Grocery Shopping

Grocery shopping in Ethiopia is much different than how I shopped in America.  I was one of those people that HATED grocery shopping.  I mean, literally, hated.  So every two weeks when I got paid I would go to Bi-Lo or WalMart and stock up for two weeks.  During the middle of the month I would buy lots so at the beginning of the month I only had to buy a little.  There were some months that I bought enough during the middle of the month that I wouldn’t have to go at the beginning of the month (those months were my favorite).

Shopping here is a totally different experience.  First of all, I don’t have a car here so when I shop I either have to take taxi (which is a huge pain because then I am having to carry bags from shop to shop and struggle while getting in and out of the taxi.  Or I can take a bajaj (basically a personal, 3-wheeled taxi).  This is fine except for some reason I feel like I am taking too long for the bajaj driver and I am keeping him from something important (although, he gets paid by the amount of time I use him for) so I rush and sometimes forget things and then I feel bad for making them stop at so many different places.

So let me walk you through a typical “big” shopping day.  Debre Zeit basically has one huge main road that everything is off of so I go all the way to the end of town (approximately 4 miles) and hit up my favorite veggie shop.  In this shop I normally buy green beans, carrots, potatoes, beets, red onions, zucchini, eggplant, and garlic.  Sometimes they surprise me and have different items like, the other day I went absolutely crazy because they had cucumbers and white onions!!!

My fav veggie shop

Then I go to the next shop where I buy pasta, peanut butter, rice, mangos, condiments, and random stuff.  I go to the next shop where I buy a frozen chicken (if I am splurging that week ‘cause chicken is kinda expensive.  It’s about $6.50 for one small chicken).  Then I go to the next shop where I get cheese, butter, eggs, and yogurt.  Cheese is only purchased rarely because it is expensive (1lb is approximately $3.50).  I don’t buy cheese often but sometimes I give in.  

Then I go to the next vegetable shop where I buy red, yellow, and green bell peppers, green chili peppers, tomatoes, cabbage, and strawberries if they have it.  Then I go to another shop to buy bread and milk.  Then the last stop is to buy sugar and flour.  

So that is 7 stops just to buy groceries!!  It is very tiring.  And I have to do it quite often because food here doesn’t have preservatives in it (which of course is a good thing) so food spoils easily.  Plus, the veggies here are already ripe when you buy them so you have to use them pretty much within 2-3 days or they go bad.

I, however, do have the luxury of having a freezer so I am able to freeze many things to aid in their shelf life but I spend a lot of time grocery shopping.  I really don’t know how people function without a fridge, stove, or freezer.  It amazes me to think they can feed their family without the aid of a fridge, freezer, and stove!!  

Oh, and the store’s offerings are very varied so I can never go into a shop and feel as if I “must” buy something because they may or may not have it.  Meal planning is difficult!

And of course there are some things that you can not get in Debre Zeit so you have to go to Addis (the capital city which is about an hour away).  There I buy beef (again, not often because it is pricey), canned whole tomatoes, and other random food and household items that are not found in my town.  Quality meat is VERY hard to get here so that is why I treat any and all canned meat that is sent to me like gold.  Canned tuna, tuna packets, canned roast beef and gravy, canned chicken, and canned salmon are huge blessings to me!!!

After a day of shopping I am so tired and dirty I just want to lay there but then I have to cook the food I just bought!!!  I will post another blog about cooking in Ethiopia because that is also a new experience for me!!

Healing Service

Every week pretty much every church in town holds a healing service.  People come from all over to attend these services.  People that have hardly anything pay to ride the taxi to come.  Very sick people leave their homes only once a week to attend these services.  People that can not walk are carried by their family or friends for miles so they can attend these services.  I always heard these stories but I experienced it for the first time last Wednesday.

I had never attended these services because, honestly, they made me nervous.  I don’t like big crowds of people (sometimes 600 people will cram into a little church), I don’t always enjoy church services here (that is a whole other blog in itself I will write later) so why would I want to attend a second service a week?

But Donna (a friend from the USA that is here serving with BCI for two weeks) was scheduled to preach and pray for people at Zion’s healing service.  So I went with a few other missionaries and I am very glad that I did.  Donna, Mussie, and I sat on the front row which means that when Donna went to preach Mussie went with her to translate I was sitting all alone on the front row.  Donna gave a very powerful message about God’s healing powers and then she started walking around the church laying hands on everyone and praying for them.

Shortly after she left the podium to walk around the room chaos erupted.  I believe that people can be demon-possessed but I have never seen it nor do I know anything about it.  I believed it was possible because the Bible says it is but now I believe it is possible because I have seen it.  I am not going to go into all the details of what I saw but basically by the end of the service there were about 6 people that came to the front that I believe to be demon-possessed.  I have never seen bodies move in that way.  I have never heard such loud or scary screams.  I have never seen a woman that can’t weigh more than 110lbs throw four big men off of her like they were rag dolls.

It was a very scary experience because I was sitting on the very front row about 10ft from these people.  But mainly it was scary because I didn’t know what was going on.  This is an area of darkness that I have never witnessed before.  Demon-possession is rarely talked about in the United States.  I am not sure why.  Why does it seem that some countries are more susceptible to demon-possession than others?  Do you think we have it in the USA but it is hidden?  I have decided that I need to read and study about this topic.  It is very prevalent here so I need to be educated.  If you have any resources that may help me I would greatly appreciate it.  

I would like to attend future healing services-not to witness more demon-possessed people, but because I want to see God’s miracles.  I was so caught up in the drama of what was unfolding in front of me that I didn’t pay attention to the people that were there needing other healing.  It was a very powerful experience.  It is hard to write this blog because my thoughts are so scattered and unsure.  I don’t really know how to end this so I will just post a few pictures.

Yebsira Girma

In one day Yebsira Girma’s life changed.  She just finished eating dinner with her family and then it happened.  She had a grand mal seizure.  Her mom, Yesunesh, didn’t know what to do.  She had never seen a seizure before.  Yebsira’s mom, brother, and sister were able to carry her to the clinic that is approximately one-half of a mile from her home.  The doctor gave Yebsira medicine to stop her seizure.  When she woke up and saw her mom’s worried face she started to cry.  She was just an eleven year old girl who had no idea what happened to her.  All she knew is she woke up to see her mother crying and praying over her.

Three years later, Yebsira is a very sweet, fun sixth-grader.  Yebsira has been through many struggles these past three years.  After her first grand mal seizure she went through many tests.  The doctors were not able to find a cause of her seizures but they did find something.  They found a heart condition.  Yebsira has a hole in her heart that causes the blood to back up in her heart before it flows through her arteries.  Other than making her tired, her heart condition does not cause her any problems right now so the doctors are only monitoring this condition for any change.

Yebsira’s mother was overwhelmed with not only one diagnosis for her young daughter, but two.  Yesunesh is unable to work because she cares for her father who is very old and can not do anything for himself.  Yesunesh moved her three small children into her parent’s home when her husband died ten years ago.  Yesunesh kept asking God “how can I provide the care for Yebsira that she needs?”.  Yesunesh’s situation may look bleak to some but she knows that God will not forsake her and her family.  Yebsira’s life is precious and Yesunesh believes that God will provide for all of their needs.

Yebsira has had to have specialized care over the past three years.  Her seizures were getting out of control and there seemed to be no end in sight.  Yebsira wasn’t just having one seizure here or there, she was having as many as six in one day.  The average number she would have in one day was four and then three or four days later she would have approximately four more seizures in the same day.  The seizures were beginning to take a toll on her young body.  She was having intense headaches, memory troubles, and muscle spasms.  

Yebsira’s mother was desperate to find help for her daughter.  Before her seizures started, Yebsira was admitted into the Blessing the Children (BCI) program in 2008.  After her seizures started missionaries began to ask how they could help Yebsira and her family.  Over the years, missionaries have helped to pay some of Yebsira’s medical and drug expenses.  But even with all the help from the doctors and missionaries Yebsira’s condition started to fail.  Yesunesh decided to step out in faith and take Yebsira to a specialist in Addis.  

Yesunesh was given some money from Blessing the Children Canada (BCC) but she still didn’t have enough.  She decided to borrow money from friends and family.  The medical tests were very expensive and even though the doctors still were unable to find a cause for her seizures they did change her medicine.  Yebsira was given the new medicine approximately three months ago and her life has been radically changed since then.

It has been three months since Yebsira has had a grand mal seizure.  Yesunesh never gave up on her child or God.  Even though she couldn’t afford it, she fought to find help for her child.  Recently, Yebsira was down to her last pill and the family didn’t know where the next supply would come from but they never doubted God.  After Yebsira took her last pill they got word that a long-term missionary in Debre Zeit had just sent Mussie (Missionary Team Coordinator and Assistant Director for BCI) to Addis to pick up a new supply for her.  

Yebsira is a wonderful girl that is strong in her faith.  She is a fighter.  She tries her best not to let her condition affect her quality of life.  When asked how much school she has missed due to her condition she said that she always goes to school.  Not only does she not want to miss school but she doesn’t want her other relatives to know about her condition.  

Yebsira, her mom, and two siblings live in Yebsira’s grandparent’s compound.  Yebsira’s grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins are not believers in Jesus Christ.  She doesn’t want her family to know about her health issues because she doesn’t want them to doubt God.  She is afraid that they will say “if your God heals people, why won’t He heal you”.  God may choose not to heal Yebsira but Yebsira is now able to tell her family that God is providing for her medical care when it looked impossible.  She is now able to tell her relatives that her God does the impossible.

It is absolutely impossible for Yesunesh to purchase the medicine and laboratory tests that Yebsira needs.  Here are the medical costs that Yesunesh must find a way to provide for:

*Yebsira needs a checkup every three months.  Just to get in to see the doctor is 100 birr ($6).

*The doctor may order laboratory tests during these checkups.  The cost varies but the average is 280 birr ($16).

*Yebsira has to have a brain EEG every seven months.  This costs 500 birr ($30).

*Yebsira’s new medicine costs 1200 birr ($71) for a month and a half supply.

There is no possible way that Yesunesh can afford the above costs.  Even if Yesunesh had a job she still wouldn’t be able to afford it.  The average income of an unskilled woman in Ethiopia is approximately 500 birr a month ($30).  BCI is also unable to cover all of Yebsira’s medical costs.  We need to find someone who would like to help Yebsira by purchasing her medicine every month and a half.  If you would like to help Yebsira, either by giving a one-time gift or a monthly gift, please contact Melissa Strawn at melissa@blessingthechildren.org.

When asked how this condition makes her feel Yebsira said “I feel sad because it makes me different from everyone else”.  Yebsira is a young girl that has a lot of dreams and ambitions but she can not succeed if she is having four to six seizures a day.  Yebsira needs to stay on this new medicine, this is not an option.  When asked how her life has changed in the past three months she said:

“My life has changed a lot since receiving the new medicine.  I am able to play football with my friends.  I love football but I could not play before because of my seizures.  I am also able to learn now.  I always went to school before but I spent a lot of time sleeping in the nurse’s room.  I am now staying with my classmates and learning.  I enjoy school.  Civics and English are my favorite classes.  I want to be a doctor so I can help poor people.”

Yebsira is a determined girl that refuses to give up.  She is very thankful that people have helped her and she has faith in God that he will continue to provide for her.  She knows that even when the situation looks bleak, her God always shows up.

Care packages

Lately, I have had a few people ask what the kids and I need/want over here.  I thought I would post it publicly in case anyone else was wondering.  

Care packages are always welcome! Here are things that are always needed (for the kids):

*Children's chewable vitamins (this is a HUGE need)

*Dry-erase markers

*Arts and crafts supplies

*Underwear for kids (especially teenager-sized)

Here are things that are always wanted (by me):

*Canned meat (tuna, salmon, chicken-packaged in water)

*Tuna in the single-serving packets like Starkist or Bumble Bee

*Spices (garlic salt, garlic powder, minced garlic, onion salt, onion powder, minced onion, chili powder, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, etc)

*Nuts (almonds (plain and flavored), pistachios, walnuts)

*Starbucks VIA

Care packages can be mailed to:

Blessing the Children

c/o Jonnett Barrick

PO BOX 1465

Debre Zeit, East Shoa, Ethiopia

The best way to send packages is through the US Postal Service with their flat rate priority boxes.  I know shipping is costly but all care packages are greatly appreciated (probably more than you know!)!

Ineffectiveness

Do you ever feel ineffective?  Do you ever match your talents and skills to someone else’s and think “Why am I here trying to serve when there are others who are more talented?”.  That happens to me sometimes.  I don’t let these thoughts permeate my brain because I do know that they are lies from the devil but sometimes he is sneaky and he gets in my head.

It usually happens when I have a specific project to do or something important to work on.  When these thoughts happen I try to focus on the gifts that God has given me.  Sure, on the outside they may not look as “great” as other peoples gifts but I have to remind myself sometimes that God uses everyone and he doesn’t think some gifts are better (or worse) than others.  The Bible tells us in Romans 12:4 that the church is like the human body-all parts are necessary and one part can’t perform the function of the other part.  So whenever you think that you are not “good” enough to serve God just remember that He has called you for a specific purpose.  He has not called you for someone else’s purpose-He has called you for your own purpose.

These are just my random thoughts for a Sunday morning.  Let’s keep the devil and his lies out of our minds and focus on why God has placed us where He has.  Let’s open our eyes and view the world around us and find opportunities to serve God.  And maybe He wants you to serve in a capacity that you never dreamed possible.  If this happens just have faith that if God has called you, he will equip you.

Gettin' married!

I am so relieved that I am able to post this blog!!  I haven’t been able to post until now as there were people that had to be told before I posted this publicly.  But I am SO happy that I am able to do it now.  I am getting married on April 21st!!!!  I am marrying a wonderful, beautiful, godly man named Mussie (Moses) in English and I am so blessed that God chose me to be Mussie’s wife.  

About two years ago I started praying for my future spouse.  Of course, I didn’t know who that person was at the time but I prayed for him a lot.  I prayed that God would mold him into a strong Christian that wanted to do nothing but serve God first.  I prayed that he would have a gentle sweet spirit.  I prayed that he would be funny.  I prayed that he would have common interests as me.  I prayed that other than God this man would love me and cherish me and respect me.  I prayed that he would want a family.  I prayed that he would want to take in orphans.  I prayed that he would have a generous, servant’s heart.  I prayed that we would have a common vision from God.  I prayed that we would want to serve in the same ministry.  I prayed that we would be able to pray together.  I prayed that I would be a good helper for him.  I prayed that I would be able to serve alongside him.

God has answered all of those prayer requests by bringing me Mussie.  I even got answers to things that I didn’t even pray for!  Mussie Teshome Haile is the Assistant Director of Blessing the Children in Ethiopia.  I met Mussie in October 2010 when I first visited Ethiopia.  While we kept in touch occassionally during the year I was back in the USA those interactions were only ministry related.  I didn’t know that God was bringing me back to Ethiopia to not only serve Him but to also become Mussie’s wife.  This is something that God did in our lives that was a huge surprise for both of us.

As I have been telling people, I have somewhat been on the defensive-believing that it is my job to convince people of my truth.  It is not my job to convince you that this is of God.  I don’t want that to sound harsh but it has been my experience in life that no matter what you tell people, they will form their own judgements and opinions.  All I can do is explain my story and pray that God reveals His plans to those affected.

God used many prophecies to reveal His plan to me and Mussie.  He spoke to us separately and He also spoke to us together.  When I received the first prophecy I didn’t want to believe it.  It sounded so crazy to me-that God would want me to marry someone after only knowing him for a short amount of time.  I ignored the prophecy and tried to put it out of my mind.  That worked for a few weeks but as we all know, you can’t hide from God and His plans.  I had to confront this scary prophecy and I had to decide what I was to do about it.  The woman that spoke the prophecy over me reminded me of it again a few weeks later.  

I took some time to fast and pray about all of this.  I really needed God’s help.  God had been consistently leading me to the book of Ruth.  I knew Ruth’s story but I had honestly never really paid much attention to that book in the Bible.  I read the book of Ruth approximately 20 times and I was getting frustrated because I didn’t understand why God kept prodding me to read and study it.  One day, I was so emotionally and spiritually drained that I cried out to God and told Him that I didn’t understand what He wanted from me and I didn’t understand what He was trying to say to me.  The next time I read Ruth it all became so clear.  I won’t go into all of those details but God really opened up my eyes to Ruth and Boaz’s story and it I then understood what God was trying to show me.

I know some of you may not believe in the gifts of the Spirit or maybe you technically believe in them but there are some things that you think are too big or too important to leave to prophecies.  I understand these thoughts and feelings-I have had them before.  I understand that it is scary to some when they hear of me marrying, what they consider to be a stranger, a person from a third world country.  I understand these concerns and I thank you for loving me enough to be concerned.  And when I think about all of this from just the human side of my brain, as I like to call it, it does sound scary and it does sound crazy.  I realize that it does.  But when I look at all of this from God’s point of view; from the eyes that God has given me to see Mussie with and to see our future with-nothing sounds more right.  

I have been informed by some people that this decision may affect my financial support and that I should think twice about it.  I realize that some of my financial supporters may not agree with my decision and choose to no longer support what I do here.  I, of course, don’t want that to happen but I know that God will provide for all of my needs.  I have faith that God has worked out all of the details.  There have been too many times in my life-specifically during this Ethiopian journey-that God has provided in times where at first it looked like He wouldn’t.  

I am very grateful to all of my financial/prayer supporters and of course I pray that these supporters stand behind me even after I get married.  However, if you are a financial supporter and you choose to no longer support me there will be no hard feelings.  I understand that this is a lot to process and I understand that you may believe I had ulterior motives in moving to Ethiopia.  I will pray that God shows His truth to you.

Even though I am getting married and even though I am marrying an employee of BCI I still have monthly financial needs.  The missions do not stop just because I get married.  I still will have living expenses, insurance, and etc that need to be paid each month.  I am still waiting to find out from BCI how much my monthly payment will go down each month.  I am currently living in the BCI guesthouse but when I move out I will no longer have to pay for that-although I am having to rent a house to live in so I still will have rent each month.  As soon as I find out my new financial monthly need I will let you know.

Some people that I have told have been concerned about the cultural differences between myself and Mussie.  While it is true that our cultures are very different I believe God has prepared us to work through such differences.  Mussie’s family has worked with missionaries for approximately 30 years so Mussie has grown up around the Western culture.  Mussie and his family are very Westernized as well.  I think that when people think of an Ethiopian they only understand what they have seen on TV or read in the newspaper.  While those descriptions are true of most rural Ethiopians, it is inaccurate when describing a city Ethiopian.   Mussie and his family have lived outside of the capital of Ethiopia for about 30 years so they are more Westernized than most Ethiopians.  

This is not to say that there are not differences and of course there will be misunderstandings about culture along the way but that can be said of many couples.  A person from New York City that marries someone from small town, Arkansas will have “cultural” differences to deal with.  I know it is not the same but I am trying to say that even if you marry someone from your own culture there will still be lifestyle differences.

I am most concerned about Kingdom culture.  When looking at a spouse we should be looking to see if this person fits into God’s culture and lives by God’s standards and I can say that Mussie does.  The environment that I am in here in Ethiopia is one that fosters closeness and bonding.  It is amazing to me how quickly I bond with people here.  I know some will say that I haven’t known him long enough to know if he will make a good husband.  But because of our working situations here I have been able to see Mussie in a variety of tough situations and I am proud to call him my finance.  God knows if Mussie is right for me and I have God’s approval (and direction) so that is all I need.

Mussie and I have prayed relentlessly that God will be seen in all of this and we have faith that He will.  You may not agree with this now, but I have faith that eventually you will come to see that no matter how crazy it sounds-this is God’s plan.  

This should go without saying but I realize that not everyone that supports me financially or everyone that reads this blog knows me personally so I want to say it:  absolutely none of the money that has been donated for my missions work here in Ethiopia will go to pay for the wedding.  Mussie and I will be using personal money that we both had saved.  The money that is donated goes to my living expenses and to help those in need.  None of that money will be used for the wedding or honeymoon.

I have also been asked “why the rush?”.  There actually is no rush we are just following God’s timing and April is when we feel that God would have us to marry.

I appreciate all of my supporters-whether the form of support is through finances or prayer, I am very much grateful for all of it.  The prayers get me through tough days, keeps me safe and healthy, and show me where God would have me to serve and show me how God wants me to react in certain situations.  The finances make my everyday life here possible.  It also makes feeding orphans, paying rent, paying doctor bills, buying Bibles, buying shoes and clothes possible.  I thank you for all the ways that I am able to serve the Lord here.  It is because of my supporters that I am able to do it all.

If you have any questions you would like to ask me about all of this you can contact me at jonnettbarrick@yahoo.com.

Blessings!

Kenya

So last week I had the opportunity to take a trip to Kenya.  I can’t believe it has only been a week since I left Debre Zeyit because it literally feels like two months.

It all started with this scenario in the Kenya airport:

Karen and I are walking over to get our Kenyan visa and a lady stops us and says “We are checking yellow fever certificates.”

I look at Karen and say “Enday?”  (which is Amharic for basically ‘ohmigosh’ or ‘wow’ or something of that affect-I don’t actually think you are supposed to use it as a question, but I do).  Then I ask Karen if she has hers (secretly hoping she doesn’t because I don’t want to be the only moron that doesn’t have hers).  Thankfully, Karen says no she doesn’t have hers (you like how selfish I am?).  So we stand there like complete idiots wondering if we are about to quarantined or something.  So I tell the airport lady that we don’t have ours and she asks us where we are coming from.  We say “Ethiopia” and I felt a bit of judgement and hate coming off of her.  She asks us how long we have been there I say “Four Months” and Karen says “One and a half years”.  More disdain and hate from airport lady is flung our way.

She tells us to follow her and the other group of ill-prepared travelers.  We sit outside of an office and she calls people in one by one and they aren’t staying in there too long so we think we will be on our way shortly.  Until she calls “next” and Karen and I go in together.  We then get this big long hate speech about how she let the other people slide because they were only passing through Ethiopia but because we have chosen to live there she can’t possible let us walk into her country without the certificates.  Meanwhile, Karen and I are not fighting with her, we just want to handle this as quickly as possible.  She continues her tirade about Ethiopia having an endemic of yellow fever and she doesn’t even know what to do with us.  She tells us we have to get the shot, we say okay, she tells us how much, we say we don’t have any shillings, she tells us where to get some, so we traipse all over the airport trying to find a place to exchange money, finally find it, money exchanger lady asks us for our passports, we say the shot lady kept it, money exchanger lady gives us a death look but exchanges our money anyway, we go back to shot lady, only to discover she is not actually shot lady, the real shot lady comes, shoots us, we go back to the not really shot lady, stands there while she yells at a man who has no certificate and other airport personnel, she signs our certificates, we proceed to the visa line, only to be ridiculed by the visa dude for not having our original yellow fever certificates with us.

So we finally get through the visa line, go downstairs, find our luggage, only to discover that we don’t have anyone waiting for us.  We make some phone calls and discover that our ride left us because we never came out.  She, thankfully, came back and we were on our way!

We stayed in the guesthouse of a non-profit that rescues street kids in Nairobi.  They go to the slums to minister to the boys and they work a points system.  The boys can earn points for a variety of good behavior.  Once they have enough points they are moved to a farm in a more rural part of the region.  On the farm the boys are given an education with a lot of it focused on agriculture.  They are trained in all things agricultural in hopes that they will find a job one day.  And to help in finding jobs there are farmers that work with this project and when the boys graduate these farmers employ a lot of the boys.  It is a wonderful project and I enjoyed spending time with the boys.  We had a praise and worship session with the boys and it was so wonderful.  I took pictures and video but because of the sensitive matter of these boys prior lives I will not post them.  Most of the boys were involved in gangs and there is still animosity going on.

Kenya is an interesting place.  Nairobi is a very built-up city.  It feels first-world, not third-world.  Nairobi was kind of weird for me though because it felt like I was in Florida and DC at the same time!  In Nairobi we went to the elephant orphanage, the giraffe park (where I kissed a giraffe), and went to an actual mall (we don’t have those in Ethiopia).  

A few days into the trip we drove to Mombasa and were very excited to see the beach.  Mombasa was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO hot and humid!  It was ridiculous!  I couldn’t believe how much I was sweating!  The first night we were there we went to the beach and Karen and I rode a camel on the beach.  That was so cool.  The next day our main plan was to lay on the beach all day.  Well, I bought sunscreen in Mombasa because I forgot it at home and let’s just say that it was useless!  We laid out in the sun for 2 hours and both got burnt.  I mean, burnt.  So the next day we were in pain.  We laid around with ice on our backs and just moaned and cried.  We took a night bus from Mombasa back to Nairobi overnight and got back to Nairobi and we just wanted to go home.  But our flight wasn’t for two days.  So we basically hung out at the guesthouse moaning.  

The trip to Kenya wasn’t what I expected but I did have fun seeing elephants, kissing a giraffe, riding a camel, riding a motorbike ‘cause taxi was too expensive, and checking out the ministry down here.  There was definitely some uncomfortable parts of the trip, ridiculous Indian Ocean sunburn, unimaginable heat and humidity but I God confirmed something during this trip.

Debre Zeyit is definitely my home.  I can’t really blame my not-so-great trip on Kenya.  Kenya is actually a great place but it isn’t my place.  There are things in Kenya that people may define as “better” than Ethiopia.  Like, there aren’t squatty potties everywhere, you can actually flush toilet paper, the food shopping has more variety but Kenya doesn’t have my heart.  God has definitely made Ethiopia my home and even though things are cleaner and prettier in Kenya it can never capture my heart like Ethiopia has.  

What I miss about Ethiopia:

*The cool mornings.

*Running in the mornings.

*Spicy foods.

*Fiker & Rebirra.

*All 145 kids in the BCI program.

*Evening prayer with my favorite habesha.

*Sleeping mosquito free.

*Dimples.

*New Zealand.

*Wind.

*Amharic.

*Couch mountain.

*Buna!!!!!!!

*Having goats follow me.

*Moose.

*Bajaj.

*BCI staff.

*Morning devotions with BCI staff.

*The shower in the guesthouse (it is great, even though it doesn’t have a shower curtain).

*My purple blanket.

*My fan.

*And just the feeling of “I’m home”.

Thank you to Margaret, Robin, Yolanda, and Miriam for showing us around!  You do a great job here with those boys.  I pray blessings over your life and ministries!

It has been fun Kenya, and I will miss my new giraffe boyfriend, but I can’t wait to get home tonight.