Wodë America Enhedalen (We will go to America)

One hundred days ago we arrived in Addis Ababa. It is amazing the chang tes that can occur in that short amount of time. At home there are changes that have been going on without us. Here in Ethiopia the changes have come fast and frequent. When we first arrived there was the excitement of a new place but that quickly changed to an everyday routine. We made new relationships that soon changed to comfortable friendships. In Chencha the formality of guests became the closeness of family.

God has been working at a speed that we are not accustomed to. We know that only He has been able to accomplish what has been done in 100 days. The Drop-In Center officially started its regular programs. The ministry license was obtained from the government. We now have the Kota Ganate Agriculture Project proposal completed and a prime piece of land set aside for its use. Less obvious are the changes that have occurred in the children who regularly attend the Drop-In Center programs.

Yesterday was the last day for us to be part of the Drop-In Center program. The children come on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. As part of our last helpful act we washed the children’s clothes by hand and tried to rid them of the body lice (also called clothes lice) that reside in their bitam coshasha (very dirty) clothes. While we washed their clothes the children put on nice new clothes that were donated by our new friends from Washington. At the end of the program their clothes were still wet. So, as a trial, we let the children leave with their new clothes. This has been an area of great debate since many of the children, though they love the nice new clothes, will abandon the nice clothes and revert back to rags in order to beg. It’s hard to convince a passerby that you need änd birr when you are wearing new foringie clothes. All of the children were bitam (very) excited to leave with their nice duds. Beti, however, changed back into her regular clothes, some of which were still wet, and handed us a folded pile of the new clothes. When asked why she didn’t want to wear the new clothes like the other kids, she said if she went home with the new clothes that her mother would expect her to sell them. She was obviously embarrassed and worried about our reaction. We assured her that we appreciated her honesty and that the new clothes would be at the Drop-In Center for her to wear when she returned. This type of honesty is something new in a lot of the children who attend the Drop-In Center programs. We, along with Bisrot stood in amazement at her confession. It may only be evident to us in small ways and gestures, but God is working in the lives of the CHE children.

We have been so blessed to be able to be witnesses and participants in the changes God has orchestrated the in the last 100 days. Many of the changes started long before we came and will continue long after we have left.

We will be boarding an Ethiopian Air plane tonight and saying good-bye to our friends, who now more like family. God has more plans in store for us and for CHE. We will just have to be patient and wait.

Beti posing in her new clothes

Last good-bye prayer

You Can’t Always Get What You Want

(Please be sure to check out our updated prayer requests after you read!)

 

We figure we’ve had a Willie Nelson reference so why not The Rolling Stones!

 

We headed to Chencha on June 29^th with a very specific goal.  We had to meet with the local government and convince them to give us land to use for the CHE agriculture project.  After our initial meeting our goal changed slightly.  The local government was more than welcoming to the idea of project that involved foringies and foringie money, but they had been burned by folks obtaining land and then doing nothing with it.  So, we were assured that we would be given priority, but we needed to submit our project proposal.  This meant that Jonathan had to work a little faster than originally planned and create the rough draft of the proposal.  After a week’s worth of work, Jonathan completed the proposal and Nega returned to Chencha, from Addis, to be along when we submitted the proposal.  This part of the process turned out to be rather anticlimactic, the “mayor” informed us that he would look over the proposal, meet with management committee (town council), and get back with us the following week.  He told Nega that we should look at possible sites and if there was one site in particular that we liked we should let him know by the end of the week, it was Tuesday.  Nega, Jonathan and Ephrem spent the remainder of the day Tuesday driving all over Chencha and looking at sites that they had been told, by various individuals, were available.  By the end of the day Tuesday they had a site in mind.  Just before sunset on Tuesday we all drove to the site to pray for God’s will and to express our desire for the site.  Wednesday morning we were in the “mayor’s” office.  He explained that the site was actually in a different township, but that he would talk with that town leader and have a meeting with him.  We remained hopeful, but went back to exploring different options and potential sites.  We found several other sites and returned to the mayor’s office again to suggest other sites.  He informed us that there was a “land expert” coming on Friday and that he would meet with him and they along with the management team would make a decision.   We had nothing to do but wait.  Nega’s father informed us Sunday afternoon that the “land expert” had been spotted in town and that he with the mayor and management team were looking at different sites.  Our anticipation grew and we waited for Tuesday morning, the set time for our meeting. 

 

On Tuesday morning, we were informed that the government of Chencha was granting CHE the use of 10 hectares of land in an area of Chencha known as KahKah.  KahKah is a beautiful area that is known for its fertile land.  We had only expected them to grant us 5 hectares and we hadn’t suggested or asked for KahKah.  “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you just might find, you get what you need!”  Now our biggest challenge may be that of maintaining good relations with the people who lost the use of the fields in KahKah that the government had been letting them use.  Nega’s father even lost one of his fields to Kote Ganate, Hidden Garden.

 

It was hard to leave Chencha on Thursday, July 24^th.  Wednesday evening we had sat with Nega’s family and exchanged our gratitude and familial feelings.  There were tears from more than one person; actually most of us were crying at least a little.  We managed to pack all our luggage and seven individuals into CHE’s Land Cruiser and headed north through darkness and fog early Thursday morning.  About three hours into our trip we heard the noise no one wants to hear driving on the rough roads in the middle of nowhere between Arba Minch and Sodo.  We had a flat tire.  Fortunately we were prepared and had a spare and the tools needed to switch it with the rapidly deflating tire.  Unfortunately during one of the routine vehicle cleanings the jack had gotten wet and the gears had rusted.  Another Land Cruiser, packed to the gills, stopped and offered assistance and within a half hour or so we were back on the road, riding over bumps and holes.  Jess loves to ask stupid questions and get Nega to respond, “Jessica, you are in Africa.”  She asked if we had another problem could we call a 24 hour roadside assistance service.  We stopped in Sodo and had the flat tire repaired, just in case. 

 

As we drove into the outskirts of Addis we realized how much we didn’t want to be in the city.  We are not city people and Addis Ababa is particularly crowded and coshasha (dirty).  Chencha had made a place for itself in our hearts.  We arrived around dinner time and were met with hugs and a wonderful meal for weary travelers.  We ate and readied ourselves for bed.  Jonathan had driven for just over 12 hours over surfaces that could barely be described as roads, waiting for meandering livestock and unaware pedestrians to clear the way for us to continue. 

 

We have two more weeks in Ethiopia before we return back to the states.  We both are ready to be home for a while, but we are going to miss Ethiopia and our friends and family here.

 

 

Photos of the future site of Kota Ganate (Hidden Garden)

Bitam Enaznalen (We are very sorry!)

Life’s schedule is never what we think it will be. We were delayed with our departure to Chencha, in order to stay in Addis one extra week while the foringies from Washington came to the Drop-In Center. We aren’t complaining. The folks from Washington were great and we really enjoyed their fellowship.

We got a reminder as to why sometimes it is good not to have a computer over the last two weeks. If you don’t have something then you can never miss it. But, when your computer, your connection to friends and family back home, malfunctions it creates a major problem.

Our Windows wouldn’t start; it was searching for the mystery problem to correct. This started the day before we were supposed to leave for Chencha. If we were at home or going to be in Addis, chigger yelham- (no problem), but we were heading to the rural countryside of Ethiopia. That is not exactly the best location to find someone to help you with your IT troubles. We were using Nega’s Mac, but it didn’t like wordpress.com and the internet connection in Chencha is iffy at best. Fortunately there was a young German man who is serving his military service time in Ethiopia in Arba Minch, just down the mountain from Chencha. We arrived in Chencha on a Sunday evening. We took our computer to Matthew on Friday. Friday evening we picked our computer back up from Matthew, repaired and improved.

Now we have been in Chencha for a week and a half. It is absolutely beautiful. Grass covered rolling hills, plowed fields, meandering livestock and welcoming people. Chencha is small and we are the only foringies here right now, so everyone knows we are here. It is kind of hard to miss us. We are also driving one of the few cars that pass through on the rough roads. Often it is hard for Jon to drive because the road is used more for people, sheep, goats and cattle. We have had several folks almost walk straight into the car because they aren’t expecting one to be there.

Jon has been busy working on the agriculture project proposal. We have already met with the local government and they are eager to have us. They just need to see our proposal and then we can start the process of land selection. We were assured that we would be given priority, since we have traveled so far. That probably translates to; you’ll be bringing lots of money. Jess has started teaching English for about 25 5th-7th graders. So far the progress is good. Many of the children do well with the basics, but their applications make it apparent that they haven’t had a lot of practice speaking English. From what we have been told, they really had to regulate who could be in the class so that Jess wouldn’t be overwhelmed. The church limited the students to one per family. People are still asking to be in the class. They are so eager to learn.

There really aren’t words to describe Chencha, so please look at the pictures for the post. We will be in Chencha for another week and a half before heading back to Addis. It will be difficult to leave the beauty of Chencha and the love of Nega’s family.

On the Road Again (Jonathan’s been listening to Willie Nelson)

 It is funny sometimes the pace that life can take. We spent two weeks in Debre Zeit feeling like we were doing very little and moving at a snails pace through our time. Trust us, we are not complaining. This week we apparently shifted into 5^th gear on a straight stretch. Consider the work of God; For who can make straightwhat He has made crooked? Ecclesiastes 7:18 It is amazing to see the work that the Lord can do with His people. This week at CHE we had a group of Americans from Washington (and one from California) come to the drop in center to minister and play with the children. It was a busy three days but the children were obviously touched by the visit from so many folks. The visitors were obviously touched as well. There were about 18 folks that came all with varying talents. One member of the group is a doctor and he gave the children basic health exams and we were able to take the children to a nearby clinic and have them tested for parasites and get a good blood check. The doctor feared that many of the kids were anemic, probably from parasites. While he gave the children individual examinations the other children played with the many soccer balls the group brought, made crafts, sang songs or played games like Red Light, Green Light. The children, after the second day, were singing Jesus Loves Me as they played in the courtyard of the compound. Other members of the group started on the task of building a small shelter at the compound to cover over a ping-pong table that CHE will be getting soon.

From the lab work that was done for the children we found out that 7 have Giardia, 3 have amoebas and one of the 7 with Giardia also has hookworm. The doctor went with Jess and Nega to the pharmacy near the compound and bought medicine for all of the children. The group also brought vitamins for the kids to take. We imagine that the kids don’t know how good they can feel. They are getting regular meals now, but they aren’t getting all the nutrients they could because of their parasites. After the meds and the vitamins, we may really have our hands full!

 

In addition to the work that the group did with us this week, Jonathan was able to get his Ethiopian driver’s license, Bisrot got the temporary and then the permanent plates for the CHE makina (car), and we received two cards and three packages from home-two for us and one for the kids at the drop-in center. Jess described the week best when she e-mailed our sister-in-law Karyn and said that God blesses us all the time, but there are times when He floods us with blessings. This week we have been driving full speed through one of the best floods we have ever experienced.

 

Jonathan actually has been driving some in the flood of crazy Addis drivers. He has been stopped by the traffic police every day that he has driven. It only took him one day to get a ticket from one of the ubiquitous traffic officers. Jonathan crossed over the imaginary yellow middle line as we went around a stopped truck. We were looking for a place to turn around to head back toward the office/drop-in center. If we had not turned around and just went on our way, we would have been fine, but we went back past the officer and he gave Jonathan a ticket. When you get a traffic ticket in Addis the officer takes your license and your ticket acts as your license for 48 hours. You have to go to one place and wait in an insanely long line to pay for your ticket and then go across town to pick up your license at the police station. TIA. The funniest part about Jonathan getting a ticket is that the next day, the same traffic officer stopped him for veering too far right to avoid being hit by another car. The officer only saw that Jonathan went too far right. He didn’t recognize Jonathan at first but when he looked at his license he asked, “Didn’t I punish you yesterday?” Jonathan was a bit agitated this time so he plead his case to the officer. After several minutes of argument the officer backed down and Jonathan managed to avoid another ticket, praise God.

 

It is nice to have weeks that vary, too many weeks like this week may overwhelm us and make us not fully appreciate all that He does for us. Too many weeks of rest and slow pacing tend to make us lazy and complacent. He always knows what we need and when. Emu commented this week that Jess was excited about the foringe being here. Jess was excited about other native English speakers, but mainly we were both excited about the chance to see and be a part of God’s work.

     

     

 

He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul

How do we measure the value of our days. Each culture seems to judge the value of a day based on different values. In the US the economist has taught us well that productivity should be our primary yardstick. So any “good” American judges whether his day was a success or failure based his own personal production; for this is what we’ve been taught makes us good upstanding citizens. Our primary contribution to society is how much we produce. Each profession has it’s own unit of measure. The farmer measures in rows, the carpenter in nails, the factory worker in widgets, the banker in dollars. All of these are easily quantifiable so that they can be entered into tables and plotted on graphs. If our graphs show a steady upward trend then we can hold our heads high as we walk through town.

 

Of course, if we fail to meet our expected production for the day we must develop many excuses for our poor citizenship. Therefore if the farmer only gets 5 rows plowed and planted and the carpenter only drives one box of nails they must at once pray for rain so that they can continue to hold their standing in society. They should also pray that no one saw them driving back from their early morning fishing trip with boat in tow.

 

It’s been rather quiet the last couple of weeks. We’ve been enjoying our time in the country, or as Nega says, “the bush.” Unfortunately during our time outside of Addis, we didn’t have internet access. Our lack of internet access allowed us access to a lot of other things such as beautiful scenery, hot showers, fresh wutet (milk), birds, frog calls, lots of wonderful people and a glimpse at at jib (hyena). We were only an hour outside of Addis but it made all the difference.

 

We had the opportunity to visit an agriculture project owned by the Kale Heywet Church. The project is located beside beautiful Lake Kuriftu, one of the crater lakes that the area is known for. Jonathan visited the site in January but we came back to get more information and hopefully gather ideas for the agriculture project for CHE. The agriculture project is just part of the work that the Kale Heywet Church does in Debre Zeit. They also have a school that the agriculture project helps to fund and an orphanage. Many of the children who grew up in the orphanage are young adults now and attending various schools and universities. Jess worked with some of the students a few evenings on their conversational English. They got a lesson or two in American southern dialect. If there are any more southern foringe that come and visit they will be ready!

 

Most of our time over the last two weeks has been spent cruising at a relaxing pace. We had the opportunity to hike and photograph birds. We visited with many of the farm workers and helped when and where we could. For several days the first week we helped plant seed flats in the greenhouse. One afternoon we weeded rows of onions. Like most of our time in Ethiopia, the people have made us feel welcome and loved.

 

We have few excuses for our lack of productivity over the last two weeks, but we do have one pretty good one,TIA (This Is Africa). Anyone who has ever been here has heard this many times and understands its meaning very well. The economist has not yet educated Africa. We measured our days during these last two weeks based on the number of greetings given and received, friendships made, birds spotted and photographed, and pages of a favorite book read. Judged by these criteria we were very successful. So we face no social disgrace here. We offer this excuse to hold whatever social standing that we have back home. 

         

Kes bi kes enkulal begru yehedahl. Translation: Slow by slow the egg goes by foot.

Okay, so the translation, like so many things from Amharic to English, isn’t totally clear. Perhaps we would say, “Slowy the egg can walk.” To be honest, even when our Amharic instructor explained it to us this way it didn’t make a lot of sense. Finally he said, “it takes a lot of time before an egg can grow and become a hen.” That meant a little more than an egg walking.

As we spend time here in Ethiopia this Ethiopian saying means more and more to us. We have been here just over a month and many of the changes we have seen have been slow, or we are still waiting to see them. The CHE beneficiaries are probably the best place for us to witness this slow change. Many of the children have stopped being disruptive and defiant. Others, well they are still eggs, but the potential is there. As we have spent the last few weeks helping out at the Drop-In Center we have watched the children become more comfortable with the schedule and be very eager to have lessons, showers and of course to eat. We have also been witness to the slow changes of CHE. The Drop-in Center finally opened and while it is serving and doing its best, there are things that will slowly grow and change. There are still repairs that need to be made at the compound and the staff is still working on the enforcement of the new rules with the children. It is a very slow growing process.

 

The reason we were told this phrase by our Amharic instructor is because we often feel a bit discouraged about our Amharic. It is foolish for us to think that we would learn a language, totally different from our native language, in one month. We have learned a lot of the basics but we cannot carry on regular conversations, yet. We want to be able to talk with everyone and understand what the children are trying to tell us, but to learn all of a language in one month is an impossible task.

 

We have also learned that we are Westerners and we are certainly not in the West. We can understand why that saying came into being as we wait for things to happen here. Nega is still waiting for the new CHE vehicle to arrive in Addis. It has been probably two months since Micheal bought the car in Dubai. Each time Nega thinks he has everything turned in, he gets a phone call that there is another piece of information that someone needs. We are used to things happening at the snap of a finger or the waving of some money. That is not the case here in Ethiopia. Nega has to remind us often that we are in Africa, things work a little differently here.

 

One of the best examples any of us can look to is the slow growth we experience as Christians. Sometimes it almost seems like we are growing back into an egg. We praise God for the work He has done in us and that He continues to love and nurture us as we slowly work toward becoming a hen.

 

“…to build up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, [growing] into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. ¹⁴ Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. ¹⁵ But speaking the truth of love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head-Christ.” Ephesians 4:12-15 (HCSB)

 

J2

 

Back Row (left to right): Addisu, Metu and Beti.  Front Row (left to right) Desse, Meaza, Abee, and Amelawork.                                                         

 

 

 

Our Little Angel

It’s easy to get overwhelmed and depressed here. Everyday we are surrounded by poverty and despair. As we walk the streets the sick and crippled are everywhere. We see street kids washing themselves and their clothes in stagnant puddles where men have urinated during the night. These things aren’t confined to only a few places. You don’t have to seek them out. They are literally everywhere. It can be difficult to keep a positive outlook and to keep our spirits up. One of the things that helps the most is when we can see a real positive difference in the lives of one of the kids that we are working with. Edalawit is one of those kids that has lifted our spirits.

When Jon was here in January Edalawit was a complete “Rabash” (troublemaker). She seemed to have the worst behavior of any of the kids. Her behavior problems were a constant disruption during the weekly programs at the office. She was out of control and didn’t seem to have respect for anyone. It was her way or no way and she was ready to assert her will by force if necessary. She didn’t interact with the other kids well. If there was a toy, she wanted it and would fight to get it. Jon thought that she was a hopeless case.

Upon our return we found a very different Edalawit. Mike described her as an “angel” and Jon thought that he was joking. He wasn’t joking. The change in Edalawit is remarkable to say the least. She has gone from being one of the worst behaved kids to being on of the best. She visits us everyday at the Drop-in Center during her lunch break and then again after school. She acts shy now. She slinks up to us for hugs and kisses and whispers softly that she is doing fine when we ask. When she flashes that big, bright smile it will truly light up your heart. When she doesn’t get her way she no longer lashes out in aggression. She now seeks the intervention an adult, usually with the help of a few tears. This seems more like the normal behavior of a six or seven year old. She is quiet and respectful. She faithfully attends school everyday and seems to enjoy learning. We think that Mike was right. She really does seem to be our little angel.

There is a large brown mailing envelope that resides in the CHE office at the Drop-in Center. We’ve seen it’s contents countless times now. Often when Edalawit visits us after school she opens the envelope and excitedly shows us the pictures and letter that her sponsor family sent to her. She plays with the sheet of Scooby Doo stickers – sticking them all over herself and us. Then she carefully puts each sticker back in it’s place and returns the contents to the envelope. It seems like such a simple thing to us, but to Edalawit it means so much. To know that there is a family out there that is willing to send their love to her seems to be such an encouragement to her. Recently her sponsor sent a box which contained socks and toys specifically for Edalawit and additional toys for the rest of the children. Edalawit was so excited and eager to show and share her toys. She looked as though she was walking on air when she was allowed to take her colorful box full of socks and a Polly Pocket home with her.

To what do we owe this remarkable success story. Certainly many things have played a role. However, we believe that one of the biggest contributors to this change in Edalawit has been the faithful support, prayers, and encouragement that she has received from her sponsor family. The Forsaken Children Fund recently started a sponsorship program for the beneficiaries of CHE. Edalawit is one of the first and only children have a sponsor. The monthly support that her sponsor sends provides for her school fees, food, clothes, etc. Even though they are a world away Edalawit and this family have formed a bond that has changed her life. She now has the opportunity to break the dreadful cycle that she was once trapped in.

Many of the CHE kids still need sponsors. If you would like to start sponsoring one of these kids check out The Forsaken Children’s Fund’s new and improved website at www.theforsakenchildren.org or email Joe at joe@theforsakenchildren.org              

Dangers of Ethiopia

When we first announced our intent to serve in Ethiopia the response from most was the same. Friends and family members expressed serious concerns for our health and safety. We joked with one of our American friends also serving in Ethiopia about the responses you receive when you tell most Americans that you are going to Africa. He felt that you would get less opposition from folks if you told them you were going to Mars than you would if you told them you were going to Africa. We understand peoples’ concerns and we had our own concerns before going. We were prepared for some of the dangers of Ethiopia. We received all of our immunizations to go, most of which were totally optional, we opted. But, now that we are in Ethiopia we are understanding some of the dangers that are here.

 

Malaria. We don’t have too much to worry about while we are in Addis and Chencha but the possibility is slightly higher while we are in Debre Zeit. We have talked with people there and they assure us that the risk though present is very low. We plan on wearing long sleeves and taking necessary precautions during our three weeks there.

 

The Water. This danger was a total gimme. No one travels to Africa from America and drinks the water and thinks that everything will be okay. We buy our water and now at the compound we are at we have boiled water to make it safe to drink.

 

Watch Your Step. During our travels on foot around the city of Addis we have certainly been made aware of the dangers that lie in the “side walks” and walk ways. Open man hole covers, large open storm drains, broken pavement, cars, and of course livestock. Let us not forget what the livestock leave behind as they meander through town. There is certainly danger as you walk around Addis.

 

Pick Pockets. Let’s be real, you don’t walk around anywhere in American and not keep a check on the cash in your pocket. Crowded conditions lend themselves to the possibility of loosing some cash. We have not had any trouble and take the precautions we would at home.

 

Toilets. Many days it is a quest to find a toilet that you don’t fear using and there are times that you just suck it up and go anyway (please see “The Rumbles). The toilet we have at our home compound is communal, another thing we miss about the guest house, we had a private sheenta bait (bathroom), but it is always clean. The sheenta bait at the Drop-in Center compound most days is a little iffy since you have street kids going in and out. Oh, and lets not forget, BRING YOUR OWN TOILET PAPER!

 

Loss of Personal Determination. This danger became real to us this week as Jonathan indulged in a childhood favorite, Fun Dip. He attributes much of the silver in his mouth to his love of Fun Dip. There was some Fun Dip at the office left by a previous visit from some foringe and after a long internal struggle Jonathan gave in (please note the first picture attached to this entry). Jonathan has also, in the almost four weeks that we have been here, on more than one occasion had an orange Fanta!

 

Questionable Personal Hygiene.  It is Biblically based, but just washing your feet does not mean that you are clean. When the choice is a cold, cold shower or get by another day by washing your feet and “hitting the highlights,” you often go with the later. Jess’s max is about three days. Jonathan on the other hand washes his feet each night and calls it done. His max has been about a week.

 

The Rumbles. Yes, we expected it and with some of our food choices we praise our heavenly Father that it has not been worse. Jonathan was down for a day this last week with a case of “the rumbles.” It proved to be rather minor and Jess had the opportunity to assert herself and take a taxi alone, for the second time.

 

Thieves. This is separate from pick pockets because we are talking serious theft. This week we had two mattresses stolen from the Drop-in Center compound. We have heard a lot of talk about thieves and in one way we have felt the personal effects of thievery. It has become obvious that the children and the people of Ethiopia have stolen our hearts (see the second photo for an image of a theif).

 

Thriller!

We truly are living a surreal life here. We are in a place so far from home and a culture so foreign to our own, but every once and a while we are treated to a refreshing glimpse of good ole’ American culture. These glimpses often come in the most unlikely places.

Nega introduced us to a new restaurant this week. It’s nice because it is right around the corner from the Drop-in Center, where we spend most of our days. This is not a restaurant like we’re used to back home. This is a straight up Abesha joint. It’s a small crowded place. They buy their meat each day and when they run out that’s when they close. There is no menu. The wait staff just tells you what they happen to have at the time. There are no foringe foods here, only traditional dishes. The waiter calls out kay wat, tibes, kilkil and ferfer. Of course no matter how small and run down a place may look they always have a nice coffee machine. From it they are able to produce many wonderful drinks. They serve buna (coffee), Shay (tea), machioto (buna with a little milk), watet b’ buno (milk with a little coffee), and espris (coffee with tea). All of these are familiar to most Americans, but there is one drink here that is absolutely delicious and we never heard of it until coming here. It is called lawz shay (peanut tea) and it is a little taste of heaven. This particular restaurant has the best lawz shay in all of Addis. That is what brought us back there last Wednesday evening.

As soon as we mentioned the lawz shay there was no turning back. Mike just had to try it. We had wrapped up our Amharic lesson and it was about time to hop on a taxi to go home, but we were hungry. So we decided to join the gang for some dinner and lawz shay for dessert. When we arrived they were already out of food and were closing up for the day, but since there were foringe in the group they let us come in and have drinks.  Jon and Bisrat ordered fitera, a Muslim dish with bread, honey and eggs and Jess and Mike started in on the lawz shay. 

As we ate and drank there was music playing from a small boombox on the counter.  Jess thought she recognized the voice of Vincent Price, but dismissed it, and the boombox stopped for a few minutes.  Then when the music began again, all the foringe recognized the opening music of Thriller.  The workers were playing a “greatest hits” or a mixed tape so as we sat in the most Abesha restaurant eating Muslim food and drinking lawz shay we enjoyed Michael Jackson favorites like Bad and Man in the Mirror.  Mike and Jess sang along.  Jess asked for “Smooth Criminal,” and for a moment we thought that the cultural gap may have been bridged, but it was getting late, Jess’s request wasn’t answered and so we left, our stomachs full of fitera and peanut tea! 

J2

Feast or Famine (Matthew 25:34-45)

Deforestation, Erosion, Desertification. These seem like such foreign terms to those of us who live in the eastern United States. Sure we have clear-cutting, which we all complain about until a logger waves a few bucks under our noses. However, the forests always seem to grow back. We know that it’s only a remnant of it’s former glory, but at least it’s there. This is the case because we have been blessed with what Leopold called a “resilient ecosystem”. That simply means that the natural ecosystem in which we live is able to absorb a tremendous amount of abuse before it collapses. The effects that we have are so gradual as to hardly be seen.

In Ethiopia these terms are all too real. The forests have been cleared and are unable to regrow. The topsoil has been washed away and with it the fertility of the land. The land is no longer able to retain the water that falls only during certain brief periods during the year. During the rains the water runs off in mighty torrents that carry what little fertility is left and any crops that might be standing. As soon as the rains pass the land quickly becomes parched until the next flood arrives. They are in a “catch 22”. Should they pray for rain or pray for sun? It seems that in their current state either one results in famine. In fact, in their most productive year on record (1996) as many as 2 million people still starved. This proud and ancient civilization that has sustained itself for thousands of years is now unable to feed itself.

We bumped into James and Sarah at church the first Sunday that we were here. James and Sarah are friends that Jon and Joe met in January; they work for Samaritan’s purse here in Ethiopia. James was telling us how busy they are right now trying to get food aid to the people here. Ethiopia is in another food crisis. Last year flooding washed away the crops that were in the fields. This year drought has scorched the crops. To make matters worse international food aid from the west has been cut, especially from the US. So they are trying to stave off starvation on a massive scale with limited resources.

In the US we rarely stop to think of how fragile our food system is. However, we aren’t so far removed from situations similar to what Ethiopia faces. Though only the oldest among us can remember the time, we’ve all heard of the “Dust Bowl”. The prairie states of the mid-west contain one of the most fragile ecosystems. In ages past, the prairie held this ecosystem in a tentative state of stability. As soon as the plow touched it and the wheat and corn spouted it was a downward spiral until it collapsed. In fact, the only thing keeping the “bread bowl” from being called a dessert is the extensive irrigation systems that are draining aquifers at an alarming rate. Certainly our whole food system is built upon massive irrigation systems. The next time you are buying produce at the grocery store check the sticker to see where it was grown. About 75% of the time it will say California. This is made possible only by dry, sunny southern California swiping water from it’s rain soaked sisters to the north. The only thing keeping the US from experiencing famine and environmental collapse is that we have the luxury of being able to afford the technology to moderate the effects of our abuses. There are few luxuries here in Ethiopia.

So we’ve been blessed. Should we feel guilt with every bite we take? Certainly not, but we should feel something. We should feel a great since of thanks for what we have been given, and how better to show our thanks than through our action (1 John 3:17-18). There needn’t be a choice between feast (for us) or Famine (for them). We have the means to feed the world. Why aren’t we doing it?