2012 Ethiopia Mission Trip - Day 3

This day was more relaxing and unstructured, even within the confines of a prepared schedule.  Our morning was planned to consist of painting at Moriah's main house and continuing the editorial work on the website.  So, we put Jo and Dannette back to work in the office, and Andy and I watched to make sure that the professional painters were happy to do the job of painting the porch on their own.  In fact, I suspect they were grateful to keep us out of their hair.  So, he and I spent much of the morning playing all kinds of different games and activities with the boys including checkers, chinese checkers, frisbee tosses, jumping rope, playing jacks, playing football, assembling jigsaw puzzles, and practicing our English with Q and A's.

Serious strategies being contemplated.  Chinese checkers was quite a hit.

Jo and Dannette completed most of the editorial work on the website this afternoon, though it has not yet been put into the new and improved version online.  Soon...

The boys from Peace House came over to Moriah House again this afternoon for English practice and playtime.  We learned a new game...well, new for here.  You know it!  It is Simon Says.  Even some of the big boys joined in the fun and we switched Simon out a few times as winners were eventually determined.  This gave us a great and fun way to practice some verbs and also to review English words for body parts.  Later in the afternoon, we worked on spelling practice.  Today, it was numbers, days of the week, colors, and simple nouns.  These young boys are eager learners and love the fun of succeeding at their Enlgish efforts.

Simon says, "Hands on hips."

Following a short break in the late afternoon, Dannette took top billing and presented a seminar on project management to the MDEC staff and invited guests.  She used Nehemiah chapter 3 as an important part of her examples, but also easily worked MDEC's current efforts in various facets of the ministry into her talk.  The audience was quite receptive and many took notes.  Like their young charges, the staff is also eager to learn new ideas and ways they can implement them to improve the scope and impact of their ministry.

Dannette provides a seminar on project management.

Andy followed Dannette's presentation with the bare beginning of a continuing leadership presentation that will be completed on Friday evening.  Today, he talked mostly of brainstorming for ideas, prioritizing, and ways that this can even help with conflict resolution within an organization.

Carmen and Trent Post attended the seminar as well.  They are an amazing young couple from Charlotte, NC, who, with their family, moved to Addis Ababa at the end of August 2011 to serve as missionaries for the coming five years.  They are doing amazing things with their ministry to the street population, primarily girls.  I would love to introduce anyone who is interested in following the Post's efforts to their blog.  You, too, will be inspired at their story and their lives dedicated in service to our Lord.  I tell you this so you will know to whom I refer when I write that we enjoyed dining with Trent, Carmen, their family and five of our MDEC colleagues after the evening's seminar.

So, the day may sound reasonably routine, but all days are good when we are serving our Lord and bringing praise to His holy name.

Tomorrow is a major play day with the MDEC kids.  We'll take them to Bora Park, a small amusement park near the airport, and treat them to burgers and pizza for lunch.  Too many kids in the developing world don't have the luxury of pure, unadulterated playtime.  These kids likely did not know this part of life in years past either.  So, I am very happy that one of the things we do here in Ethiopia is provide the time and opportunity for kids to do what God intended for children.  It'll be a time of giggles, shouts, fun and joy.

2012 Ethiopia Mission Trip - Day 2

Peace House

Our first stop of the day was at what is billed as Peace House.  It is a large, very old home (more than 100 years old and with walls made from mud and straw).  The upper part of the house still needs additional repairs before it will be used, but the hope is to eventually turn that part of the building into a vocational training center.  For now, this house's (what some of us call Ady's mother's house because Ady has graciously donated it rent-free to the Moriah ministry) lower rooms are used for the Peace Center gatherings of boys still living on the streets.  Today, I presented a couple of scripture verses (Colossions 1:15, 27) and a brief talk to the boys after they finished their Bible study and light breakfast.  Then, we toured the other rooms where the teen boys now living in that home sleep, and also the very tiny kitchen used for these boys' meal preparation.  But the big event of the morning there was the dedication of the toilets!

Street boys at a morning Peace Center gathering for breakfast and Bible study.

Yes, folks, the new toilets and showers were not opened until today because they were awaiting my arrival to do the ribbon-cutting and dedication.  When I was told this a couple of weeks before, I thought it was rather funny, but on this day I learned how significant an event this truly was.  A local government official was there, a television cameraman, my MDEC colleagues, the current owner who has donated the house and compound, and many other family members who are now living in this compound.  I was told that nearly 100 people from 10 families will use these toilets, and that it is truly a major blessing in the lives of this community.  So, I cut the purple ribbon with Wanna Balina, the Moriah director, and following his speech and the government official's speech, I was asked to also say a few words on behalf of those donors who made the funds available for to bring this project to fruition.


There are four toilets in the building, two for the community, and two for the boys living at Peace House.



Cutting the ribbon at the dedication.

After lunch, we returned to Grace House where Andy McKellar and I taught the boys English.  I had the little boys and Andy took the big fellas.  We had great fun playing card puzzle word spelling and recognition games, and doing question/answer practice.  We also read a funny story about four hungry wild boars.  The bigger boys worked with primary readers we had brought along telling stories about Jesus.  This activity will resume in the next few days.  The boys were off from school between semesters, but they couldn't escape English class while we were there (!).  Even the little ones have English in the primary schools and they are doing well.


English class.



Andy reads a story about four hungry wild boars.

All the while we were teaching English, Jo Roberts and Dannette McKellar were doing editorial work on the MDEC website.  They seemed to enjoy that work, so I believe we divvied up the responsibilities in a good way.  They have much more work to do on that effort, and appear to be looking forward to getting back on the project.

This evening, we were invited to a good friend of mine's home to visit.  She had gotten married only two weeks ago, and told us we were the first to visit her and her husband in their new home.  While there, we were treated to another coffee ceremony and then provided a wonderful Ethiopian meal.  For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this style of dining, no utensils are used and the food is served from a large common platter in the middle of a group of people.  Various kinds fo stews (called wot) are ladled onto Injera, a sponge-like pancake type of staple food.  This is then torn apart and used in one's right hand to pick up the food.  We had a beef dish and green beans with carrots.  It was a lovely meal with wonderful people, and I was glad to share this with my small team.

Jo, Dannette and Andy had never visited Ethiopia before, so they are experiencing many new things.  I hope one day many of you reading this might be able to also come and experience this culture, the wonderful people here, and the love and grace of God occurring in this place.

2012 Ethiopia Mission Trip - Day 1

One of many coffee ceremonies.

We arrived safely Sunday morning in Addis Ababa after a smooth, 13 hour flight from Dulles International.  Customs moved very quickly and before we knew it, our friends Jerry and Fekadu met us at the airport.  Wanna, Micky and four of the Moriah boys were waiting outside to greet us with fresh, beautiful roses.

We needed to have our accommodations moved from our hotel to a nearby guest house for a night because of a huge pan-African conference being held in the city that had overtaken all the hotel rooms everywhere, by government decree.  Fortunately, we were able to move to our hotel the next morning (Monday).  Following lunch on Sunday, we returned to our rooms to catch some much needed sleep before walking to a nearby restaurant for dinner.

This morning (Monday), we had an opening ceremony at Grace House (Moriah's main house) where we listened to a talk about the ministry and viewed the office setup as we continued learning more about the operations of the organization.  We then toured the house and facility.  That was followed by the traditional coffee ceremony that shows honor to guests (us).

After a break for lunch, we returned to provide many gifts including clothing, sporting goods, games, school supplies, and dental supplies, mostly provided by Trinity UMC members and friends' generous donations.  This was happily received.  The boys particularly enjoyed playing with the American footballs.  This year, there were three of those and they were leather so they will last.



Just some of the games, clothes, and other gifts.



Footballs were fun.

Heading Back to Ethiopia

Look for many postings with lots of photos from the Ethiopia 2012 mission trip taking place between January 29-February 11.  We will be working with the Moriah Development of Ethiopian Children (MDEC) ministry to street boys once again and look forward to sharing with you many exciting sights and experiences from this time.

Please...COME BACK and take a look through the Ethiopia Mission trip postings later in February.

Who am I and what have I learned as I begin 2012

This essay was written by my friend J. Michael Smith.  His thoughts offer good points for reflection for us all as we live our own lives for eternity.  What have you learned?  How are you beginning 2012?

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I am a father, I am deeply loved by God, I am a proud American, and a part of my heart always remains in Ethiopia....

I am a highly motivated and dedicated individual working with other like minded men and women toward a common goal: achieving success with integrity and high moral character. FHTM provides an opportunity for thousands of FHTM Independent Representatives, regardless of education, experience or current financial situation, to reach their goals through hard work, successful sales efforts, personal development, team building...and become leaders in our communities and in our businesses....

I am a restauranteur, I am a team builder, I am a business builder, I am a beach lover, I am a Mountain lover, I am a dreamer, I am a reader, and I am a traveler.

I produce more than I consume. I reject complacency, mediocrity, conformity, and dependency. I am not held captive by fear. I am fueled by vision and passion, governed by principles, guided by ideals and values. I do not succeed through luck. I succeed through conscious effort. I am not entitled to the fruit of another man’s labor. My life, my results are my responsibility. I am not a victim of circumstance. I am a victor by choice and determination. I live by design, not by default. I seek not the stale comfort of a safe harbor, but the thrill of the open sea. While others complain about problems, I create opportunities and solutions. I see abundance where others see scarcity. I am relentlessly innovative. I do not wait for “someday” happiness; I choose happiness now. I am not afraid to act and fail; failure is simply accelerated learning. I value persistence as much as talent and intelligence. I trust my inner voice, not the wisdom of crowds. While others gnaw on the bones of security, I feast on the meat of freedom. While others criticize from couches, I toil in trenches. While others are blaming, I’m busy building. I will not lie in my deathbed tormented by the thought of what might have been. I will leave a legacy of service and contribution. I am a producer.

• I've learned in life that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
• I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
• I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life."'
• I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
• I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back sometimes. 
• I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you, but, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.
• I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.
• I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.
• I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone. People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
• I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

Bring on 2012... 

"Art for Ethiopia" Needs Your Support

Art for Ethiopia Online Auction Fundraiser

This auction, which runs between November 28 and December 11, 2011, is in support of the Moriah Development of Ethiopian Children Evangelical Ministry (MDEC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The ministry's focus is on serving the street boys of Addis Ababa in a holistic way: physical, spiritual, emotional and educational. There are an estimated 60-100,000 people living on the streets of Addis Ababa alone, and MDEC is playing a very important role in helping the least of our brethren to rise above the difficult circumstances of homelessness and hopelessness in this very poor country. All art selections are framed unless otherwise noted in corresponding descriptions.

I have personally watched the growth of this young ministry and the dedication the staff members, many of whom are volunteers, have toward meeting street boys where they are, introducing them to Jesus Christ, and serving them in many life-changing ways.  They currently have three family-style homes where roughly two dozen former street boys are now living.  They have been enrolled in school, provided shelter, clothing and love.  Additionally, they serve breakfast with Bible study five mornings a week to several dozen boys still living on the streets.

This is a young ministry that was begun by college students only about five years ago.  Some of the founders had once been sponsored children themselves, thus understanding full well the ravages of poverty and hopelessness on a person's spirit, mind and body.  Yet they had been set free by the redeeming power of Christ Jesus, and it was inside of their souls to carry on in service to others.

So, I do hope that you will visit the auction, bid on one or more pieces of artwork you see there.  Tell your friends, relatives, work colleagues, neighbors, acquaintances, and everyone you possibly can that they, too, can bid on some beautiful pieces of art and support a great and worthy cause.  We can all come out winners in this auction!

These are only a few samples of some of the beautiful pieces you will find up for bid at Art for Ethiopia. Please...stop in today and get in on the action. Support the cause. Help the Moriah boys! You'll be so glad you did!.

These are just some of the boys you can help by your participation in this fundraising event.
They are Fromsa, Sintayehu, Cayu, John, Masresha, Bereket, Caeleb and Solomon.

Even Children Need to Eat!

Imagine, when my brother and sister were barely more than toddlers, they had to find their way in the world.  While most children were eating spaghettios and hot dogs, Susie and Doug were hunting for small game.  Just look at this lucious bunch of squirrels they'd be preparing for a grateful family later that night!  Ummmmm...

When I came along, the folks were a little less trusting about putting a firearm in my hands, so they sent me off with rod and reel to bring home the bac...er' fish.  Seeing as I was not so fond of the smelly, slimy creatures, I did the wet, dirty work of catching them, but used the good common sense God gave me and donned gloves before I'd touch 'em.  I always thought cows were more suitable fare, but they told me the brown trout was delicious.

Now, all these years later, I steer clear of squirrel and fish.  But I still gotta survive, right?  So I eat Ethiopian food with my good friends in Addis Ababa.  Woohoo!