:)

Ethiopia is still great!  So I mentioned in the previous post that a family from New Zealand just recently moved to Ethiopia to serve with BCI, Michelle, the mother, and I have been spending some time together getting to know each other and sharing our visions for service here.  She is teaching art at the school and trust me, God definitely hasn't given me the vision to serve in that area!  However, we do have some overlapping visions.  God gave both of us the visions, before we arrived, to start a Bible study amongst the local women.  We had a "getting to know you" meeting last night for the moms to attend and 31 women showed up!!  We introduced ourselves to them and shared our visions for the study with them.  We then asked them what they wanted to gain from it and when they would like to meet.  Please pray that God blesses this new endeavor and that we may learn from these women.  I am so blessed to be a part of their lives and I can not wait to fellowship with them in Bible study!

Michelle and I both had the vision of starting a Bible club at the Academy.  I am meeting with Mulugeta, BCI principal, tomorrow to get some more information about this and to see if this is something that the Academy would like to take on.  Also, I am meeting with him tomorrow to discuss me teaching Music Theory to the older children.  This is a little bit out of my comfort zone but I know if it is of God, then He will bless it.

Also, today, Goldy (BCI social worker) asked me to give English lessons to Besa.  Besa is in the process of being adopted and Goldy wants her English skills to improve before she moves to America.  It sounds like I am going to be busy!!

I am able to communicate now!

Wow!  What a week!  I am here in Debre Zeyit, Ethiopia and I am loving it.  I have spent the last week getting settled into my room and getting adjusted to life here in Ethiopia.  I have missed my BCI crew so much!  It was so great to see everyone again.  And of course, as soon as I could, I made my way over to the foster home to see Fiker and Rebirra.  They have gotten so big!  As soon as I saw their beautiful faces I remembered why I was back here.  Actually, I saw Fiker earlier that day.  I went to BCI Academy and toured the school with the new team members that are here on a short-term missions trip.  I walked into Fiker’s classroom and from across the room her little face lit up and she ran to me.  I wasn’t sure if she would remember me but she did and it was amazing.  Absolutely amazing.  

So much has happened in this past week I don’t even really know where to start.  I haven’t been in contact much because I have been having communication issues.  I thought the house had Wi-Fi but it doesn’t.  You have to buy some CDMA thingie and use that to access the internet.  Well, it took a day or so to get it, then you have to wait 2 days for it to be active.  I patiently (Mussie would say I waited impatiently) waited 2 days and it didn’t work.  Well, Mussie was out of town so I was really trying not to bother him but I really, really, really wanted it to work so I called him and he said he would do whatever needed to be done but it still didn’t work.  So in the meantime, I get a cell phone and I had originally planned only to use the phone to communicate with my Ethiopian peeps but since I really couldn’t email anyone I tried to call my family.  I didn’t have enough money on my phone so I went to the corner shop to buy minutes and of course they were closed.  So the next day, I bought time and loaded it on my phone but for some reason it will not call the states.  Mussie doesn’t know what is wrong with it so of course I have no idea.  Tonight Mussie and I took my computer to the dude that sold Mussie the CDMA thingamagig and he fixed it.  I wanted to jump across the table and kiss him but I think that would have been extremely inappropriate here.  :)

So, I am back online.  However, I tried Skyping and it didn’t really work so that is just something else that Mussie is going to have to fix.  I really feel bad for him.  He has to deal with crazy, helpless furungies (foreigners) such as myself.  God bless him!

There is a family from New Zealand that is serving here as interns with BCI and they are awesome!  It is a husband, wife, and 5 children.  The husband and wife are about my age and they are wonderful.  I am so happy to have them here.  On Friday, we all went to Nazaret, which is a neighboring town, to some hot springs.  I didn’t pack a bathing suit so I didn’t go swimming.  But it was an awesome day, anyways.  There were monkeys everywhere!  I took a million pictures of them.  They were pretty bold though because they kept stealing food from people and they jumped up on our table and Michelle (New Zealander) was scaring them off and one of them swiped at her!  Also, I used a shintabay for the first time.  A shintabay is pretty much a squatting toilet.  I didn’t plan on using one so early in my trip but that is what was available to the time and I really had to go.  I need to work on my shintabay skills because I peed on my shoe a little bit!

On Sunday, I went to Addis (capital city) with the New Zealanders and we attended the International Church.  They were celebrating International Day and they had special singing and sermons.  At one point they had everyone stand up and when they called your country name you were to sit down.  They called Ethiopia first and then America next so I guess my country was pretty boring.  But for the next 20 minutes or so they called country names and at the end it was determined that 56 countries were represented there that day!  It was so amazing.  It was kind of like a fore-taste of what I think heaven will be like.  People of all nations, color, ethnicities, and economic statuses praying and worshipping God together.  It was wonderful to hear songs that I know sung with many different accents.  

After the church service they had tents set up outside and they had food from many different parts of the world.  It was so crazy and chaotic that I only ended up getting 2 sushi pieces but the food that I saw others had looked amazing.  The North American tent was completely bombarded I couldn’t even tell what they were offering.

There is so much to tell but this blog entry is already so long.  Please pray for me as I find the best areas to be of use here.  I have some ideas and I am working out the specifics with Mussie and Mulugeta (BCI principal).  I start taking Amharic lessons this week so please pray for me as I start this process.  I am excited but I also know that it is going to be a lot of work.

I love and miss everyone!

Sitting in my little corner of the airport. . .

I have arrived at Washington/Dulles airport.  It is 4:30pm not and my flight doesn't leave until 10pm.  So. . .needless to say, I have a little time to waste.  I have holed myself up in a corner.  I am eating Chipotle (which I have missed) and using the computer.  I thought about letting some friends now about my long layover since I am from the DC area, but Dulles is kinda far out and I didn't want to bother anyone so I am just hanging out.  Which is actually okay.  Last year I met up with Jay and Eboni, who are from Alabama that were going on the missions trip, and I spent time talking with them on the long layover.  I won't meet up with the other missions trip people until I get to Frankfurt so I may go find some strangers to talk to.  Hope you all enjoy your Sunday.  

I'm leaving on a jet plane. . .

Today, is the day.  There were times that I thought this day would never come but it's here and I find myself thinking about all of the small things that I have not gotten around to doing yet.  I feel like I left some things undone and I feel like I didn't get to say goodbye to everyone that I love.  But, I also feel like I am SO excited for today.  Okay, maybe not actually for today because I am not looking forward to the plane ride.  I don't mind flying but it is so far and I am slightly. . .okay, very claustrophobic, and a control-freak so I don't like not being able to get off of the plane for that long.  But I am excited that the plane will take me home.  :)

One week to go

Guess what?!?!?!  I leave for Ethiopia one week from today!  I am so excited that the time has finally come and I absolutely can not wait!!!!!!!!!!!!  But at the same time it is so bittersweet to think about leaving my family, Anderson, and my HPC family.  I really wasn't expecting to be so emotional about leaving.  I had been concentrating so much on the excitement of this new adventure and knowing that I am going exactly where God wants me to go that I didn't even consider how I would feel about leaving.  I have had some very emotional days.  Days where I was so sad all I did was lay on the couch.  Some days it has been exhausting just to take a shower.

There was a period of about 7 years of my life that I was utterly convinced that people didn't care about me.  That people would be better off if I wasn't around so I wouldn't be a burden on them.  There was a time when I felt so alone.  I have never felt as loved as I do in Anderson, SC and at High Praises Church.  God has blessed me with so many people that love me, care for me, and truly want the best for me.  He has blessed me with people that, even though they will miss me, has helped me to realize God's calling for my life.  I realize now that this is why it is so emotional for me to leave.  It's not because I am second guessing God's will or because deep-down I don't really want to go.  It's because God has blessed me with so many people that, not only do I so deeply love, but that love me the same in return and I am going to miss that so much.

Overwhelmed by clothes!!

I am overwhelmed. . .in a great way!  Before I quit working at my secular job in July, a teammate approached me and said that she wanted to do a clothing drive and ask teammates in our region to donate kids and teen clothing.  I got back from Texas and Sherry, the teammate whose idea it was to do the clothing drive, called me and said that her office and adjoining work area were packed with clothes.  We set up a time for me to come in to the office to start sorting through the clothes.

Well, I walked in her office this past Tuesday and stopped in my tracks.  I just stood there and stared at piles, and piles, and boxes, and more boxes of clothes, shoes, and school supplies.  Sherry then told me to turn around.  When I did, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  In the adjoining work area near her office were more bags of clothes!!  To say I was overwhelmed would be putting it mildly.

I am really at a loss for words at the generosity of my former teammates.  What is most amazing about this, is that Sherry opened up this opportunity to the whole region and outside of the offices right here in Anderson, I don't know most of the region, nor do they know me.  But God allowed all of these people to come together to bless the precious children of Debre Zeyit and for that I am so very grateful.

I don't have children of my own, but now I know what parents mean when they say that when someone blesses their child it in turn blesses them.  These children in the BCI program are my babies and when they are blessed I am blessed beyond measure.

THANK YOU SO MUCH to my wonderful teammates at SunTrust!  Remember-"Solid Gives Back".

One month from today!

I know it sounds cliche' but time really has flown by.  I remember when the "announcement" was made in February that I was moving to Ethiopia, I kept thinking "8 months is so far away-I want to go now!".  Well, the time is almost here and I CAN'T believe it!!

I spent the month of August in Texas visiting family and I had an awesome time.  It was nice to get away from home and hang out with family that I love.  I also made new friends and I am so grateful for another "arm" of support in this adventure.

I have so much to do to get ready but the biggest thing is that I have to get my Ethiopian Visa.  I appreciate prayers for a quick, problem-free turn-around.  I am constantly amazed at how God is putting all of this together so I have faith that the Visa process will not be a problem.

Many things about my life in Ethiopia are still up in the air but I know God has all of the details worked out.  God has been completely amazing during this process.  I have definitely learned that if we just take a step of faith, God will carry us the rest of the way.

I know that I have friends and family that aren't as excited about this adventure as I am, and that hurts, but I have to just walk in faith that God has a plan for us all.  I will keep everyone updated on this journey!  THANK you so much for the prayers and financial support!