Melkam Genna

Melkam Genna!

One of my favorite parts of being a conspicuous family and having Ethiopian children is the fact that our family gets to celebrate many holidays - both USA holidays and Ethiopian holidays.  We absolutely love integrating our children's culture into our family as it is important for all of us.

Yesterday, January 7th, was Genna or Christmas in Ethiopia.  Our friends Ron and Betty hosted a wonderful celebration gathering which consisted of a traditional Ethiopian meal, great company, and some great dancing.  Betty asked all of us to come in our traditional Ethiopian outfits and thanks to Dave, we were able to.  It was really fun to be surrounded by other families with Ethiopian children and to celebrate this religious holiday.  Once we got home Maya told me how much fun she had and that puts a big smile on my face.

Check out our dancing!  Ha!

I have been burned. I have been bruised.

I am back in the U.S. this week, back at work, back doing things with my family. I am grateful for all of these things yet much of me is still left behind in Ethiopia. 

I have such memories of playing soccer with the children at Trees of Glory. Memories of volleyball and soccer with the boys of Kolfe. Watching the youth on our team interacting with their peers half a world away, teaching them four square and being taught Ethiopia games and dances. 

I have been burned. 

Today the skin is peeling on my face from the burn that the bright sunshine of Ethiopia left. A reminder that while my time in Ethiopia was full of highlights, the harsh reality is that there are so many children left in a situation that is not comfortable. 

I have been bruised.

This is a photo of the side of my leg. It is a bruise that received over one week ago while playing soccer on a field of rocks. It is a reminder of the pain and burden that each of these orphans bears each day. 

I was able to return to my family and my home knowing that I have family that loves, supports and cares for me. The boys at Kolfe remained there, with many of them asking for a 'mom', even if just a virtual one unable to give a hug or wipe away their tears. 

On Sunday I attended church in Addis Ababa and part of the message related to the overwhelming burden that is placed on us, and the importance of not giving into this burden. Despite many challenges, I am not ready to let this burden overcome me and will persist in being a voice for the orphan.

Day Three–Visit to Local Village

After lunch at Trees of Glory, most of the team went back outside to interact with the children. A small group of those asked if it would possible to walk to the local village, to experience how the families of these children lived. We walked about 4-5 children home, up a rock-laden hill to the village closest to the school. The village was made up of small compounds of mud huts. A little girl who so reminded me of Maya held my hand until it was time for her to walk in a different direction to home.

We were about to experience a situation that would be repeated over and over again the rest of the week. The mother of one of the boys, Worku, invited us into her home. She first showed us the hut that made up the kitchen and stable for the livestock. While in this hut she grabbed a animal skin and shook it out and asked us to come with her. She led us into the main hut where there were stools and beds. She laid out the animal skin and invited us to sit.

She explained in her local language that she had not been expecting us thus was unprepared. She quickly grabbed some glasses and washed them and placed them in front of us. Grabbed a pitcher and filled these glasses until not another drop would fit in. She had offered us a glass of beer, homemade, local brew. As much as I wanted to taste the beer to show gratitude, I realized it would be a mistake as my body would likely not respond well. But the thought that this widowed mother, with what I viewed having little material belongings offered us willingly and openly what little she had. She probably drinks 1/4 of a glass of this beer at a special occasion, and here she was offering to me, a visitor and entire glass was very humbling.

On our walk back to the school, we examined an Acacia tree up close. The tree that defines Africa is really somewhat of a thorn bush. Beautiful from a distance it was surprising to see how crude this tree was up close. I am sure there is a metaphor there to be defined further.

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Brad also had a close encounter with a bull

Lastly, we came across a two younger children, shepherds, watching over a herd. The little girl was so beautiful. There also was a little boy who was riding a donkey, and seeing us "farenjie" started showing off by making the donkey buck. The donkey eventually won and the boy went flying through the air. The pure innocent laugh of the little girl will be the one sound that stays with me from this trip.

Day Three–Trees of Glory

Today we traveled north to an school/carepoint sponsored by another of Hopechest's sponsor communities. Our team wanted to see a bit of rural Ethiopia beyond the city life of Addis. As we climbed up the mountainside, the smell of Eucalyptus was so strong combined with the smell of fresh rain. The city eventually faded and the signs of they countryside became apparent. There were shepherds watching over their herd and, harvests being transferred to be sold - some on the backs of donkeys and horses and some on the backs and shoulders of people.

The drive was about two hours, although it took a little longer as we stopped to purchase fruit for the children at the care point. Trees of Glory is a care point completely unlike that of Kolfe Boys Orphanage. Of the over 100 children at the school, only 13 are orphans who live at the compound. The others are all children from the surrounding villages. The children are provided education and nutrition each day. We were told of one little girl who when she first showed up at the school was thin as a rail and malnourished, but today is a plump and healthy child who is excelling in her studies

The property is a large compound given to the school from the government after the Japanese construction company abandoned the site after completing construction of the highway. It was made up of a number of barracks styled buildings. We had a tour that took us down the hill to where they were in the process of digging out the previous well as plans were under way to re-access that well and once again provide running water direct to the school, versus having to bring it on on donkey each day. They were so proud of this project and I am praying that they have success soon and can enjoy fresh water daily.

Further down the hill was a small creek that was also the schools property line. Being outside, walking the countryside down to the creek you noticed how quite it was, especially after leaving the bustle that is Addis Ababa. The view was out of a movie, slowing running and clear. We skipped a few rocks while exploring.

We then completed the tour by walking back of the hill to the buildings where we shown the progress and results that preceding teams had done at the compound. The toilets had been restored and much of the interior had been painted. Under construction was a covered walkway between the dining hall and kitchen.

Once the tour was done it was time to play! While getting the tour the children were so patiently waiting for our interaction. Finally it was time. We walked over to the playgournd and our team split up. Many of our team played volleyball and showed off some skills, it was the first time being introduced to the rule that you can kick the ball as well as use your arms when playing. This would come in handy later in the week while at Kolfe.

I picked up a soccer ball and started playing with the little kids, soon I had 10-15 kids surrounding me and trying to take the ball away. I love the constant energy that children have. After about 15 minutes we organized a game, with me and four others on one side and Fekra (Hopechest discipler) and four others on the other. The field was actually rocks but that didn't slow these children down. It was a close game (the goals are very small in Ethiopia) and neither team really dominated the other. The game ended when I twisted my ankle, luckily it was just a small sprain although it could have been avoided if I would have wore my ankle brace.

After playing we brought all of the children into the classroom and sang songs, many of them echo songs. It is such joy to see a child's face light up and watch them learn something new. So many of these children seemed to crave touch, they wanted to be held, hugged and provided attention. We didn't disappoint.

After lunch, we were provided our first coffee ceremony of the week. This is a very special part of Ethiopian culture and customary to provide guests with coffee. The coffee beans are roasted, the smell fills the room. I must admit, this was the best tasting coffee I have ever had.

Some photos of our time at Trees of Glory:

One More Day

And Dave will finally be home!

You think with Dave being all the way across the globe in Ethiopia, I would have very little contact with him. Well that is sort of the case but thank goodness internet and phone is everywhere. Yesterday I got to talk to Dave on the phone. I felt bad as it was very late for him (9 hours ahead) but I was beyond relieved to hear his voice, hear about his day, and to share with him my days.

While Dave told me about his day, I started to feel like my struggles being a single parent is nothing and that I have absolutely nothing to complain about. Dave’s heart is aching right now and he is filled with so many emotions. I know I am ready for him to come home and I know he is ready to see his girls (and me) again but he doesn’t want to leave Ethiopia. Dave got a tremendous opportunity to travel with an amazing group from our church and introduce them to a country we love. From the sounds of it, everyone has fallen in love with Ethiopia and it sounds like some if not all of them want to return soon. Amazing! This group of adults and young adults will be able to come back and share their experiences with the congregation, with their friends, their family, and anyone that will listen. I am personally excited to hear about their trip from others besides Dave and to hear how this trip has changed them (and if it changed them). I am thinking our church is going to be able to do some great things for Ethiopia!

Like I said, I listened to him talk and I couldn’t help but feel guilty. I should not have complained about my week especially to Dave. At least not now when he is wrapping up his trip and managing his emotions. But my week was not a joy ride. It was hard. Lack of sleep, girls bouncing off walls, being stuck inside thanks to a two part winter storm, and no personal time has turned me into a crazy person. Big kudos to all the single parents out there as they have a very hard job!

I have to say thank goodness for an awesome daycare as my girls are being well taken care of, I am amongst adults, and I managed to get a fairly good night's sleep last night. 

Dave will be home soon!  YIPPEE!

If only Dave didn't have my camera...

If I had a camera and the camera could talk, it would tell you:

• Makenna is walking around on two feet versus crawling like she did all last week thanks to her new and "pink" cast on her leg.
• A sleeping bag sprawled over my family room floor with two girls in it watching Miss Spider
• A very tired mommy thanks to the lack of sleep due to both girls not going to bed and waking up multiple times per night :(
• Laundry baskets stacked up waiting to be folded and put away
• A huge snow drift in my driveway as well as all my neighbor's cars in our shared driveway preventing me from leaving my house (not to mention a big reason why all the snow is on  my side of the share driveway)
• Two healthy and relatively happy girls, two naughty puppies, and one mom who can't wait for her husband to return home

What would your camera say if it could talk?

Hello from Addis Ababa! (guest blog)

This is Jane Campbell and Katy Gorden reporting on behalf of the team.

The best thing about being here is that the weather is AWESOME; the sun is shining, there is no wind, it’s 70 degrees… oh, and no snow! We hear it’s blizzarding in Fargo… that’s unfortunate. But really, if the best thing about being here were the weather, we probably wouldn’t have come.

On Tuesday of this week, the team had the privilege of meeting the boys at the Kolfe Orphanage for the first time. After touring the compound, the boys showed us how bad we are at soccer (excuse me, football). Everyone was sore the next day, especially David, due to a face plant from diving after the ball. No worries, we got it on camera. (Insert evil laugh here.)

The next day, we went to Fregenet Kidan Ehitsanat School in Addis Ababa, the same location as a library named Ethiopia Reads. Much to our dismay, the book Twilight was on the shelves. Vampires aren’t just taking over the U.S., they’re taking over the world. Eek! We didn’t see Harry Potter represented; everyone was deeply saddened. Anyway, the classes that we visited sang some songs for us in English and Amharic, the national language of Ethiopia. One class sang about how much they loved school and they thanked their moms for being able to go to school. We were reminded that when we may not want to go to school, some kids are extremely grateful for the opportunity to go. While there, we met a little boy named Nati, who was probably most excited by us being there. Everywhere we went around campus, he followed and made sure to do some sort of acrobatic trick to impress us, and it worked!

That afternoon, our team split into two groups. One group went to go shopping for the material needs of the Kolfe boys, while the other group, our group, went back to Kolfe for more time with the boys. While our group was at Kolfe, we learned some cultural dances from some of the boys, which Julie Boe loved. Katy and I also got an added tour from our new best friend, Filiman. The group that went shopping purchased multiple t-shirts, undershirts and underwear (among other things) for the boys.

Thursday morning, we took a long trek to the Trees of Glory just outside Addis Ababa. Here, we got a tour of the beautiful 11,000 square meter compound. After lunch and a coffee ceremony, we were given the chance to play some games with the kids. There was a volleyball game (which Katy was beast at and I was… not) and a soccer game going while the younger kids were learning fun songs. The hardest part of the day was having to say goodbye to the kids; they were just so grateful for our presence. After having a delicious pizza dinner at Island Breeze, we all went back to the Guest Home for a good, long slumber.

Today, we went to Alert, the leprosy colony/hospital in Addis Ababa. This trip was extremely eye-opening for everyone in the group. We saw people with stubs for hands and eyes sealed shut. In Korah, the city surrounding the hospital, many of the 75,000 people living there make handicrafts, such as floor mats, scarves, tablecloths and clothing, to gain income for their family. So, after seeing the people making their various crafts, everyone on the team bought something beautiful at the gift shop.

That afternoon, we went to the National Museum of Ethiopia and the Lion Zoo. The museum was really interesting, as most exhibits displayed the history of humans. At the Lion Zoo, most people enjoyed being able to see the lions from a safe distance.

All-in-all, the trip so far has been lots of fun, but also very humbling at the same time. We’re both extremely excited to keep going with our trip, but also excited to bring back our many stories to our friends at Olivet and in Fargo. Happy New Year to all and see you in five days!