Retrospective Seven

Another beautiful day in Ethiopia...Sunday!!!

12 December 2010. Please forgive misspelling of cities and names!!!.

Zaway, Ethiopia, south of Addis Ababa with Pastor Jonas. Because the drive to the church is about 2 1/2 hrs. away we had to get up pretty early. Missionary Bob Thomas picked us up by 7 a.m. Back the clock up from that point and it's pretty early. The only thing... no water or water pressure; which means no shower...a sponge bath with water from the reserve barrel in our bathroom. [Not drinking water mind you, but water to use for bathing, flushing, etc.] We used  bottled water to brush our teeth.

As I said, we drive about 2.5 hrs south of the city through some very beautiful country, towns, and villages. We see people walking, riding bikes, waiting for the bus, or sitting outside enjoying the cool morning. Lot's of animals: sheep, goats, and donkeys. On the way down Bob told us to look for the camel herds and we saw them. Don't see that at all in Wisconsin...a herd of camels on the side of the road!!! He also said, at times there are baboons in the area, but we didn't see any.

Had an excellent time at church; the people were so glad to see us and hear what the Father had to say. Pastor Jonas interpreted for Bill...both did a wonderful job. After service I had some fun with the kids taking their pictures...they were giggling and laughing as they looked at their own photos. A great memory!

After church we ate at a local restaurant with Pastor. We then went to a local lake where we could have seen hippos; apparently they were around the bend of the lake. Had fun talking to a gentleman though, he wanted to be my friend...pastor witnessed to the man. Quite interesting!

One of our main reasons for going to the church was that our host, Dr. John Balikowski (who is a retired dentist) had scheduled a medical clinic at the local prison and we were invited to see what they were doing. I have never been to a place like this...a compound of buildings and dirt. Well organized but still dirty! And the odors...no explanation for that. Oh, if you only could have been there with us; your heart would have been changed forever.

The doctors, nurses, dentists, receptionists, helpers, equipment cleaners, and pastors were so very busy with the needs of both men and women at the prison. And the prisoners were very thankful. I have no idea what crimes they committed; but they needed help. The prison warden was also very thankful that the medical clinic had come. There is a chapel in the compound that local ministers preach and teach at.

The men and women are separate, of course; but something I hadn't thought of...there was also a child there with it's mother. A definite eye opener. The whole time we were there was extremely moving and life-changing.

We say goodbye and thank you to each one who was helping. As we travel back to Addis Ababa we see they same herd of camels except there are at least 100! Amazing! Stopped at a local motel to use their restroom facilities (western!) and later stopped to eat at a restaurant (had pizza!!!).

We were finally back to John's house by about 8 p.m. After that hot, dry, dusty, and wonderful day I treated myself to a nice, hot shower. What was kind of funny was that we read our emails and they were having a big snowstorm in Wisconsin.

Another beautiful day in Ethiopia. Next blog will be about our last full day in Ethiopia!

Retrospective Six

Continuing our 2010 Ethiopian Missions Trip.

11 December, Saturday. Because it's Saturday, we have a day to relax. Dr. John has lost his voice from being out in the night air at the services with us; and he has a lot to do today so he won't be coming with us. We are up by 6 am and ready to go after breakfast. Missionary Bob Thomas and their son Bobby pick us up and drive us out of town to a local resort/hospital that offers clear/clean air, vistas, cute restaurant, and an opportunity to really relax. It's a beautiful setting; not too far from the city with good food. Bob & Bobby take time to throw a football...can you imagine. Here we are in Africa (a true dream of mine) with missionaries doing a very American father-son 'thing'; throwing a football...it was great! After lunch we walk around a bit, then head back to town. We so appreciate Bob taking time out of his schedule to give us this sweet day and memory. We meet up with Rhonda (Bob's wife) at a coffee shop...enjoy an ice cream cone actually! It was really good! After that we did a little shopping for some baskets. When we finally arrive home we do some reading, resting, studying for Sunday, and have another meal. BUT: the water isn't flowing and there is no electricity. Dr. John and his assistant get the generator powered up and we have electricity. As far as the water? Well, the next time you see me ask me about how that went! It's Saturday night, what else is there to do but pop some popcorn and watch a movie...Dr. John and I did just that, in front of his computer. Another great time and memory; it gave me a flashback of doing this very same thing with my Dad (except in front of the TV).

Next post? ...our adventure south out of the city for a 2 1/2 hour drive that includes a camel sighting, but the adventure started even before we left...

Retro 5

8 December 2010. Actually, the last day or so I wasn't feeling well. Today, Wednesday, I stayed at Dr. John's while Bill went to chapel. That evening, though, after some rest and tea & toast I was feeling much better. We went to Missionary Bob & Rhonda Thomas' home for a meal. Very nice. Tonight was an early night because of the rolling black-outs that happen across the city; meaning no electricity.

9 December 2010. Still feeling a little sick...get up and get moving, have a little more tea & toast and go to the Bible College with Bill. While we wait in Bob's office, he and Dr. John go to teach their class. We meet up again for chapel. After a snack we shared with the student body, Bill went to a meeting/teaching session with the General Superintendent of the Ethiopian Assemblies of God and about a dozen Assembly of God leaders and pastors. It was a thrill for him to be able to speak into their lives, ministering and helping any way he could. I went back to Bob's office to get on the internet and send some emails!!! That evening, after our supper meal, we preached at another local church. Very exciting!

10 December 2010. Still feeling the effects of whatever I had, but not enough to slow me down; continued on with our day. This is our last day on campus and for Bill to minister at chapel. The faculty and students presented us with a gift of Ethiopian coffee and tea...excellent! Today I sang a song for them...powerful message of 'going' when God says 'go'. Most of the students understood the words because they know the English language. Because of service starting at 5:30 pm we ate our supper a little earlier. At service tonight, the people were all so very excited and thankful that we came to minister to them. All I was thinking was how they were ministering to me: with their faithfulness, warmth, excitement and their passion for the things of God. The people were responding to God's holy presence; and to the worship. They asked me to sing a song for this service...not sure if they understood the words, but it truly was an honor and priviledge to sing for them. They were all very appreciative. They also had a singing guest in attendance...the people knew who he was if we didn't! A popular Christian recording artist from Ethiopia. He sure could sing!!! They were also recording the event...kind of like a music video. The man was very impressive! Home by 8:30 pm, did some reading and went to sleep.

Remember, within all of these daily reports is a lot of Dr. John & the Thomas' taking very good care of us. Feeding, housing, driving us where we need to go; missionaries are the true heroes of the faith!