Field Trip!

Making the most of where we are right now.

We took an impromptu field trip yesterday to my favorite classroom; the woodlands and rivers of central North Carolina.

Starting our hike at the White Pines Preserve on the Rocky and Deep Rivers.

With several days of rain in the forecast, I knew that we should get outside while we had a chance. So I finished my work, ate lunch with Jess and the kids, and then pulled Jess aside and suggested that we cut “school” short and get the kids out into the woods. She, of course, enthusiastically agreed.

We quickly loaded up and headed to the White Pines Preserve; a favorite spot for me and Jess.

This was my childhood. Most of my days as a boy were spent exploring my world. I would spend countless hours roaming far and wide with almost no boundaries. There was often trouble when I returned home around dark; having snuck away without mom even knowing I had gone. The punishment that I received was no deterrent. The following day I would go out again.

I had a favorite book at that time. It was a feild guide to all the common plants and animals in North America. I bought it for ten cents from my grandmother at a yard sale. I still have the book. However, it is very much worn out, for after a day afield I would spend my evening plowing through the book learning all that I could about the plants and creatures that I had encountered during the day.

The schoolroom is essential, but let’s disregard the view that learning only happens inside four walls. For a child set free, there is no limit to learning.

I am so excited to be where we are right now. My kids are perfect ages to experience, appreciate, and remember all the things that I hold dear about the place that I grew up. Springtime in central NC is an exciting and magical time. I want to share it all with them while I can.

I guess, if there is any spiritual lesson that Jess and I have learned well, it is the one about contentment.

“…In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content…” Philippians 4:12

No matter what our own plans are, or how we are perplexed by the circumstances around us, we will make the most of wherever God has us today.

Finding a Balance

Jess Bridges

 

I’ll admit it, I’m not always productive. I can be quite good at wasting some time, on my phone, on the web, reading junk fiction, staring at a fire-all the usual ways. That being said, I also accomplish a lot during the day and often feel like I’m whirring through the house and doing multiple things at one time, making lunch (from scratch), doing laundry, teaching home school, playing Barbies, cleaning the kitchen-nothing too unusual. Added to my day to day is that I’m split between two parts of the world. I want to be present and engaged with my life in rural Ethiopia and I want to be in touch and connected with my family and friends in the United States. This all sounds pretty normal, but with it comes the feeling of not being enough. I look at the moments I steal playing on my phone or watching a movie in the evening and think, “have I wasted opportunity for better things?” The honest answer, probably. I also realize that sometimes it is nice to step away from trying to balance life that covers 8000 miles. In the moments that I think, “I probably should have done this instead of that,” the enemy sees that crack in my armor and chooses to attack. Often, the end result is that I listen to those lies and believe that I am not enough. I’m failing and floundering. That is exactly what the enemy wants. He wants to see me sink into a feeling that no matter what I do it isn’t enough, so why bother.

It’s in those moments as I feel myself slipping down into that pit that I can feel a hand reaching down to me and powerfully pulling me back up. The owner of that hand reminds me, “he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). The enemy would have me believe that I will always fail and never be enough. My Savior speaks to me with truth and love and reminds me that I have a powerful ally in Him and that if I stop trying to do it all by my own strength that He will help me carry the load. I need to spend time with Him and in His word to correct my vision and priorities.  Often correction is a process that takes time. Will I sometimes falter? Absolutely. Will I choose the wrong priorities sometimes? Totally. Does that mean I’m failing? No!

If I ask for help, Christ will help me find a balance. He called me to this place at this time. Is it crazy and hectic, and special and valuable all at the same time? Definitely, which is all the more reason why I have to hold tight to that hand that lifts me up and helps me balance the chaos.

All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.             Matthew 11:29

 

 

Home is Where You Make It

Yesterday our family began another journey to the capital. This trip is so Dawit can participate in a field day at the international school, where we are part of their home school co-op. We will also visit the Addis Bridges, and Jon has to handle some business odds and ends. I was struck by a realization. As we complained about the awful road down the mountain and the animals in the road I was watching scenery pass by and thinking about how this is more like home to me now. I’m much more familiar with the subtle changes along this road connecting two dots through the southern part of Ethiopia than I am the place I called home for 33 years. We touch down in NC about every two years and each time I’m struck by the differences.

My familiar surroundings now consist of observations of rain carved gullies in the road. We watch Isuzu trucks get loaded down with bananas during harvest. We comment on the number of motorcycles, or Bajajs, or people, or over turned vehicles on the road. We drove past one bus lying on its side yesterday. We search the same lake side for hippos every trip. We’ve only ever seen one, enough to keep us constantly watching. We’ve entered the end of the rainy season, a season of cooler temps and breezes and the occasional rain shower. They call this season, Tsedey. Everything is lush and green after the rains. In a few months as we make this drive again the dust will be stirring and the grass and plants will be browning. Then, Lord willing, the Belg rains will come and provide a short respite to the dryness. This cycle is now in rhythm with who we are; what we wait for. We mark the passage of time by rain and the availability of fruits.

It is amazing to think that in 6 years of life in Ethiopia so much of my history has been rewritten. The US is now a place that holds the beauty of family and the memories of who I was before I embraced this new journey. It is a place we visit for weeks or months to reconnect, an effort to not completely feel we’ve lost our former selves. When we return “home” it is to the southern highlands of Ethiopia.

My other realization on this drive was how God knits so much of our experiences together, like a blanket of familiarity. Perhaps it is a way he provides comfort to us as we are pulled between two homes, old and new. As we drove I watched for birds and plants as I always do. I mentioned to Jonathan that a certain plant growing in one farm plot looked like tobacco. His response, “it is.” Somehow in all our trips past that field (seriously probably close to a hundred) I had never noticed tobacco. Jonathan then added, “cotton and tobacco,” in a deep southern twang. They grow cotton here also, which I did know. I added, “and red mud.” Like that it hit me, while this is my new home it is tied to my other home though time, and generations, and soil.

God has called us to this place and these people.  In his care, which is beyond understanding, he also provided us with connections to our origins. Though this is now home, we often feel like the alien and then we see tobacco growing along the roadside and a continent and an ocean away suddenly doesn’t seem so far.

Getting Back on Track

It has been an embarrassingly long time since we posted to our blog. But, in an effort to keep folks more up to date with what is going on with us, we are updating info and planning to post more frequently. Obviously, some of our posting ability is out of our control with the wacky internet but we will do our best.

So…what have we been up to lately? We spent the a couple of weeks in the capital city, Addis Ababa. Part of living as an expat means being keenly aware of the expiration dates of vital documents. Jon and I renewed our passports in July and so we had to head back to the US Embassy to pick them up. With our new passports we headed to immigration to update our residence per to the date of Jonathan’s work permit. Once that was finished we headed back to the US Embassy the next week to start the process to renew Carter’s passport that expires in January. It’s amazing how navigating  bureaucratic offices and paper work makes you feel as though you have accomplished a month’s worth of work.

Member care and cheesecake!

We also checked in with our member care friend, Misty Bodkins. She headed to Ethiopia to check in on us after having spent a couple of months in Uganda doing trauma care training. She is always such a blessing to our family and it is encouraging to have her be here on the ground with us to make sure we are coping well. She knows us very well so she can easily pick up on any hidden challenges we may be facing. She is also a great listening ear. Check out her ministry at ministrycareinternational.org.

Teka, Jess, Michelle, Drew and Bekalu with Wolaitta colors behind

After leaving Addis we headed down to our old tromping grounds in Soddo. It helps to break up the trip to Chencha for the kids and it gives us a chance to catch up with friends. We arrived during the week of the New Year for the Wolaitta region where Soddo is located. It was such great experience to see some cultural dancing and other performances…even if we were escorted to VIP seating because we are foringe.

Main stage

 

Wolaitta New Year is kind of a big deal

 

We are now back home in Chencha.  This is the time of year when the rains are not as frequent and the days are sunny and breezy. It is also nice to be home for some of the birds that are in their breeding plumage. We have a Pin-tailed Whydah (Vidua macroura) male that is often seen displaying for the females in front of our house. It is fascinating to watch.

Pin-tailed male display

Pin-tail male

Year End Review

Okay, so I know this post seems rather predictable. This is the time of year that it really hits you that another year is almost over and you start to look back at what you did or did not do over the previous 12 months. I won’t bore you with details and a long list of accomplishments and failures, I honestly haven’t spent the time to think about all that has happened in 2014. I will say that as I thought over the year and the variety of ups and downs that we have had I thought about how God has provided me with exactly what I always asked for. I graduated college with no idea what I wanted to do, but I did know that I didn’t want a job that had me doing basically the same thing everyday.  I also hoped for something outdoors. When the Lord blesses you, he really blesses you! While many things about our day to day are the same (we do have two small kids) so much of our day, most days, is play it as it comes. That is pretty much how we live our life and I can’t say it is just because we are in Ethiopia, but that does often add to the spontaneity of our days. There have been some high highs and low lows this year but God was with us all the way and taught us, comforted us and showed us His love. What more can you ask for?

A few pictures from 2014. They are random but somewhat in chronological order.

Merry Christmas and God Bless. See you in 2015!

Jess

 

Sometimes the Road Gets Rough

Jon’s Pre-comments: As I proofread this latest blog post from Jess, it struck me that the emotions, excitement, and worry feel very similar. The major difference is the way we view the circumstances behind the emotions. For instance, you can feel Jess’ anxiety in this blog post. In these same circumstances, I have been full of excitement. Changes tend to elicit anxiety in some people while excitement in others. The feeling that is in our gut is the same, but the way we anticipate the change is much different. I am exited about the new opportunities, new people, new places to learn about and explore.

When Jess wrote this post last week she had no idea how prophetic her words were. We had our first big wreck on Friday, Oct. 24 as we traveled between our new home and the farm. A beautiful, and quite large, animal bounded out of the brush and into our lane on the road. We couldn’t avoid it and it crashed through our windshield. Millions of tiny shards of glass exploded through our car.

It was as though Jess and the kids were wrapped in angels wings. I came away with minor cuts on my face. It looked like I had shaved a little too quickly that morning. Jess and the kids were unscathed. Thank God for His constant protection.

Sometimes the road gets rough, let’s face it, we live in Africa. Honestly though, it happens all over the world for all of us at some point. The road that seems to be nice and straight, smooth and laid out before us gets a little more curvy and a little more potholed.
Admittedly, for me our transition from Chencha to Soddo has been one that has been full of anxiety and discouragement. Even though we still have the precious relationships with our friends and fellow believers in Chencha we are in a new town with new roads and new routines. A lot of times it takes me losing my nice smooth road to be reminded it isn’t the road I should be focused on. The road IS going to change, but my heavenly Father is always the same. This time of transition has been a time that the Lord has drawn me in and comforted me and I have longed for His word. These are times of refinement and I praise the Lord that He is doing a work in me.
I have struggled with knowing where my place is. I’m a wife and mom. Now, I’m a home school teacher and I was teaching English (which I plan to continue). We are still involved with projects we came here to do but, one thing I have realized during this difficult road is that just because the Lord calls you to one road doesn’t mean that there won’t be others along the way. We all have different gifts, we are different members of the body of Christ. Our ministries look different. And, that is okay. Right now as we transition and continue to work with Onesimus we are here, where we feel the Lord has called us, we are trying to build relationships, trying to encourage fellow believers, and trying to empower the local churches. I say trying because sometimes the Lord uses the times you aren’t trying or doing anything specific to mean something to someone that you may never even realize. We don’t fully know what the Lord is doing with our time here in Ethiopia. We know we are a part of a wonderful ministry, Onesimus. We also know that we want to be obedient to our Lord and so for now we are riding out this bumpy road to see what the He has waiting.

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Trusting His Plans

Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged,  for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.        Joshua 1:9

 We have been going through some pretty major transitions over the last several months. In late June we were hit with a bit of a jolt. Onesimus Children Development Association, who we have been partnering with to have an agriculture project to fund their ministry to street children in Addis Ababa, asked that we move out of the house we have been using in Chencha that is on the project site. This request came as a shock but the reason why didn’t. Having white westerners living on the project site created problems for the ministry from the community and the government. Our sincerest hope is to help foster the growth of the agriculture project to fuel the ministry in Addis Ababa, so we were more than willing to comply. There was also a concern about possible security issues by us living in the community and not on the project compound. We enjoy good, close fellowship with those we work with on farm and many others in the community, and the church. However, the reality is that those relationships make up a very small percentage of the population in Chencha.

So, our search for a new home reached outside of Chencha and focused on areas that are more accustomed to having forenge (aka, westerners) in the area. In the end we felt lead to settle in Soddo, an area about 100km (about 60miles) away where there is a history of forenge living and working. Last week we started renting an old missionary house on the compound of the Kale Heywet Church (a denomination similar to Baptist that is found in Ethiopia). Most of our friends in Chencha attend the Kale Heywet Church there.

Jon is still working with the farm in relatively the same capacity. The biggest change will be that he will now have to commute to the farm. He will also be in communication with the project manager and staff via phone, email or Skype on days that he isn’t on site. Also, he will be able to fulfill his other big responsibility of liaison between The Forsaken Children and Onesimus much better from Soddo. That task has been largely ignored this year due to poor network coverage in Chencha. Being closer to a city and with a good road between us and Addis Ababa, Jon will be able to check in on the main office and with TFC more frequently.

I hope to continue my English classes with the staff. English classes were a good time to fellowship and for several of the participants it will be helpful as they continue their education.

For Hannah, who is with us for the year, she has already been able to find areas to serve. She is excited about what the time here in Soddo will hold for her.

Many times as we are hit with what feels like a curveball I can’t help but wonder what God is up to. Of course He sees the whole picture and we only see through our small window. We are eager to see what new ministry opportunities the Lord lays before us. We may not have all the details but we do know that the Lord has continued to call us here, has allowed us to be used for his glory, and has set Ethiopia in our hearts.

 

Jess

A Few Thoughts

Some days my mind wanders a bit more than usual. It’s on those days that I can come to a lot of different conclusions. I do have to say the pace of life in rural Ethiopia lends itself to pondering. Here are a few recent realizations…

The rule for improv (always say yes) may not be the best rule for the improvisations in real life. In my case it is an “ishy,” but I may or may not be agreeing to things that I shouldn’t agree to. I’m still learning Amharic, and I’m a bit of a slow student. Lately, I’ve said that my Amharic is like “baby Amharic.” My sentences are simple and usually pretty broken, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to have conversations and interactions with folks, friends and strangers. I have realized just how much I agree with or to and it occurred to me that in my simple understandings my agreements may not always be appropriate. There is the possibility that I agreed to let someone have Baby Girl.

If you have a tree directly outside your kitchen door you may at some point end up with a funnel in the branches (oh, it also helps to have a 5 year old boy that likes to play with kitchen utensils). And, if you end up with a funnel in the tree right outside the kitchen you may end up with a tree frog in it. This guy hung out in the funnel all day. At one point I moved the funnel with him in it for Dawit to see. He hopped onto a branch but a short time after the funnel was put back into place he returned to his spot.

There is nothing like a little medagwa meat to make you feel like you are back in North Carolina during deer season. A medagwa is the local name for a small species of deer. It is also an unwelcome visitor to the farm because medagwas love apples. One recent Saturday I woke to a lot of shouting inside our compound. I waited until all seemed calm and peeked outside. No one was around. Jon came from the kitchen and informed me that a medagwa, running for its life, had run into our compound and was overtaken by the farm staff (that is my nice version). That afternoon there was a feast of medagwa. We were given some of the raw meat to prepare for ourselves, a leg and some other chunks. We made several meals from the meat. It was a welcome addition to our cuisine because leading up to Easter the Orthodox in Ethiopia fast. Chencha is a small enough area that no one sells meat because of the fast. So, Orthodox or not, you aren’t going to eat meat for two months leading up to Easter, unless you catch yourself a medagwa, of course.

One last thought…Jonathan is super handsome in his work overalls!

 

A Great Missions Family

We are excited to announce that we are now a part of the great missions family of Global Outreach International (GO).

Don’t worry, our ministry hasn’t changed. We are doing the same thing with the same people. we are still working with The Forsaken Children (TFC) to support their partner ministry in Ethiopia, Onesimus. We primarily support Onesimus through the Kota Ganate Ag. Project, which is a small farm that we helped to start.

We will now have a full-fledged, experienced missionary sending organization behind us. We, along with TFC, believe that our new affiliation with GO will give us the support we need to take our vision even further. There are tangible and intangible benefits to being part of a sending organization such as Global Outreach. In a practical sense they will handle things such as mailing newsletters and other mailings, manage our monthly support and be a stateside contact for supporters.  We also are able to take part in their group health insurance. From a more spiritual and emotional side, being part of the GO missions family provides us with a connection to other GO missionaries (and their experience), prayer support and encouragement. These are all things that help us on the field so we can focus our attention and energy on the mission we have been called to.

Global has been helping missionaries share the love of Jesus for more than 40 years. Global sends 100% of every gift to the missionary in the field. As an accredited member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability their integrity is above reproach. As veteran missionaries themselves, the leadership of Global understands the unique needs and challenges faced by the missionaries they serve. Their core values include; evangelism, discipleship, relationships, and integrity. To learn more please visit: www.globaloutreach.org.

Thank you for taking the time to keep up with us on this blog. If you don’t currently receive our newsletters please email your mailing address and other contact information to jrb428@gmail.com so that you can stay even more informed and pray for us more effectively.

We now have an apple and pear orchard with more than 1500 trees covering around 9 acres of land.

The chicken hatchery has officially started, also, with our first hatch of chicks on February 6, 2014. We have two groups of local farmers who are currently receiving training and technical support through the farm so that they can start their own poultry operations once our chicks are available.

Our primary ministry is one of empowerment, which we accomplish through agriculture.

We helped start the farm to make sure that Onesimus ministries will be able continue serving kids like these for a long time to come.

 

 

A Year of Growth

If there is one thing I love about the New Year, it is the chance to look back and see the big picture of what God has done in our lives throughout the past year. While we are in the middle of it our focus is so narrow that we don’t see all the ways that God is working in and around us. As we were in the midst of the year it sometimes felt hectic, sometimes challenging, other times it was exciting and relaxing. Yesterday I looked through pictures of the past year and one word kept coming to mind – growth. I couldn’t see it until now, but in the end everyone and everything around us grew.

Watching this one develop through her first year was certainly a treat. She is a little bundle of personality, usually smiling and laughing. She has just started walking and she loves to clap and wave, but the thing she loves to do the most is to follow Dawit wherever he goes.

Dawit has done his share of growing as well. Since his 4th birthday in February he has become quite the nature explorer. At our home in Chencha he loves nothing more than to search for new bugs, to find tree frogs in the Enset, and to identify all the birds on the farm. He has been a traveler his whole life and this year was no different. He has been from the US to Ethiopia, traveled within Ethiopia, and then closed the year with a trip to Uganda. He has become quite adept at making friends quickly and easily, but the special thing about Dawit is that he seems to remember all the friends he makes. Even if he only plays with a kid for a day or two, he may ask us about them months later and if they ever meet again he picks up right were they left off.

We have also had some big developments on the farm this year. The chicks that we got in early June grew up nicely and started laying eggs in November.

With this incubator which was imported from Uganda we are ready to start hatching chicks.

The farm grew in other ways as well. We expanded the apple/pear orchard to cover almost the whole property. What was bare fields at the beginning of the year is now growing apple trees.

We can’t close this post without mentioning our little house in Chencha. It has gradually transformed into more and more of a comfortable little home.

We have officially entered into 2014 and we are excited to see all the ways that we will grow this year. Happy New Year!