feet

Last week at house group we studied John 13 where the Son washes His disciples' feet. I think in America we don't fully understand this story or grasp the significance of the act of washing one's feet. We get into our car, drive where we need to go & really the only walking outside that we do is from the parking lot to the building. Here in Ethiopia you walk everywhere and very rarely is it on a sidewalk. It is also rainy season right now where you get to walk through this cakey, tar-like mud (chika in Amharic) that sticks to your sandals & very often your feet. The task of washing feet was always reserved for the lowest servant because it was such a dirty and humbling act. And that's exactly what the Son did & calls us to do: Love people enough to get dirty - to serve them - to put their needs (even if it's not a life or death need) over our own comfort.

In Biblical times and in many other cultures across the world today, the feet are the most dishonored part of the body because they are so unclean. This explains why bowing at one's feet is such an act of honor for the one who is being bowed to & such an act of humility for the one who is bowing. The Father calls us to humble ourselves and bow at His feet - to bring all that we have: our treasures, our accomplishments, our failures, our strengths, our faults, our desires, our plans, our dreams & our fears - and to love, fear & trust Him enough to lay them all at His feet.

"And I will glorify the place of my feet." - Isaiah sixty:thirteen

some sights of the city

As my dear friends and family, I think it is only fair that I share some sights that I see: some daily, some weekly, and some only every once in a while.

This is ingera & wots. Ingera is the thin, sour, pancake like substance that you covers the plate. The concoctions on the ingera are different kinds of wots: some made of green beans & carrots (these are quite yummy... kinda taste like my g'mas!)... then there's some with cabbage & beats... Shiro which is a soupy bean substance... this is their staple wot - kind of like our peanut butter & jelly. There are also some that have strips of goat meat called tibs or doro wat which is spicy & is made with chicken and hard boiled eggs. Quite delightful.

This is our street! I walk up and down this street everyday and smile at the women who work in the shops... love it.
I don't think picture really requires a comment or explanation. It simply stands alone.
Bags of different grains at this little open air market in our neighborhood.


This kitty was also found... and for those of you who know me... I'm a sucker for kittens. (Note: the piece of lettuce on the kitty's back was not staged.)


And finally, my favorite boy in Africa. He teaches me Amharic... mainly the names of animals. Asa is fish. Ambassa is lion. Samae is sky. That's all I got.

Pictures for your viewing pleasure...

More pictures for your viewing pleasure!

These are my new loves. I'm slightly obsessed.















Doesn't he look like a doll?






















Look a little like Starbucks? I think so. Except the coffee is just as good - if not better - and at 1/6 of the price. You can be jealous. It's okay.











To the right is my attempt at being artsy fartsy. You have to admit that the mug is quite fun - and you all know my obsession with coffee mugs.

Pictures of Coffee Ceremony!

So maybe I'll add some stories later, but here are some pictures for those who have been asking!
This is me washing coffee beans before roasting them and then grinding them right before my eyes! Can you see the excitement in my face?

This is one of my roomies, Lexi, me & one of my good friends I've met so far. Gotta love the coffee ceremony!

One more from another coffee ceremony!
(like the action shot of the coffee being poured and the steam and the greatness?)

Random Facts

Random Facts:
- When I blew my nose, I discovered that my boogers have turned black from all the pollution.
- The weather here is fabulous. You should probably be jealous. Because it is rainy season, it is about 70 degree during the day and probably 50-55 degrees at night. I have gotten great use out of my AFC hoodie.
- The country has its own calendar which creates a few differences from the "forengee" calendar. First, each month has 30 days and then they have a 13th month called Pagume, which has 5 or 6 days depending on if it’s leap year. They are also 7 years behind… so in just a couple of weeks, the country will celebrate their Millennium which will be quite a big deal from what I’ve heard! Oh! And they do time just like in Bible days... the Habasha day begins when the sun arises, so our 6am is their midnight.
- Another fun fact! Their last name is their father's first name. So they can trace back their genealogy and name by the Father's lineage. So their full name would be: their name, their father's name, their grandfather's name, their great grandfather's name, etc., etc.

minibuses, rain, adventures and more!

Let me preface this story by describing the public transportation available here. We call them minibuses; the locals call them taxis. Basically 16 or 17 people cram into an 11-passenger van. Personal space is really a foreign concept here. There are different stops throughout the city where you might have to cross the street or around the corner to switch to a different minibus. The tricky part is they don’t always drop off in the exact same spot and if you’re not paying attention, sometimes they don’t stop at all. So this is one of the biggest challenges I’m learning to conquer. I should also preface that it’s rainy season here which means it usually rains multiple times a day, randomly without a lot of warning.

So this week I’ve gotten to help out some at the Primary School I’ll be teaching at. Thursday afternoon, I left with one of the other teachers, even though we are only are the same route for a very short time. While we were waiting for a minibus we ran into one of the men from the leadership center that one of my friends, we'll call him John, helps run. The other teacher had met Jacob before so we stared to talk with him while we waited, hoping the taxi would come soon because it was beginning to sprinkle. He was going to Ghotera, which is on my way home. I truly believe that Dad sent Jacob to help me on my way home. First, he paid for each of my taxi rides and even though he was stopping at Ghotera, he promised to get me on the right taxi to Wolsifer. When we got off the minibus at Ghotera it started to rain harder & harder until it was pouring… he led me to a little café where we could wait till the rain passed. Although there were some silent pauses, we were still able to have some great conversation over a macchiato. John is Jacob’s mentor, so I asked him what is the greatest thing he has learned and he told me that true leadership comes from having a servant’s heart, because that’s how the Son lived. I learned about his family & where he’s from & his girlfriend who is waiting for him back home. I told him that it was a blessing that he was going the same way and that I believe the Father sent him to help me. He told me before we left the café that we have the same Father and even though he has dark skin and I have white skin and that we have different hair and speak different languages, we both follow the Son. I told Jacob that he is my brother. The sun started to peak its head out so we went back outside, Jacob got me on the right taxi, paid my fare, and I was on my way. Jacob and his service to me was such a blessing. Praise the Father for brothers all over the world!

More adventures & facts that aren't so serious soon to come!