Have You Recovered?

When I returned from Africa, so many people asked "Have you recovered?"

My answer was always, "Physically, yes, but in other ways I hope I never do recover."

I have wanted to sit down and write a follow-up post to Ethiopia. I really haven't felt like I could end my trip posts and then start again with the "happy" posts, it just didn't feel right. 

In Ethiopia I tried so hard not to get bitter, to remind myself that some are blessed with things and others are blessed with faith and we all need to share. But upon coming home, putting that into practice was so much harder than I thought it would be. I was/am so caught up in how frivolously we spend, how much we "need", American traditions or the "norm", taking so so much for granted...don't even get me started on Hollywood. 

Nicholas had to talk me down several times, because I would get so angry..."Why isn't anyone helping?! How can people ignore the needs of others?!" The truth is, feeling like this won't get me anywhere. I can't get mad at people I don't know and assume they aren't helping, maybe they are? All I can do is account for my actions. What am I doing to help? Am I ignoring the needs of others? Am I taking my blessings for granted? It's not hard to get caught up in our culture; to expect a hot meal on the table, a clean bed climb in at night, a hot shower and clean clothes available everyday. We are so blessed in so many ways it's overwhelming. 

I couldn't stop thinking of that sweet little Hermela I held in my arms, sobbing for a bite to eat. Nicholas and I decided to sponsor them through Endihnew Hope via Ordinary Hero. Sponsorship meant three meals a day for her whole family (Mum and little brother Kaleb), as well as a job in claywork where she can bring her children with her. I just about lost it when Endihnew sent me a picture of their first trip to the market.

Seeing these pictures brought such joy to my heart, because the last time I saw her, she was sad and sick and hungry. 

Pulling that little girl off the ground that day and feeling her suffering radiating off of her changed my life. God blessed me so that I could bless her and change her life. It's a beautiful circle. 

Since then I have learned that she turned 5 yesterday! SO much fun that her and Holden are so close in age. It makes it really fun to share with him about Hermela and easier for him to relate to her. I cannot wait to go back and squeeze this sweet little girl! Holden wants to go too...maybe someday we can go together. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HERMELA!

Happy Birthday from Holden!

Travel Days #9 & #10 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Travel Day #9 July 7, 2013

Today we got to sleep in! We went to Beza Church, which was very interesting. I have experience full gospel worship before even though it’s far from Church of Christ. Beza was on fire for God. That’s really the only way I know to describe it. That type of worship gives everyone the freedom to praise God how they like which was refreshing and energizing. It was very interesting how this whole week we really have not seen “rich” people, but there at church people were well dressed, well fed, spoke English well, etc. This church could have easily been in Nashville, Tennessee. It was very strange compared to the devastation we had seen all week.

After church we ate a quick lunch in the parking lot before hitting the road back to the Hope for the Hopeless (H4H) country-side “campus”. Last night we had packed all of the blessing bags so we could hand them out. The last time we went there were tons of kids hanging out outside the H4H gate begging for food and clothes, so we were excited to get to bless them with the bags.

It poured down rain and hail on the way to H4H and had stopped but the clouds were very dark when we arrived. We assigned each dormitory room to an age and lined the kids up outside the gate and sent them in two by two. They first got wiped down and then sent into the rooms for new clothes, shoes, and a toy. After everything we had seen this week, it was like I had a weight on my heart for all of these children that needs so much. Today, while blessing these people with new clothes and shoes, it felt like some of that weight was lifted. To be able to make an immediate difference in these children’s lives was amazing.

There was also a medical clinic set up where people could get checked out and a dentist clinic set up. Kelly Soutas, a friend and dentist on the trip got right to work, but the power kept going out making his work difficult. They encountered several kids that needed much more work than they were able to provide under the circumstances. Some had teeth pulled, others had teeth filled, and one had an infection so bad it would have killed him within the year, if not for Dr. Soutas. It’s a joy and a pride to know the Soutas’ and I am so glad I got to see them work and serve the Hope for the Hopeless kids.

We returned to the Life Center after a long day on the road and helping these sweet sweet children. After dinner we gathered and got to hear Bissy and Kelly Putty’s story. I had heard them both prior, but before the backdrop of Addis, it was powerful to listen to their hearts and their passion to serve.

Travel Day #10 July 8, 2013

We needed to get to the Hope for the Hopeless house in the city early so the Soutas’ could get their dental clinic set up and start work on the city kids. The children did a great job. I can’t imagine how scary that is having never seen a dentist and with most needing teeth pulled. We played with the kids, started a soccer game and even gave a dental clinic showing them how to brush and floss their teeth.

We left to get lunch at (according to Ryan Daly) the only respectable burger place in Addis. We crossed town only to discover they had no food. To Americans this seems strange, but it’s life in a country where food and money is scarce, especially if quality is what you are looking for. We decided to head back to Metro Pizza where we had eaten earlier in the week. Pizza, calzones, and french fries were ordered and we continued to get to know each other as a team. It truly is beautiful when you meet people with the same passion, in all different walks of life. We all had different experiences on this trip and all of our hearts were pulled for certain organizations and causes.

After lunch the plan was to return to the IAG transition home, where we visited the very first day under our fog of jetlag. We are visiting Addis during the rainy season. It rains every day without fail. This results in a very muddy city and country-side and makes playing outside and service projects a challenge. On this particular day it poured and poured during lunch. We had to make several detours on the way to IAG, one of which involved driving the wrong way down a highway…our driver didn’t seem phased by this. We nearly arrived at IAG at the same time we were supposed to be back to the house to pack up and leave so we decided not to go. It would have been to sad to see the light on those kids’ faces, just to have to leave in 15 minutes.

Earlier in the day we started collecting money for anyone who wished to give to Endihnew Hope (the starving mountain children). This particular organization was especially dear to my heart. Seeing those kids with the hope of food in their eyes and there not being enough was too much to bear. I was so excited that just within the team members we raised close to $700 USD. This is HUGE!! This will help feed ALL of the children for 3.5 Saturdays!! I would really like to find monthly sponsorships for Endihnew Hope. Maybe church groups can commit to a Saturday a month or something like that? We got to present the money to Mesfin and that was fun. I cannot wait to see lives changed with that money. It didn’t take anything for us to throw a few dollars in, but it will make such a difference to those children.

Saying goodbye was really really REALLY hard. We had the best receptionists, drivers, translators, cleaning crew, security, and cooking crew we could have asked for. Plus, a host of children stayed with us throughout the week. Some were sponsored kids from the neighborhood, others were sponsored kids from Kore, others were sponsored kids from Hope for the Hopeless. By the end of this week they were all like family. These boys are really good boys just trying to make it in a world that is really difficult and trying. It was great to show them love all week, hug on them, encourage them, feed them, cloth them, welcome them into our hearts and our community. Naturally it’s not easy to break away, especially when you don’t know when you will be back. We will be back though and that’s encouraging all in itself.

We made it to the airport to wrap up our trip. It’s interesting how something can seem so long and so short all at the same time. I have extremely mixed feeling about leaving. This trip has changed my life. To be honest, I have read blog post after blog post, heard stories, seen pictures, and thought I had an idea what to expect and how I expected to feel. The reality is that the situation in Addis is so much worse than I had ever imagined. I will probably never know what it feels like to not be able to feed or clothe my children, to share a tiny one room hut filled with disease and despair, to know my child is sick and slipping, and not be able to fix it. This week, it felt like these children were my children and I had to do everything I could to fix it and make it better, but the need is far far to great for one person or for a team of 30. Thankfully, nothing is far too great for God. My prayer is that each and every one of those people are provided for above and beyond what we could every hope for. That is exactly what God promises and their faith is strong and complete and raw and unshakable. It’s easy to get bitter about where we live and how God as blessed us in comparison, but I fully believe that we are blessed so we can bless. We can show Jesus’ love through blessing the least of these and they can show Jesus’ love through their faith and reliability on God.

I am excited to go home. I cannot wait to see Nicholas, Holden and Adelaide. I cannot wait for modern conveniences like flushing toilet paper, drying my hair and internet. I cannot wait to breath in smog-free air. I cannot wait to share the need that is Addis Ababa, and inspire other people to be an ordinary hero. Step out in faith, change a life. It’s so easy to read about and forget, but when you look into a staving child’s eyes, you cannot forget. I seriously encourage everyone to sponsor a family or child. This is not a detached relationship. It’s a BIG deal to these people and they consider you family. All of this kids that stayed with us were sponsored and it was amazing to see how their lives were changed. They have a hope for a future when there was none.

Lastly I want to encourage everyone to go on a mission trip. Immerse yourself in what you think you understand but don’t. See, feel, hear, smell the desperation of these families and you will never ever be the same. We are all made in God’s image and we are all called to love. It’s not comfortable. It’s not a vacation. If I even begin to scratch the surface of my emotions over what I’ve seen, I may never stop crying, but it’s not about me, it’s about love and service, faith and duty. As an added bonus, the people you experience these things with will turn into family in a very short period of time. When God is speaking to hearts and revealing Himself, we come together and focus on Him, His will, His people. Lives are changed all around and it’s a beautiful thing.

Travel Day #8: Endihnew Hope for Entoto Mountain

Travel Day #8 July 6, 2013

I am not even really sure where to start with this day. I knew before I came to Ethiopia that the need was great, the people were for the most part poor. Of course I grew up with the cliché “Eat your dinner! There are children starving in Africa!” But honestly this week has been so eye-opening and I do not have the words to describe or explain how destitute and desperate these people are.

Yesterday we went up into the mountains and played with the children, and today we got the opportunity to visit an organization on Entoto Mountain with those same children called Endihnew Hope for Entoto. Endinew (pronounced En-dee-no) “Mesfin” decided to start Endihnew Hope after seeing the needs of the mountain children. Endihnew means “this is”; This is Hope. He visits three times a week. For two of the days he visits with families and tries to meet their needs and on Saturdays he gathers 160 children together and feeds them. Most of the children are HIV positive. He explained to us that there is not enough money for food for the kids, they need sponsors, and the organization needs general support. He asked us to help him pass out the food and that was when I realized that there was not enough food at that moment to go around. These children were starving and desperate and were just calling and yelling to Mesfin for a baggy of ingera with rice. It was like trying to get a t-shirt at a basketball game from the little shooter things, except it was not a t-shirt, it was food, and not getting any meant they would not have food that day or for days to come. It was a mob scene. I have never seen anything like it. When we realized there was not enough food we started passing out two peanut butter crackers per kid, but even those ran out. 

There was this little girl that was being trampled by the older kids. She was sobbing. I scooped her up and carried her to where the food was being handed out. They told me it was all gone and I just broke down with her in my arms. How would this sweet little girl ever have a chance? She was probably around 4 years old. I just hugged her tight and kissed her sweet, dirty little face and snuggled her. Her name is Hermela. Someone found us two peanut butter crackers. She nibbled and savored those crackers for several minutes. She did not know when more food would be coming and she was trying to make it last as long as possible.

Hermela

Hermela's mum Mekedes and little brother

Mesfin and Hermela

We were getting ready to hand out donations and to avoid another mob we had the kids form two lines: one for girls and one for boys. Even in lines they were desperate and pushing and not letting other kids in. All sense of community flies out the window when basic needs are not met. I took my little girl and we got in the girl line. She just laid her head on my shoulder; Mesfin came and told me that her mom had brought her today because she was HIV positive and had a bad respiratory infection and she needed medicine, but they did not have any to give her. Her mom came to say hi to me and to tell me that I did not need to hold her, but she grabbed for me as soon as I put her down. Someone handed her a stuffed otter holding a heart. It might have been the sweetest thing I have ever seen. She snuggled the otter and talked to it like a baby and rocked it and gave it Eskimo kisses. We slowly got to the front of the line. She got a pair of flip-flops, and a lollipop. She was so happy and her mom thanked me again and again. I tried to go back to the van to get a granola bar for her, but I could find her or her mom anywhere after that.

We continued playing with the kids for a while, until they were finished. By this time it was well past 2 o’clock, so naturally we were hungry for lunch. It’s so hard to be hungry after what we saw. It’s so hard not to feel guilty for what we have. That has been one of my biggest struggles on this trip is why God would bless some and not others. I do whole-heartedly believe that we are blessed so we can bless. These people do not have anything, but they have blessed me in return. It does not erase the uncomfortable feeling I have when we leave and go to lunch, no biggie deal for us. We are just visiting, but that is their reality. It’s difficult to wrap my brain around the vast spectrum that is our lives in comparison.

We did leave and go to lunch. Restaurant eating in Ethiopia takes forever. We went to Island Breeze today, which offers “American” food. We were there for probably 3 hours. By the time we left, we really did not have time to go to H4H like we had planned, plus it was pouring down rain. We headed back to the house and had time to relax and wind down before getting donations ready to take to H4H tomorrow.

After dinner was our team meeting. It was a really difficult day for everyone to process and deal with. There were a lot of tears. The longer we are here the more each one of these people are like family, and it hurts me to see them upset and hurting.

UPDATE: We are currently accepting donations on behalf of Endihnew Hope for Entoto. If this organization touched your heart like it did mine, please give. You can commit monthly or give a one time donation. Also please read http://ordinaryheroblog.blogspot.com/ for more information on Endihnew Hope for Entoto and how you can help.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Day #7 - Entoto Mt./Hope for the Hopeless

Travel Day #7 July 5, 2013

Today we headed up Entoto Mountain to play with the mountain children and to help the mountain women with their loads. When we woke up it was incredibly foggy and as we ate breakfast it rolled in so thick we couldn’t see out the windows at all. So when we got up the mountain we went to the field where the kids like to play but they weren’t there. We figured it was just too cold and foggy so we prepared to go back down the mountain to find women to help. As we were getting back in the vans this wall of children came running through the fog. It was most fun to see them so excited to see us. We played patty-cake games, duck duck goose (allah-ya-na bachachew), and tag. Then some of the boys brought out their donkey whips and were showing us how loud they could snap them, which on the mountain echoed and sounded like fireworks. We all got to try to see if we could do it too. I couldn’t, but I tried! After we played for a while we loaded in the vans. It’s so sad because they literally try to climb in the van with you. They are so hungry and so in need of basic items that it’s overwhelming. Like in Korah, there are just too many kids to help without getting torn apart. It is so so hard to ride away with the kids banging on the windows and begging for food. The song “break my heart for what breaks yours” doesn’t even begin to describe it.

There is livestock. And it roams where it chooses.

I only got videos of the children, and I'm having trouble uploading them here...

 A little ways down the hill we stopped for lunch that the Life Center packed for us. It was nice, but it’s so difficult to eat when you just saw all the hungry people. Who knows when they last ate and how much?

While we ate we found 4 women that were carrying loads down the mountain on their back. These loads weigh approximately 125lbs and it was raining. It blows my mind. We put their load on the top of the van (it took 2 grown mean to take the load) and then invited them into the van for a ride down the mountain. In the van we gave them basic personal care items, toothbrush/paste, lotion, chapstick, peanut butter crackers, etc. The women that rode in our van was 17 years old and had been hauling a load for 3 years.

After we dropped the women off we headed to the Jewelry store. This store helps mountain women survive and provide for their families by making jewelry. They had tons of neat stuff. It was amazing to see the light in these women’s eyes. They had a job, (that wasn’t hauling up and down the mountain) they would be able to help their families.

We then drove for a long while and arrived in Sululta where the Hope for the Hopeless country home is located. Earlier in the week we had moved the children from the drop-in center to a new house in the city. This is a spread-out campus in the country and the need is so great. Their sewage was backed up and the boys’ rooms smelled horrible. They said it would cost $250 to have it pumped, but they just couldn’t afford that. The conditions were really bad and to think this is an improvement to living on the streets.

The kids were so excited to see us. They all went around giving hugs as soon as we got there. I would say there were about 50 kids. We went out to the soccer field and played soccer for a while and got to visit. We dropped off a huge bag of shoes and shirts for them. We are planning to go back Sunday and will take blessing bags then.

The drive was long back to the guest house and we arrived just to clean up and load back in the car for dinner. We went to the traditional Ethiopian restaurant. It was a buffet with singing and dancing. When we got there Kelly informed us that they had wi-fi. There had been no wi-fi whatsoever at the Life Center so we all took the opportunity to jump on our phones and text our loved ones. I’m sure it was rude, and we all looked like typical Americans, but we had been so starved for the connection with our families that we didn’t care. I got to chat with Nick and my mom for just a little while. The food was okay, but I’m not a huge fan of Ethiopian cuisine. This kind of surprised me as I love ethnic foods of all kinds and I’m really not picky.  

We returned to the Life Center to have a team meeting. It was short and sweet, but gave us the opportunity to come together as a family.