I hope to be.

~~~~~~
Stay tuned for much more