More Compassion Visits; Brad Plays Santa in Disguise (March 4)

Jean and I left for Nazaret at 7 a.m. this morning to meet our Compassion kids who are studying at Adama University.  It was much warmer there, hot in fact.  Nazaret is about two hours from Addis to the south in part of the Rift Valley.  My boy, Ashenafi, had a four hour final exam in the morning, so we visited his project in the morning - without him.  He had left me a beautiful Ethiopian traditional dress as a gift.  It is worn on special occasions.  His female Compassion staff workers told me I needed to change into it for my meeting with him.  I felt that this certainly qualified as a special occasion, so it seemed perfectly appropriate to make the change.

Just before lunch, Jean met her girl, Zahara, a Leadership Development student, and shortly afterward, I met Ashenafi.  We all went to a lovely restaurant and then we moved on to visit Ashenafi's home.

His mother had graciously prepared lunch for us, so we ate a bit again.  This time, it was Ethiopian food.  This lovely lady hosted us in her very tiny home that consisted of a single room, perhaps 6 by 8 feet in size.  The boys, Ashenafi and his brother, sleep on a 3/4 size bed that nearly fills the room, and their mother sleeps beside them on the floor.  I look forward to telling you much more about this family's story.

Back in Addis, Brad again visited the Peace Center in the morning.  Today, however, was a special day there.  Addis had planned on spending time in song today, and Brad, representing our entire little team from America, handed out gifts of clothing to all of the boys there.  We learned that some of the items, like windbreakers that can double as rain slickers, would be held back until the rainy season.  Otherwise, it is very likely that some of the boys might sell them on the street.  This is life in their world.  Style is style, however, no matter where in the world we are.  The boys informed us that certain colors like light blue and green are not necessarily the best for them and are more atuned to girls.  Nevertheless, the boys were happy to receive these gifts, just as we were so happy to be able to provide them.

Afterward, Brad went with some of the Moria'h staff to purchase bulk food supplies.  He had a private $200 donation that was enough to cover 300 kilograms of teff, the grain from which Injera is made, and 20 liters of cooking oil.  These supplies will help to feed the boys for up to three months.  Cooking oil is a necessity for Ethiopian food preparation and the price has been inflating dramatically, so this donation is indeed very important.

Tomorrow morning, Jean is going shopping in the textile market with Jerry while Brad will begin working on downloading the hundreds upon hundreds of photos the three of us have been taking.  He's also assisting Wanna with editorial review of an important Moria'h House Powerpoint presentation.  These are big efforts.

Following that, we'll take all of the boys and staff out to lunch at a restaurant (an extra special treat for the boys), and then have an afternoon of play in a nearby park.  You'll receive and update all about it tomorrow.

Addis, Injera and Economics (March 2)

We visited the Peace Center again this morning.  It is an Ethiopian holiday today honoring soldiers from the past, so many people had time off from work. It was interesting to see some old soldiers walking down one street in uniforms that still fit many years later.  Anyway, this holiday allowed Mike (pronounced Mickey) to join us for our taxi ride over to meet Addis and the boys.  Addis is an inspiring young worship leader, even though we don't understand his words when he speaks to the boys in Amharic.  His expressions and delivery tell a lot.  I've had the great good fortune to chat with him at some length, and this 27-year-old dedicated Christian who is finishing up studies in medical technology is on fire for the Lord.  He has great warmth of personality and a solid faith that shines through everything he does.

Later, when we returned to Moria'h House to share in a traditional Ethiopian meal consisting of Injera (the standard sponge-like pancake that is served with virtually all meals and used in place of utensils), different kinds of Wot (made of green beans and onions, cabbage and carrots, and potatoes for this meal), and Shiro (one of the most traditional of all Ethiopian foods).  These foods take a little getting used to for American palates, and all of us found the Shiro to be the most challenging in the taste category.  I enjoyed tasting everything, practicing my Ethiopian style of eating, and being served by the staff we've come to love very dearly.

Before the meal, we shared a time of singing with the younger boys. First, we sang them some songs we knew, and had them enjoy helping us clap hands, stomp feet and shout for one tune.  Then, they sang us many songs they have learned in Sunday School.  One boy, who it turns out has taken the most quickly to American football, sang a lovely solo.  And just about all of the boys joined in small groups to lead other songs.

Following the meal, we offered gifts to the five new children we met today for the first time.  They were from Moria'h's other house that is much farther away.  We may go to this smaller house on Saturday morning to see the facility and share more time with the children there.  After this was done, the children went outside to play, and we were provided with another coffee ceremony.  This provided the perfect time for us to deliver a donation of $230 American dollars, which is approximately 3800 Ethiopian birr.  This will cover an entire month's rent for both houses, and was received with great appreciation.  An additional donation of $60 American dollars was made by our Tennessee trip-mate, Jean.  This will be put toward food supplies which have been rapidly inflating in price.

Jerry kindly took us shopping late in the afternoon so that Jean and I could purchase some food supplies (rice, sugar and oil) for the families of our Compassion kids who we'll be meeting tomorrow and Friday.  Then, we went to her home where we met her husband, Teme, for the first time.  They are most gracious hosts and we were pleased to take them to dinner before we returned to our lodging for the night.

Our experiences so far are wonderful, informative, interesting, enjoyable, eye-opening, and many more adjectives we'll surely speak about in upcoming messages.

Visiting the Peace Center (March 1)

Our first order of business today was to go with Wanna to Peace Center in the Piazza district of Addis Ababa.  This is the place where Moria'h staff goes every Tuesday through Friday morning to serve breakfast to many boys who live on the streets.  Addis and Hana are the staff who lead this particular effort.  Wanna explained to us that there are other places in the city where various charities provide food for street boys, but they don't offer the love of Jesus Christ with their meals.  The boys who come to Peace Center, about 30 on this day, receive much more than food. They come because they are loved there, and they learn about Jesus...and they return day after day.

Right now, they are studying the gospel of John.  Jean, Brad and I were asked to speak to the boys, which we happily did, relating our love for Christ and encouraging them to know an accept His love.  Brad encouraged them to then go forward and share what they are receiving with others.  The meal we then helped to serve consisted of hot tea, bananas and bread.  We will go to Peace Center again tomorrow morning.

In the afternoon, we went back up to Moria'h House where Brad assisted some of the men, along with my Compassion boy, Million, in painting three bedrooms and some outside walls.  Jean and I wanted to help, but the men seemed to have that part of the work well under control, so we returned inside to work on some studies with the younger boys (reciting the alphabet with English words to accompany the letters) and play games.  We broke out the marbles and checkers.  Eventually, when the painting was nearing completion, everyone returned outdoors to play some more.

We were told how important it was to paint the rooms, showing the boys that we are serving them and caring for their needs.  Jerry also noted that one of the small boys who is very shy, was laughing and smiling more than she'd ever seen.  All of the smiles and excitement have warmed our hearts a great deal, for when life can sometimes be very difficult, the weight can grow heavy, and we, along with the wonderful staff people at Moria'h House are helping to not only reduce this weight, but to instill in the boys a new way of life through Jesus Christ.  I think He is surely smiling on what is happening there.