Day 5: The Sun Comes Up, Tomorrow!

I don't want to linger too long on Day 4. It was just an emotionally tough day, but God is so good. He knew we needed some help, so he sent us Jen and Abram, along with a special assignment and a few special treats!

The special assignment revolved around our friends, the Flemings. They had received their referral just five days earlier, and we had the privilege of going to their transition home to love on and take pictures and video of their little one. This was sooooo good for us. We were able to focus on their little bundle of joy for about an hour. I can't post pictures yet since they are not through court, but believe me! He is adorable! It was so fun to hold a little one; we tried to wake him up, but he would not have it! He was determined to sleep through this visit.
After little E. went back inside, we were able to play with some of the other kiddos outside while we waited for our driver. It was therapeutic to kick the soccer ball back and forth with these sweet, sweet kids.

All of this fun made us hungry, so Jen took us to Garden Paradise Restaurant in Adam's Pavilion. It was so YUMMY! To be honest, our tummies had just not settled since being in Ethiopia. I think we had probably both lost at least five pounds at this point, and we were craving familiar food. This did the trick. Check out these french fries! They were the best!Even Abram's Ethiopian taste buds were won over!

Even the view from the restaurant was "familiar". It looked like parts of the U.S. Chris and I were constantly amazed at the contrasts of Addis. It didn't take very long to get to a place that was much less "progressive".

After eating lunch, we felt refreshed again, so we headed to ALERT, the Leper Compound. This is a community that has formed to support those with Leprosy and TB. Part of the Compound includes an area where residents have been trained to do a craft. You can see these men weaving rugs. Woodwork, weaving, stitching, crocheting, and sewing are all done here; then they sell their goods in a shop. We wished that we had saved more of our shopping for this place because we would have loved to be able to support this ministry more.

If you are planning to go to Ethiopia, we highly recommend shopping here first. They had authentic Ethiopian clothes, table cloths, wooden crosses, woven rugs, etc. With these goods, you will know that your money will go back to support the work that is done here.

One of the most moving experiences we had was on our way to the van. There were a group of women and children sitting against a building right by the vehicle. Chris wanted to hand out Dum-dum suckers to the children. Our driver said it was o.k., so Chris handed out a few. As he did, he noticed the women also wanted one. So, he came back for another handful. As he held out his sucker-filled hands, many women--even grandmothers--were excitedly reaching in their stubbed hands for a sucker. They were so excited and full of joy at this unexpected treat. Chris had to really work to not pull back as these disfigured hands brushed his. God used this moment to challenge him to love these women, despite their appearances.

This amazing day had one last treat. We were able to connect with Jessie and Levi from Drawn from Water. Jessie made us a great supper (this was the best "food day"!), and we were able to get a first-hand account of the work they have been doing in Ethiopia for the past two years. It was so good to be able to fill in some of the the gaps. Here is some of what we learned:
1. Jessie and Levi are regular people who just said, "Yes," when called to step out of their comfort zones. Levi told Chris, "We just wanted our lives to count for something." They would probably be embarrassed to know I am telling you this. It just challenged us. I want to value obedience over my comfort zone.

2. They have four kids and are fostering three other kiddos who have been rescued. It moved my heart to see these kids in person. They are beautiful! I even got to hold one two-month-old! (Yes, I got to hold two two-month-olds in one day!)

3a.Their ministry is Gospel-Centered. They have seen how adoption is not the answer to the issue in the areas in which they are working. In fact, adoptions are probably going to end because of the government's rule that birth parents appear in court.

3b. Lale has built a church in his parents' back yard. (I think we knew this.) God is using this to draw people to him and change hearts. Almost 60 people have been (or are planning to be) baptized! This just gives me chills when I think about it. The answer has been and will continue to be Jesus!

4. This ministry faces spiritual warfare in ways that we cannot fathom. Again, Jesus is the answer.

5. Lale will be coming to the U.S., possibly this fall to speak to churches in order to raise support for this ministry.

I wish I could think of all of the details. Please pray for this ministry. Jesus is on the move in the tribes of Ethiopia.

As you can see, God helped us put a band-aid on our hearts by exposing us to all of these individuals. We felt so blessed by the end of the day, and we felt like our hearts were ready to finish our trip well.