Day 4: On the Streets

We got to sleep in until 9:00 this morning, pretty exciting! All of us were tired. We went to a church called Beza. It was amazing! The worship was in both American and Amharic and I loved every minute of it. It was the most unique experience I have ever had. I am glad I got the opportunity to share that time with my team as well. The sermon was very appropriate for our visit, Duh, God knew we were coming! It was based on Matthew 28: 18-20, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations." and  Mark 16:15, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all of creation." Just what we were doing in Ethiopia...being  his disciples, sharing His word and his love! Amen!! :)

Me and Christian at Beza. So exciting to know

 Christian was just

saved last year (through Young Life)

 and his heart is on fire for the lord!!

After church we headed to the market.. It was hard to shop because their were moms holding their babies begging for food, money, or anything we would give them. We passed out a few suckers with notes attached telling them, 'Jesus loves you.' We held our bags close to us because they would try and steal things. Very sad, but this is all they know. There were also 'street kids' asking you to buy gum, shine your shoes, asking for food, and watching your every move. These kids no nothing but the streets. They literally live on the streets. Some as young as 5 years old...heart breaking.

Kids in Ethiopia love to play soccer. Clay, Tucker, and Andy all played soccer growing up, then in college, and Clay coached the Ravenwood girls team up until this year. Soccer, AKA Futbol is a way for kids to have fun and forget about the daily struggles and their hungry bellies. The street kids impaticular LOVE to play. Clay brought and left them balls to play when we left. Their faces light up when they see the boys bring out the balls to play. Not only thie street kids but Clay, Tucker, and Andy. Playing soccer is one of their gifts, and they were able to minister to kids by simply playing. I love this!!!

Ashli fell in love with this 16 year boy, Sammi last year when she came with OH. Now as Ashli lives in Ethiopia, serving the kids and making the biggest difference in so many of their lives. Sammie now lives with her, along with 2 other boys that once lived on the streets. Ashli, your amazing girl!!!

After playing soccer with the kids, we headed to Kaldi's. Everyone was so excited to go get coffee at a place so similar to Starbucks. Mmmmmm!

After dessert at Kaldi's we headed to dinner. Funny I know, but we were still getting use to the food at this point. We went to a traditional Ethiopian restaurant called, Yoda Abyssinia. You sit down in chairs around a very small round table. There was entertainment that was amazing!! They have singers and dancers from all different cultures. The dancing was my favorite! Well, until I was called on stage! I will get to that...

The waiter came and brought a bucket of water and soap. He had us get soap in our hands and he then poured water over our hands to wash them before dinner. Then they brought a plate of injera, with meat and sauces. It looks very different to anything I have ever had, but it was pretty good. It would take some getting use to. In Ethiopian culture, they eat injera with almost every meal. They LOVE it!

After dinner a waitress kept coming over and talking to Maste and looking at me. Hmmmm, of course I was very curious as to what they were saying. I need to brush up on my Amharic for my next trip! Lol!!
 Maste proceeds to tell me that she thinks I am a famous singer. Me being so gullible believe him and go on talking with he group. Then I notice the dancers on stage looking over at me, and then they come and get me....OH NO! I don't get embarrassed easily, but I am guessing I was turning every shade of red at this point. They pull me on stage, wrapped white linens around me and one of the dancers and sat us down in these chairs in the middle of the stage. They proceeded to dance in front of us. I am just sitting there not knowing what in the world is going on. Then they make me get up and dance....OMG!!! I looked like so silly up there for sure! After the dancing, they lead us out and have me wave to the crowd and bow... ok I will do what I am told. I still had no idea what was going on. When I get back to my seat I was told I was just married!! HAHAHA! Well, pretend married. Too funny! I am glad I got to experience it, but Maste...I will get you back!
*Oh I forgot to mention that the President of South Korea was at the restaurant too.

After the entertainment, we had a coffee ceremony. This is very common in their culture. They burn incense, serve coffee, roast something that I'm not sure what it is, and serve popcorn. Interesting!
It was a fun night with great company and lots of laughs!!

Day 3: Moving Mountains!

We went to Yezelem Minch, a local orphanage that provides different programs for children within the community: sports programs, sponsorships, child headed family support, etcetera. We met with the director  and then headed out to a small area in Addis hang out with kids and feed them their one meal of the day.

We brought fingernail polish, suckers, jewelry, and a few snacks, but we were not able to pass anything out because they started to crowd around you and push you and  try to grab things out of our bags. They wanted everything we had. It was very hard to say no, but we had no choice. I learned the word "beca" (enough) very fast.

After their bellies were full, they all went home, and we headed out. We went t o a little cafe to eat our cold lunch of pasta. We did have a Coke, that was exciting! A little taste off home.
That afternoon we went to an orphanage called El Olam. Ashli York, an amazing girl from Franklin moved to Addis last year after going on this trip with OH and is now helping restore this orphanage. She is "Moving Mountains!"
The kids are so loving! I got a million hugs and my heart melted at the happiness in their smiles! Although these children are without families, they are the happiest children I have ever met. They sang to us, and I can still hear the sound of their sweet voices. Saying goodbye was sad, but I knew we would get t o see them once more before we left.

Day 1 & 2, Very long, Rewarding Days!

After a sleepless night, I woke up to a 6 a.m. wake up call. Can we say EARLY!!  Get up, shower, breakfast, and head to the airport. Weigh our bags, check in, and wait...
We left DC at 12:00 noon (US time, 8am in Addis). I was exhausted, but couldn't sleep! I was now going on a total of 6 hours of sleep, in 72 hours. Wow! For people that know me well, that usually doesn't cut it. I'm the girl that requires 8  hours every night or I don't function so well, and if I'm being 100% honest I am a little grumpy! But oh well, who needs sleep right? I have been waiting for this trip for a year. I was pumped!!
I watched the most amazing sunrise through the plane window. God makes everything so beautiful! A long 13 hour plane ride, no sleep, but I was so anxious to be there!!

We arrived in Addis and I step off the plane to, "the smell of Ethiopia," as I was told. It is a smell I will never forget and nothing like I have ever smelled before. We go through customs, get our Visa's, and then a guard tells us to go ahead through security. Then as we do we were asked to come back. This turned into a 5 hour ordeal of going back and forth with officials. It ended with half our group sitting outside the airport and half inside, waiting, and waiting, and waiting..  They finally let us go after going through all our bags, a million questions, and anxiety among the group. What a way to start our journey. We finally made it to the guest house where we settled in and then spent the afternoon playing with the kids that lived near the house. Tin-sia was a favorite! Abenezer walked up to me, clothes ripped, and his shoes falling apart, so I took him in the guest house and gave him new clothes and shoes. What a great way to start my trip!

There were lots of little boys outside wanting to play each day, but very few girls. Clay, Tucker, and Andy had fun playing soccer with them! To see their sweet faces light up made my day! God is good!! Bed early, 8:00... I finally slept 12 whole hours!! Yay!

Ready of Not Here I go...

So as I leave today, I'm feeling a little anxious, but VERY excited!!! I do have to say my biggest concern as now, is our carrry-ons. They can only be 15 pounds, so we are all a little worried, considering no ones is 15. So please pray that they will have a good desk clerk when we arrive in all the airports.
I want to thank all of you for support! For the generous donations, purchasing a shirt, dancing your booties off at Zumba, donations, and just the sweet notes, emails, and phone calls. It means the world to me to have such amazing friends. I am very blessed to have you in my life!!
I leave tonight and fly into DC. I will have my phone tomorrow until 11:00 am, then I am switching it to an International phone, but it will be my same number. If you want to send me any prayers or encouraging text (before I leave or during) I would love it! The only thing is  they are .5 cents a text (starting Thursday at 11:00), so just one please!!!  I won't  respond, but know that I love you and appreciate you thinking of me. We will spend the night in DC, and leave for Addis at 12:00 Thursday. When we get there, we will check in and the head to an orphanage to feed the children and spend the day there. This is going to be a life changing experience for me and I am so excited to see this amazing journey God has put in front of me. I would like to ask for your prayers when we are gone. Please pray for my anxiety. As many of you know, I am a nervous person in certain situations. So pray for my peace. Please pray that God will show me so much about Himself as well about myself and how I can live through him and glorify his name daily. Pray that I will be able to communicate God's love to the children we meet. Also, pray for our team, as of now I only know 3 people, but I know I will be as close as ever when we return. Pray that our team will have unity and that our travels will be safe, and that we all remain healthy.
Thank you again for your ongoing support! I couldn't not have done it without you!

Follow our trip on Kelly's blog at http://ordinaryheroblog.blogspot.com/

John 14:15-21

"If you love me, you will obey what I command.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.  Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

Filling the hole in our Gospel

Mother Teresa once said, "I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world."
"She had it right. We're not authors, any of us. We are just "pencils." Once we understand that, we might actually become useful to God." ~Richard Stearns,  President of World Vision

If I could just let go completley and give it all to Him, I would be good, right? I know I'm not the only person that thinks about this. As I am reading this book, so much of Richard's story reminds me of myself. So many times you say, "ok, I am giving it all to God, all of it, I promise." Then we get impatient or don't usually give to "all" like we promised. We don't want to sacrifice the things we possess...instead they have begin to posessess us. Richard says, "God can't give you the blessings He has for you until you first put down the other things you are clutching in your hand."
For me...it brings a whole new meaning to the verse, " If you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul." Deuteronomy 4:29

In 31 Days my life will be changed forever...

Its hard to believe that in 31 days I will be on my way to Ethiopia in a city called Addis Ababa. I have waited for this day for a year now. God has been preparing me every step of the way. As I read a pre-trip devotional, I am reminded that I was blessed with the gift of Mercy. I know this because of a wonderful class I took at church  a few months ago. What an amazing gift to have!  I love the stories in the bible about God showing mercy...eating with tax collectors and "sinners," healing the sick, feeling compassion for others, and the list goes on. I truly have compassion for others, and I am so excited to see the things God has planned for me. You can't be taught mercy but instead God wants us to learn through our actions and expieriences. Yes, I am going to "serve" and "give" to others, but I am also going to learn more about  mercy and compassion for others.
Of course as it gets closer to time I am getting a little anxious. I am a little too old too say this, but I get home-sick. Pitiful...I know, but true! I have had my first round of shots, trip to the doctor, doantions being collected, and now I wait...
 I am ready to be out of my "comfort zone" and in a whole new world. I can't wait to love on some children and learn more about myself. I'm ready to use my spritual gifts and do it cheerfully! :)

"If it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully." Romans 12:8

 

Blessed by the Belville's

 I just wanted to thank Kristin and Rob for buying not one, not two, but SIX t-shirts from me!! This will help tremendously in my fundraising! So from the bottom of my heart, Thank You for helping me get to Africa!!