2012 Ethiopia Mission Trip - Days 4 and 5

We took 31 people to Bora Amusement Park.  Twenty-two of them were kids age 12 and under.  By American standards, it was a very tiny park, but things are different here.  There were really only three working rides: a Ferris Wheel, a small Merry-Go-Round, and the Swinging Chairs.  The kids used them all well, however, a few literally got sick on the swinging chairs.  I could not join them on that ride for the very same reason.  It was still a happy, fun and memorable outing for everyone.

Bora Park, as seen from the top of the Ferris Wheel.

Here's a happy boy riding the swinging chairs.

Burgers and Orange soft drinks all around!

The day after Bora Park was the day we arranged to visit our Compassion International sponsored children.  Andy and Dannette are also sponsors of an Ethiopian boy who they met for the first time today.  We took our kids, my two (Beza and Ashenafi), and their boy to a local arcade where we had great fun playing air hockey, shooting basketballs, and racing cars and motorcycles.  Then, it was off to lunch for more time to chat.  We followed that with a short visit to the Compassion country headquarters office where we met with my friend Yoseph Kentiba, who is in charge of international tour groups.  I was quite surprised to find a large framed photo collage on his wall with three photos I had taken during a sponsor tour here in 2008.

Beza and Ashenafi, two of my Ethiopian kids.  I love 'em.

With my friend who is on the staff at Compassion Ethiopia, Yoseph Kentiba.  Notice the photo in the upper right.
It was one I had taken in 2008 when I first visited Ethiopia.

In the evening, we returned to Grace House to complete the two-part leadership seminar for the MDEC staff.  We got a lot more into communications issues, team building, conflict resolution, and things of that nature.  These were matters the staff was very interested in pursuing and I hope Andy's presentation met their needs and expectations.