Since I went to bed so early last night, I was ready to go after nearly 11 hours of sleep. I felt great and so did everyone else. There was a lot of energy from everyone as we headed to Jukura. It took us a couple hours to get there, and the road was rough. Probably the worst I’ve travelled on in Ethiopia. It went from a paved road with major potholes, to a gravel road with big divots, to a dirt road that was completely uneven. But the views were great. Ethiopia is a beautiful country, and our countryside work is in a mountainous region with great overlooks.
There are 5 of us currently travelling together: Ryan, Mesfin, Elias, Teshale and myself. I realized today, I failed to mention Teshale who has been with us since we arrived in Hosanna. He is the local preacher in Durame and is serving as another translator. He is a good worker in the kingdom, and I am getting to know him better every day.
We stopped at some point to “check our tires” (ie. take a pit stop) on the side of the road and stretch our legs. Since we’re the only white people I’ve seen, we get a lot of attention from the locals. If we stop for too long a crowd with form. On this trip, 3 men on a motorcycle stopped to talk with us. That may sound strange to us but that is perfectly normal around here. After a brief conversation with our group, I was urged to sit on the motorcycle for a picture. Next thing I know, Ryan is behind me along with 2 Ethiopians. This was quite amusing for both us and the Ethiopians. We made the most of the photo-op and moved along for our program.
We arrived at Jukara to an outdoor venue packed with people. I estimate there were probably 300 by the end of our time together. People continued to filter in throughout the program. They were a very spirited group. One thing I appreciate about Ethiopian culture is how active they are with their interactions. During the program the translator often does something like call and response with them, or he will say something to which the crowd will say “amen.” It is engaging and encouraging. This group was especially eager to be there, and it showed in their singing and worship.
Following our program, we have a usual routine: lunch in someone’s home, conversation with local preachers, then we hit the road. Today as we walked to the car, we were surrounded by probably 50 children. The language barrier keeps our interactions brief but Ryan and I have fun making faces and taking selfies with them. They always get a kick out of me sticking out my tongue. Maybe I’ll grow up some day, but not today.
From there we drove to Gimbichu, where we had macchiatos with Peter, Emmanuel and several others. These men are preachers in the surrounding churches and good friends of Mesfin and his family. Years ago, their fathers were among the first converts in this area by Markos and eventually started the church. It is now one of the most established churches in the countryside. We had a nice conversation, and they even bought our macchiatos—a rare occurrence while we are there. I would have paid but they insisted.
On the way home we had another interaction when we stopped to check our tires. A man walked by with a donkey pulling a cart. This is a common form of transportation people use to carry loads. Sometimes they stand on top and drive the cart with the reins. We told Mesfin to ask him if Ryan could drive it. The man was a little surprised and confused, but agreed. Ethiopians are very easy going, even if they have somewhere to be. Ryan hopped on with Teshale and they drove it down the road. I didn’t want to bother the man anymore, so we gave him 50 birr (~$1.00) for his time and we continued our trip.
There are many difficulties about this work, but it is a delight to be with these men. They take their work for the Lord seriously, but also love us and want to spend time with us. Their humility, transparency, honesty, and concern for us is evident. I am reminded constantly that our fellowship is a two-way street, and how blessed I am to be on the receiving end of so much love. As one man said at the end of our program: “We are different colors, but we are the same in Jesus. We are one.”
That night we had dinner at the hotel. Today was Christmas Eve so most guests had gone to be with family. But there was one man sitting at a table by himself. During the course of our dinner, we were making a lot of noise and Mesfin apologized for disturbing him. In typical Ethiopian fashion that led to a longer conversation and eventually I invited him to sit with us, using the two new words I had learned today: “wendimi, ware” (one-deh-meh, wah-ray): “brother, come”. As Kelsey would say, not even a language barrier would keep me from talking to people. His name is Brook, and he was in town visiting his fiancé. However, he is from Addis, where Mesfin preaches. He told us he is a Christian and he was very interested in our work. We exchanged contact information and he said he would try to come to one of our programs. Who knows what the Lord has planned, but I know this: when the Lord opens a door you just walk through and trust him.
Today was a really good day. Although we’re missing Randy, Ryan and I have appreciated the opportunity to stand on our own and develop deeper relationships with the Ethiopians. In many ways it has helped them see our commitment to them and the work. But it has also helped our confidence and perspective. We are learning and growing with these people that we might not get to otherwise. God knows what he is doing.
I’ll end with this thought from a song the Ethiopians sang today: “Our God you have been with us from the beginning. You have been with us through everything and have provided for our needs. You are a good God who sees us today and you will be with us forever.”
We are sometimes proud and miss God’s faithfulness. We are always at his mercy and yet from everlasting to everlasting he has always been good. He sees us and he cares for us. I thank my God for showing me this through the lives of my brothers and sisters here.
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