5 December 2010. On Sunday morning in Addis Ababa we were up and moving by 6 am! After breakfast we arrived at church by 8:30 am. Traditionally services are quite lengthy and the two morning services Bill preached at were no different. Not because of his preaching, but because the people are excited about being at church.
Each service was very exciting; filled with music, worship, the people, the church staff...all very wonderful, warmly receiving us into their church. Remember it has always been a dream of mine to go to Africa and here were are at the largest Assemblies of God church in Ethiopia; with 10,000 members we were told!
After the services, Bob & Rhonda Thomas (the missionaries from the Michigan District we were working with) and their children, Dr. John, and us, all went out to eat. After a delicious meal, Bob took us to the local museum for some Ethiopian history.
We were back to John's house by 4 pm. Had a little rest, then watched part of a teaching video, checked our emails, Facebook, visited with John and closed another day in Africa.
When we minister overseas we realize that each day is different and exciting or just another average day. We might not see goats and sheep in the streets everyday or have to turn on the generator because the electricity failed, but we do know that each day is a blessing and an honor for us to have lived it in Africa!
Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts
Monday, June 20, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Retroactive
Today's blog will be on our trip to Ethiopia, Africa. Yes, we were there in December 2010, but I thought today would be a good day to write about it! And besides, I keep a short daily diary of what we do every day (well, not everything but you know what I mean); it helps me remember what we did.
1 December 2010: Day One.
This is the day we fly to Ethiopia, Africa. Can you believe it? Our missionary friend from Florida, Dr. John as we affectionately call him, helped arrange this trip. We'll be ministering with our soon to be friends Bob & Rhonda Thomas. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to go to Africa as a missionary; maybe because of the stories I heard when missionaries would visit our church. Trust me, day one was a full, busy day.
Actually, it was pretty normal to begin with. Got ready for the day, sent out our weekly ministry update, went to work...did normal stuff; made sure my Facebook page was updated and packed my carryon bag. We ate a little bit, relaxed some; then jumped in the car to drive to the local bus terminal for our 2 1/2 hr ride to O'Hare airport in Chicago.
Everything went very smoothly at check-in, security, and the gate...we finally boarded by 8:30 pm (CST). While on board we ate some, rested some, and occupied our time with reading and watching the inflight movie. It was a pretty good flight!
We arrived in London 6 hrs later (by my watch), about 11 am local time but couldn't check in until 6 pm! To make the time go faster we walked a lot, read, and watched people. Finally, we are able to check-in for the next leg of our journey. After check-in, we went to eat at a TGIF restaurant. Unaware that the exchange rate is not good for the US dollar we ate a hamburger and a soda at a cost of $40. Needless to say we were shocked at the cost, but it is a memory!
We finally board the plane at 9 pm (Thursday, Dec. 2) and fly over Europe and North Africa. We arrived safely at 7:15 am; got our visa, immigration stamps, and our luggage. Dr. John & Missionary Bob Thomas met us at the airport and brought us to Dr. John's house. We unpacked, visited, and had something to eat. I was so excited, too, because I got to brush my teeth for the first time in three days (well, it seemed like it anyway).
There is the first installment of a two week adventure in Africa. There are very exciting days ahead in this story, including: having the electric and water go out, eating new foods, and meeting the warm, friendly people of Ethiopia.
1 December 2010: Day One.
This is the day we fly to Ethiopia, Africa. Can you believe it? Our missionary friend from Florida, Dr. John as we affectionately call him, helped arrange this trip. We'll be ministering with our soon to be friends Bob & Rhonda Thomas. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to go to Africa as a missionary; maybe because of the stories I heard when missionaries would visit our church. Trust me, day one was a full, busy day.
Actually, it was pretty normal to begin with. Got ready for the day, sent out our weekly ministry update, went to work...did normal stuff; made sure my Facebook page was updated and packed my carryon bag. We ate a little bit, relaxed some; then jumped in the car to drive to the local bus terminal for our 2 1/2 hr ride to O'Hare airport in Chicago.
Everything went very smoothly at check-in, security, and the gate...we finally boarded by 8:30 pm (CST). While on board we ate some, rested some, and occupied our time with reading and watching the inflight movie. It was a pretty good flight!
We arrived in London 6 hrs later (by my watch), about 11 am local time but couldn't check in until 6 pm! To make the time go faster we walked a lot, read, and watched people. Finally, we are able to check-in for the next leg of our journey. After check-in, we went to eat at a TGIF restaurant. Unaware that the exchange rate is not good for the US dollar we ate a hamburger and a soda at a cost of $40. Needless to say we were shocked at the cost, but it is a memory!
We finally board the plane at 9 pm (Thursday, Dec. 2) and fly over Europe and North Africa. We arrived safely at 7:15 am; got our visa, immigration stamps, and our luggage. Dr. John & Missionary Bob Thomas met us at the airport and brought us to Dr. John's house. We unpacked, visited, and had something to eat. I was so excited, too, because I got to brush my teeth for the first time in three days (well, it seemed like it anyway).
There is the first installment of a two week adventure in Africa. There are very exciting days ahead in this story, including: having the electric and water go out, eating new foods, and meeting the warm, friendly people of Ethiopia.
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