Day 10

We got the privilege of attending a church service at the school. It was a beautiful service. One of our team members spook and gave the message. The choir sung many songs of worship. The church was packed! At the end of the service, the children presented us with a gift of traditional clothing with the fabric specific to Hawassa. It was a huge honor and very unexpected.  After the service we went outside to dedicate the playground. I was thankful my little girl had found me and grabbed my hand.  They had everything decorated with the crafts we made through the week and some of the sports supplies we brought over. We prayed a blessing over the playground and one of the teachers set off our final firework. When this was finished one of the church leaders told us it was time to leave.  We tried to stay strong but as we climbed on the bus the kids began to cry. Again I am left speechless as we drove off with these precious children just crying and crying.  I continue to struggle to put this experience into words to accurately describe this trip. I am hopeful that once we return home, I can view the pictures and have more words. After our goodbyes we began our trip back to Addis. Is was a beautiful drive through the mountains and I was able to process the week we had been through. I was conflicted with the sadness of leaving Tizeta and the longing for home. The people here are amazing and so joyful. I will truly miss this feeling of constant acceptance and love from all the people here in Ethiopia!

Day 9

Day 9 I can not believe we have been gone for 9 days! This morning was a fun morning to just play with the kids and enjoy them. I had the worst upset stomach day yet but tried to move past it. We of course started with songs and the flag ceremony.  Then we wee challenged to a soccer game. It was Americans vs Ethiopian staff. Thankfully they went easy on us and it was a close game. We all looked silly because of the dehydration and exhaustion factor. All in all it was a lot of fun.  We had the privilege of feeding the kids lunch today. Thankfully Christine warned us about how they would politely inhale the food and completely clean their plates. As we prepared for the 300 kids we would be feeding, we got to help wash their hands. It felt a bit like what the bible talks about when Mary washes Jesus feet. Very special.  Then the kids walked  in and sat on the benches in the church. They waited so patiently while the aromas of food filled the air. They were so gracious as they accepted a plate of food and a soda. You cannot help but get emotional when you know this is probably it for them for the day. Trying to hold it together we served all the school children. There was still some left and plenty of kids outside to eat it. We invited in some of the siblings to partake. We ran out about half way through the serving. I cannot explain the look of disappointment in the kids eyes when we said no more.  Nothing that I will soon forget.  They were very gracious and forgiving.  There were so many to feed.  When there were but scraps left the staff put together large platters to hand out to the neighborhood  kids.  It was gone in seconds. After all of this we called it a day. We returned to our hotel and have been trying to regroup for tomorrow. I am excited to experience their church service tomorrow but broken hearted to say good bye to these precious kids!

Day 8

Day 8 Friday July 6th Today we visited the children's homes. It is customary here to bring a gift when going to someone's house to visit. We searched and searched for sugar but it is scarce right now. So we settled for coffee and cooking oil. I knew going into today this would be hard to swallow. Helena, one of our staff translators, told us we were to show not emotion. It was so hard.  As we headed to the first home it was clear this was to be tougher than expected. The first home was a hut made of sticks and straw. They only had one room that was their bedroom, kitchen, sitting room, everything. I am just shocked. After we walked to a few other homes, it was my turn to see Tizeta's home.  She lives in a square home made of mud and a metal roof. The room was about 10x12 at the most. They sleep 9 people in their home. I did not get to meet her parents because they were working. I met her older sister, baby sister, and little brother. In her home there was a bench, two tiny mattresses on the floor, and some shelfs with cooking supplies on it. Tizeta is blessed to still have both parents alive. I was then able to give her the photo album we made her. Her face lit up and I choked back the tears recalling the no emotion rule. Once we finished all the homes, we were all exhausted from the week and decided to have bit of a fun relaxing afternoon. We headed to a resort on lake Awassa and waited to go on a boat to see some hippos. While we waited, we all wanted to feed the monkeys that hang out in the trees around the resort. I grabbed some peanut butter and crackers from my bag and sent Bruce in as the guinea pig. Turns out the monkeys are really use to it and glad to accept food. The waiters brought us rolls and we all got to hand feed them. So fun! While waiting for the rain to pass, Carolyn and I were sitting by the water chatting. We saw a monkey out of the corner of our eye and decided we wanted to feed her. I grabbed some popcorn out of my snack bag and we got her attention. Not long after she came, a male joined her. Her leaped onto our table and aggressively took popcorn from Carolyn. As if that wasn't crazy enough, the female snagged the bag and took off! We got mugged by monkeys! We haven't stopped laughing since it happened. Next it was boat time. We took this boat out to the other side of lake Awassa. There we stopped and waited patiently. We noticed their little helicopter ears popping out of the water and then their heads surfaced. They were very calm and peaceful but didn't like us so they would quickly return to hiding.  Today was so special. I continue to think how is it possible to fit 9 people in that home. I am not sure how you process it all and sure it will take quite a bit of time and prayer.  Love to you all at home!

Day 7

Day 7 Thursday July 5th Our final day of vbs started out with some amazing rain. This caused us to be all together in one building with 250 kids trying to entertain them. It was awesome! The kids were so good. Our drama skit was about the parable of the sower and it was perfect. The kids laughed at us all and really enjoyed it.  We decidede to go ahead with our craft which was making tissue paper flowers. These kids love every thing you give them to do. The boys didn't turn their noses up at it at all. They even put them in their hair. I just love these kids way of appreciation. We also did a coloring page and a maze. I never realized how hard a maze is to explain, especially with a language barrier! Of course there was singing, worship, and a lot of jumping. We are define toy getting our workouts. We climb 85 stairs up and down to our room each time, non stop jumping during worship, not to mention soccer, tag, and all other sports. If you come to Ethiopia, be ready to play hard! I ended getting an upset stomach around lunch time. So the second half of the day, I was pretty mellow. We ended our day with taking kids photos for their sponsors, jump rope, soccer, Marco pollo, and valley ball. At the end of the day we were asked to plant some trees. This ceremony was great. The respect and love for their land is amazing. Once our team each planted a tree, an older child was assigned to take care of it. These kids took it as a huge responsibility and immediately started to care for them. What a reminder! Dinner was at an Italian pizza place. I played it safe and everyone very much enjoyed their food. Great celebration to the end of our VBS. Tomorrow is home visits. Please be praying that we will be able to see past what is immediately in front of us. 

Day 6

I was in charge of our teams blog tonight so I just copied it for you here: Day 6 Wednesday July 4th Hi everyone, this is Steph giving you the experience of day 6 in Ethiopia.  On our trip from the hotel to the school, I usually spend time praying and trying to prepare my heart for the time ahead. My heart was feeling very heavy this morning and I was thankful that one of our team members had some Christian music playing on his cell phone. As we sat and sang along with several songs, the following just hit deep after this experience: If faith can move the mountains Let the mountains move We come with expectation Waiting here for You, waiting here for You You're the Lord of all creation And still You know my heart The Author of Salvation You've loved us from the start Waiting here for You  With our hands lifted high in praise And it's You we adore Singing Alleluia You are everything You've promised Your faithfulness is true And we're desperate for Your presence All we need is You Feeling ready we arrived to the kids running down the streets after us like we are the biggest celebrities. Excitement oozed from these kids as they waited in anticipation for us to begin our drama about 3 faithful men in the fire. The drama was a success and we moved onto our stations. The kids rotated through red light green light, coloring page and maze paper, angel craft, and Simon says (King Neb says). At our lunch break, it began to storm.  There was a lot of anxiety around the rain and keeping the kids all inside.  Prayers were answered! The kids were great. We had fun flying paper airplanes and painting nails.  Once the rain cleared, we had a fun surprise for the kids. We wanted to share a bit of our traditions being that it is fourth of July, so we bought some fireworks.  As all the kids gathered on the steps to watch, the boys began to set off fireworks.  After the first one was successful, Ryan took off with the second one with this mischievous look in his eyes towards the kids. In complete terror the kids started screaming and running away. Thankfully it was a super tiny one that didn't go far at all. He was just so excited to show these kids up close. Our third day of VBS ended with a bang and lots of hugs! In closing I find it hard to pick and choose what to share with all of you. I find myself unable to put into words this experience. So I encourage each of you to take a step of faith and be stretched. Come on the next Ethiopia Go Team and love on these kids! They are waiting here for you! 

Day 5, guess I was off by one day!

Today was our second day of vbs and it was so fun as well. The kids were just as excited today as they were yesterday. We started off with songs once again. We taught them this little light of mine. Then it was off to our station rotations. Our first stop was frisbee. We did our best at teaching them the right way to throw a frisbee, but when you aren't that great at throwing it yourself, it makes it very difficult. They did great and we even started to play ultimate frisbee. These kids are so agile and quick. Next it was off to some coloring pages and mazes. It is so fun to watch these kids get to select more than just one color to color with. The take so much time on their work and always hold it up to you for a thumbs up. It breaks my heart as we watch them try to stuff the crayons or other craft stuff into their pockets. We keep reassuring them these will stay here for them. The class's room that we squeezed into was so tiny. You could not walk around the tiny benches that they squeezed three kids on each of them. we have such an abundance in the states. Next it was more songs in prep for lunch dismissal. We threw in the song, I said a boom chicka boom. Such a great song for them to get into. As we drove off to lunch we passed kids on the street yelling it as us. These are the images forever pressed in my memory. Joyful singing kids. When we returned from lunch it was time to make pinwheels which were the biggest hit of the day. At one point the little kids came running out of the church building with their pinwheels and it was this sea of colors. We even got the chance to hand some extra ones over the fence to the kids not as fortunate. The kids were trying to take more than one again. A tough to not just make them all 5 of them if they want. The school is working hard on respect. The kids are actually very well mannered. Rarely to the go a little crazy and it usually about silly things. Wee ended our day with parachute time and a faith demonstration. It was a great day. For dinner, we ate with the church officials to discus our furth partnering with Calvary and what our next steps are. Please be praying over a possible expansion of the school project. It would be great to have more kids be able to attend. Emotions were pouring out today as everyone is exhausted. Sorry this blog is lacking but I am beat. Currently listening to the local night life, hoping for no wild dogs fights, cst fights, crazy storms, parties with loud music till 3am. Instead just some rest so I can be my best tomorrow for these kids. Bruce and I are leading tomorrow!

Day 3

Words cannot express today accurately. We finally got to meet all the kids. They were amazing. From the second that we drove up kids were flocking to our bus reaching their hands in the windows. The hardest part was having to go into the school and leave several children outside just staring at us and reaching through the fence then whole time we were there. Our morning started with introductions. Tears were everywhere. It is such a crazy experience to realize this child on paper is real and I get to hug her. It made me miss my kids so much and at the same time brought comfort. Tizeta is beautiful. I picked her out instantly because of her wild hair. She is tiny. Her eyes see deep into your heart and soul. She likes to observe you for a time and then she didn't leave my side. After introductions and hugs, we did our bible time. The kids where so well behaved and participated. Then it was onto songs. I have to say this has been one of the best parts. Their joy is true and it oozes out of them as they sing. Look for a video on Facebook. Then it was onto games. I had the second oldest group and we started at soccer. The kids are amazing soccer players and I felt very privileged to play with them. Next we were onto parachutes and finally frisbee. These kids take in every new experience and absorb everything being taught to them. We finished our morning session with Monkey Tag. It was us 10 against the 200 kids. We were so excited for the physical exercise but were shocked it how quick they were. After playing hard we left for lunch. This was very hard for me knowing that these kids were sent home to no parents and no food. Sitting in the restaurant, I just kept praying over them. When we returned we started with watercolor paintings. The kids spent so much time on a tiny picture. It was fun to teach them how to watercolor. Many of them it took several attempts to remind them to dip brushes into water first then into paint. Next it was off to water balloon tosses. This sounds simple but took extensive explanations and time. While I was paying with my group, Tizeta snuck over to the older kids side and hung out with me just holding my hand. We have learned how affectionit they are to everyone. They are constantly seen with arms around eachother or hand in hand. This ended our day there at 5 tonight. Goodbyes take some time. Each child has to come up and touch your hands, give high fives, hugs, kisses, you name it. And most of the time it was 5 times or so. It is just and overwhelming experience. I know I am leaving so much out but it is taking a bit to process all that has occurred. Guaranteed I will never be the same after this trip. The thoughts of just th basics of life being so simple and easy to come by in the USA and then seeing the contrast here in Ethiopia is shocking. I am more in outraged than ever in our partnership with this great place. God is moving through here and it has been awesome to experience some of it first hand. That's all for tonight! Much love to all!

Day 2

This morning we got up early at the Ethiopia Home. We met s dad, Steven and his newly adopted little girl, Menharit (mercy). Funny thing is, he and his wife are from Los Gatos. What are the chances? He will be at the home till August waiting final interview with US Embacy. Menaharit is beautiful and so eager to learn new things.  The bus arrived to take us to Awassa st 9:30am. It was quite an experience to watch the guys loading all the baggage on top of our bus and tie it all down. Despite so rain we were off!  Taking in the sights during the day was far different than at night. It was overwhelming to see the way the Ethiopian people live.  We stopped for lunch at a nice restaurant. I was able to attempt my first authentic Ethiopian food, Da rwhat. Not my favorite but at least I tried it. That one was for Karter! After our meal we went to the rest room and sadly one of our team mates got stuck. Within minutes there were eight men in this tiny bathroom trying to bang the door down to get her out. Good laugh had by all and then back on the road.  We arrived in Awassa at about 4:30 in the afternoon. Long ride but it provided much scenery and a chance for a short nap.  We are staying at the Lewi hotel. It is very  nice. I am rooming with Caroline. After checking in and unloading we were off for a tour of the city. We stopped at this beautiful resort that a famous athlete built.after taking in the sites of the lake  we sat down to have some coffee and French fries. The best part of my day was my shock when I got to face time with Robb and the kiddos.  Finally dinner. We went to the resort part of the Lewi hotel. We got to see monkeys! Don't make eye contact with them or they think you want a challenge. Dinner was great, I stuck with pizza. Then back home to unload and repack all our supplies for tomorrow.  I wish each of you could experience Ethiopia for yourselves. It's amazing and almost impossible to put into words!!!! Tomorrow is exciting, as we start our VBS and get to start loving on these kids! 

Day 1

Sunday July 1st 5:11am We made it here to Addis Ababba safe last night around 11:30pm. The travel was long but not too bad. I was surprised how time went by pretty quick.  I almost missed my first flight because security wasn't understanding that my flight was only 10 min from departure when I was still waiting on a pat down due to my pace maker.  Thankfully my father in law stepped in and got them to listen.  Needless to say once they finished I grabbed my stuff and ran shoeless to the gate. After that it was smooth sailing. Once off the plane in Addis after about 27 hours of travel, we got our visas and sailed through customs. Thank you Lord! We were treated by Children's Hope Chest staff who felt like family. It was a very reassuring feeling. It was dark when we came out of the airport so it was hard to get a complete understanding of Addis. After loading onto the bus, we traveled to Ethiopia Guest House127. While driving I was constantly reminded of how grateful I am and beyond blessed to have my life in the US.  It was slums after slums. Wild dogs were everywhere and loud cars. Our driver took us to the top of a hill to show us the view of the city. The lights were breathtaking and you could tell how proud theEthiopians were of it.  The guest house is so nice in comparison to the houses we past of the street. Once again I was left feeling humbled. They treated us like royalty when we walked in, even offered to make us some spaghetti. We brought our stuff to our rooms and quickly learned  there was wifi. Everyone jumped on to let family back home know we were here safe. Robb quickly responded to my email and the tears came like a flood. So excited to be apart of this but at the same time my heart aches for home. I quickly wiped my tears and joined some team members for spaghetti and felt better surrounded by people who care! Then it was off to bed. The night has been rather sleepless.  Grouped by time adjustment, wild dogs barking, people yelling in the streets, and early morning calls to prayer, it will take some getting use to. Today Christine and Bruce are off to pick up our last group member Audrey from the airport.  We will have breakfast and a 5-6 hour bus ride to Awasa. Today I hope to get some pictures!

Ready to go!

I keep hearing the song in my head, "All my bags are packed, I am ready to go...." I have so many things running through my heart and mind. It is hard to believe it is so close. I am going to miss my precious kids and husband!

I am so excited for the amazing opportunity to go to Ethiopia! I originally thought of starting this blog for my kids to be able to see what is going on each day while I am gone. Please be praying for our team as we are making final preparations for the trip. We are all anxious to get there!