Ethiopia: Round Two

Journal Entry:

Day 7: October 6, 2017

I am often asked, “So, what’s it like in Ethiopia?” “Can you tell me about Ethiopia?” “Do you like it over there?”. Or I’m asked to describe it. Impossible. Well, almost. How do you explain a place you love so much, yet in a realistic light? Yes, I love Ethiopia. It is a great place?  Who’s asking? From what aspect? And what is your definition of great? Haha! I will attempt to tell you about Ethiopia in this post. The real Ethiopia. Here is my journal entry from day seven:

This is a strange place. Here it is the people that are confined within walls; not the animals. The walls are meant to keep people and things out, but it is still a bit foreign to me.

Right now, I am sitting outside watching those passing by. A young woman trails behind four donkeys carrying her load; probably water. It is not as easy as turning on a faucet for some people here. The little things we take for granted… When I arrived home last time and washed my hands, I let the water run a bit longer through my fingers as I stood in awe of how easy we have it in America. It is always available, on command. Never do we say “Wooha Yellum!” (Water gone) in America, but here, it is not so uncommon! “What a little thing,” we think! But ah! Tis’ no little blessing! 

A small child, maybe two years of age, wanders down the cobblestone street taking in his surroundings. A man, whom I assume to be this child’s father, calls out to me (“Americano!”) as he relieves himself across the street. He feels no shame. The last trip, I saw a man bathing in the sewer water on the side of the main highway. What is normal here, can cause one to turn away in shame and embarrassment.

Trash lines the streets, filling the air with a polluted aroma of soured food, soiled clothes and who knows what. The foul scent of trash mountain lingers over Addis Ababa, within every whiff you take. Over time, the smell seems to lessen, though it is only you becoming numb and used to it. Back in March of this year, there was a “landslide” on trash mountain. Many people died. How? The people lived on trash mountain, surviving off of the waste they found each day. Their houses made from/in the rubbish collapsed on top of them, burying them alive. Now, what was it you hate about your home? What was it you are discontent with?

The house at the end of the road looks to be made of mud and tin. Huge improvements have been made to the restaurant/bar beside it since my last visit. The walls and roof are no longer made of sticks and tarp. The walls look to be made from mud or paper-maché, or both. The roof is now a mixture of tin and tarp. And we complain about having a small house, or having to share a room with a sibling, or not enough lighting to do our makeup and hair… How shameful! The last trip, I visited a mud house with two rooms; a kitchen and a bedroom. The bathroom was out back. Three people; one mother, two daughters. One light bulb, two windows, one double bed. Now, tell me again, what was it you were complaining about?

Yes, Ethiopia is a strange, filthy, poor, and even sad, place. And I hesitate to tell you some of these things, but this is the real Ethiopia! Yet, I still love it! But, why? The Lord has done so much for me here. Not only because of the place but the things the Lord worked in me while I was here. The things He taught and showed me here. I left a huge chunk of myself here last time. I felt like I had shed my skin and started anew once I went home. I feel like a new person. Maybe I am. I sure hope so! I know a lot has changed in me since two years ago. Oh goodness, “bazoo” (many) things!

The place has also changed me. For maybe the first time, I saw people as an ocean of lost souls in need of a Savior, instead of simply a crowd of people. Sure, I have known this all my life, but living in the south where “everyone” knows Jesus and is a “Christian”, it is hard to see them as lost when many of them know the truth but simply don’t yield to it. These people? They live in confusion like I’ve never seen before. They have the gospel laid in front of them, but it is twisted in such a way that makes it difficult to untangle and explain even that simple truth and the gift of God. My heart aches for them. The people showed me what lost truly is. Yes, I was just as lost as they before accepting the salvation of the Lord; but I had the truth handed to me on a silver platter from the time of my birth!

Though I learned many lessons on my last trip, there is still much my Father continues to show me this time around! I’ve come to think of Addis Ababa as my restart button. Last time I stayed, I desperately needed to get away, think, pray, and go back home with a clean slate! The Lord graciously worked it out! This time, I feel as if I am here to remember what is truly important. To prepare for whatever the Lord has next for me, whatever that may be. I am remembering what the Lord did for me back two years ago, and also, how He continues to bless me! My Father is reminding me of His proper place in my life! No matter how high I set Him in my heart and life, if He is not my first priority, I am failing as a Christian. Failing as His child. In all honestly, I have been struggling in this area as of late. Not that He hasn’t been important in my life or even in my heart, it is not that at all! However, many things have been going on in my life these past few months, and I have caught myself distracted from my true purpose on various occasions. Please tell me I am not the only Christian with this weakness!

Having all of this in mind, I also wonder how God could even let me be involved in any purpose He has! Why ask anything of me? I am weak! I am insignificant! I am not important, talented, or useful!  “I know. But I Am. My strength will be shown through your weakness. You will be made useful by My talented hands. You will be made important because I am important and I will make you significant by association.”, my Father gently says to me. How great is our God? Too great to be described in words! He is all good! O how I love Him! My Savior, my Friend!

So, what is our purpose? There are lost people even in America, but I had become blind to it. Numb to the calling of God. Maybe you have too. Not called, you say? God placed us where we are for a purpose. Do you truly think that purpose is to grow up, get married, have kids, go to church, go to the store, go to work, and die of old age? Really??? That is not all there is to this life! I’m sorry, but I don’t believe God gets glory just from us not doing wrong. Yes, we can and should live, and not do wrong, but one thing the Lord has been showing me lately is this: Not doing wrong is good, but are you doing right? Living righteously does not consist of only what action we do not take, but also of what action we do take! The Lord gave me this revelation as I watched the Ethiopian people.

So why is Ethiopia special to me? Memories of a tedious growth in the Lord. The patience the Lord gave me through that time of uncertainty, seeking clarity and truth, trying to find where I stood, and hoping to finally set my feet on solid, steady ground. The guiding hand of God so near it was almost tangible for the first time in years! Though the change in my heart did not start in Ethiopia (it started months before), it helped me to solidify and steady myself in my commitments and in my beliefs! He worked on my heart, softening it towards people and towards Him. He placed my beliefs in front of me, and asked me “why?”, changing and strengthening them into what He would have them to be. Ethiopia did not change me. But it was definitely a huge tool the Lord used as He changed me and worked on my heart! That is why I love Ethiopia. My restart button. A mighty tool in the hand of my God. And as He continues to work on me, I am so thankful for a round two in Addis Ababa!

Selamina

08.02.15

    Last time I wrote I forgot to mention that Messy made us Habisha (Ethiopian) food for lunch that day! It was really good! I also ate hot sauce with mine, [and] Messy was having a hard time with it! [lol] Yes it was hot! But it was good!

    On to today! This morning I woke from a very eerie dream with a very eerie feeling at about 4:15. It felt as if every hair on my neck & arms were standing straight up! And I [heard] some moaning coming from one of the churches. It felt different somehow and I started to pray away [the] dark feeling that had come over me. Once I had peace, I fell back to sleep. But I found that was really odd! Krystal said it may have been the Muslims instead of the Orthodox. That may have been it, but whatever it was, I never want to feel its presence again!

    We went shopping after this morning service and Krystal found Jelly! Yay! There are some things that if you happen to find them it makes your day! Peanut butter being one of those top precious items! LOL! We also got some freshly made donuts from the bakery! So good! There aren't like the donuts in the US, but they're good! 

    After lunch and supper we had the evening service then sent the boys to bed. All of which were [already] asleep with the exception of Joshua.

    Heith and I had a really good long talk after everyone else went to bed. We talked about a lot of random things, then it slowly got into some more serious stuff. We started talking about Bible stuff and commitments and other things. I think I needed that. He gave me two verses to help me with out with something I've been dealing with in my mind for quite a while. I'm really hoping that I can stick to my commitments. No. I'm going to! I'm desperately trying to grasp onto that very same thing Heith did when he was younger. Determination to do right no matter what. I want that! For the first time in a long time I truly want that! I am reaching for it! I want the faith and dedication of Darlene Deibler Rose (I'm reading her book for the first time)! I want to learn the Bible. I've become thirsty for it. I look forward to devotions and reading my Bible every morning. It's not a chore anymore and I don't, I desperately don't, want that to ever ever change! Oh God, give me the strength and the wisdom to do what's right whether everyone else is or not! Whether it is hard or easy!  

    Even in Africa I face the challenge of music! It's everywhere I go. It's in my head. But I'm learning to be annoyed by it. I know I can't get it out of my head, but I'm trusting the Lord to cleanse my heart of it! It is very tiresome carrying all of that around everywhere I go, but I found a Resting Place. In my Savior, my Lord, the Worthy Lamb of God! I'm learning to trust Him a little more each day.

~Sarah

P.s. Selamina = I have peace.

I realize that some of this post may be a bit weird, but the spiritual battles shouldn't be overlooked simply because they make is uncomfortable. This is real. The battle is real! Taking this trip made me realize just how real! Not only are we in a battle to lead lost souls to Christ, but we do have a spiritual enemy! Thank God we also have a spiritual Ally! He will win the war! But please stay strong for each battle my friends! 

I truly enjoyed looking back at this entry, thinking of how far I had to come to come to this place of peace! Wow! The Lord has blessed me! What sweet peace my Father gives! :) Can you say truthfully in your heart that you have peace? I hope so! 

      Simply,

           Sarah

07.31.15

07.31.15 

    Not last night but the night before, there was a party going on in the street! It was quite funny to listen to! Another weird thing is every morning the orthodox [pray, aka] moan and groan, and it can be heard from a mile away! They also do it later in the day. Most everyone considers themselves orthodox, including Meseret. 

   We were talking about food the other day and Messy said she doesn't eat bacon because it's pork and the Bible says not to eat pork. The conversation continued and she said she really enjoyed ham! Ha ha! Krystal told her that was pork and she just sat there saying "no! nah-uh!" So she didn't even know! Yesterday Krystal was trying to make a grocery list and she found some pepperonis and just started to laugh! I asked her what was so funny. She said both Messy and Daniel have eaten pepperoni pizza she made for them! Yet they don't eat pork! LOL! They don't seem to know what is pork [and what isn't]! 

   Yesterday Heith got the pipe to the kitchen sink unclogged! It was clogged with concrete! Hoping that fix the leak in the hallway! He and Daniel also went to the old house to grab a few things so maybe we will have the basketball goal up soon… Maybe! LOL! He has a long list of things to build and do! He is supposed to build a dining room table and stand for the Berkey, some bookshelves, a desk, put up the rest of the curtains… Etc.! It goes on! 

    Last night we tried a new restaurant. It was pretty good! The meat was still chewy, it is everywhere [here] though. The boys got pizza, Heith and Krystal got beef fajitas, and I got a steak burger. We passed it all around trying everything and it was all pretty good! We were really impressed with the rolls for the appetizer! They were soft and tasted like something you could get in America, which is rare! We also got chocolate and strawberry cake slices for the boys to share. it was pretty good! Heith ordered Krystal, himself and I all mochas. It was pretty good too! Their coffee is strong here but it's not anywhere near as bitter! Oh I almost forgot! My steak burger came with chili peppers and I tried one! Whew! Hot! LOL!
    Heith bought a bag of coffee beans from the area for my dad try. If he likes it I'll bring some home for him but I'm definitely bringing some home for myself! Because I love it! 

    Well, I've been sitting here writing for 30 minutes now! I better get my day started! 

    Simply,

        Sarah

We Moved!

07.29.15

    We are moved into the new house! We moved in on the 27th, Monday. Everything is going good with the neighbors and everything. but we have had a few plumbing problems! The sink has been leaking and we just found that once I drained the kitchen sink, water started pouring from under the wall in the hall! So Heith is calling landlord, and we are hoping she will have it fixed! I met Daniel Monday, saw him again yesterday, and will possible see him again today! He has been helping Heith with lightbulbs and the washer and the sink. Various things around the house. He seems pretty nice but I haven't spent much time with him though. So I don't know yet!

    We cleaned the new house for a whole day and half! It was so dusty! And paint splatters were a nightmare to get off the floors! But we did get it done! Hallelujah!!! I don't think anyone had fingernails after that! Some raw fingers maybe! lol! In the main rooms at least! So, yes, there was more!

    We may be going back to the old house today to clean and make sure we left nothing behind. The day we moved in the new house, our new neighbor brought us lasagna and green beans for supper! It was very good!

    Messy will be working here at the new house too, so she is trying to get used to coming here instead! lol! She keeps getting lost on the way her though it's not far from the old house! For her sake I hope she adapts easily and soon ! :) In the new house I have my own room with my own bathroom! I had my own room in the old house, but we all shared one bathroom (not counting the outside bathroom) [Just a half bath,] but it is still nice!

    We had hamburgers and fried potatoes from the suke down the road and some mac-n-cheese. It was all pretty good. Heith  got the boys bed built today so they wouldn't have to sleep on the floor anymore. Heith and Krystal and I all watched some Leave it to Beaver tonight. Well Heith joined us for the first episode so he could have some of Krystal's Peanut butter M&M's! lol!

    Oh yeah, the plumber came today and let's just say my hopes are not high! He came in telling us what was wrong before we even told him what had been happening! Heith thinks he knows what it is, but the plumber is thinking something completely different. So, I don't know! But I hope they figure it out and get it fixed so we can wash dishes in the sink again! We've been washing dishes in a small blue tub and dumping it out back  when we finish.

    Well, it's kinda late and I'm very tired! I sorry my writing has been scattered, but I've just been writing as I think of it!

        

        ~Sarah :P

P.S. I cannot believe I didn't mention this before, so I'll tell you now! Heith and Krystal had been praying for some good neighbors or friends for the boys. When we went to look at the new house for the first time, we heard a little boy saying hello in English. We looked over and there were white people next door! English speaking white people! We all introduced ourselves and found out not only did they live next door, they were from Indiana! What's more, is they had five kids! three girls and two boys. The four oldest were all about the same ages as the Fussner boys! If you have never been on a foreign field you will probably never understand the depth of how great a blessing this was! The Lord had given not only Krystal and Heith friends, but each of the boys! Our God is awesome! :)

   
         Simply,

               Sarah

First Time Watching the Boys on my Own in Ethiopia

07.23.15

   

    Meseret came by the work [today], and work she did! Even though there wasn't much work to do!

    Messy went with Heith and Krystal into [what] I think it was Mercato. They dropped her off so she could go ahead to her next job and they went curtain and curtain rod shopping. I stayed at the house with the boys. It was actually pretty quite... for the boys! LOL! But they were all pretty good, so no problems there!

    Heith and Krystal got back after the boys and I had already eaten. The boys ate three pancakes each! Yes, we had pancakes for supper! I didn't cook much back then lol Plus, who doesn't like breakfast for supper? So I had to make another batch for Heith and Krystal and some chocolate chip pancakes for tomorrow.  Which worked out so [that] their food was warm when they got home. Right off the stove actually!

    Krystal showed me all of her new curtains they had made today. Hopefully we can put some up tomorrow!

    [For devotion,] I read some more out of the Charlie Coulson booklet. The boys seem to gobble it up! Krystal and I cleaned the kitchen after the boys were getting ready for bed and now here I am writing! :)

    Oh! While the boys were getting ready for bed Heith told me about Daniel and his sweatshirt! Haha! He was wearing a Justin Bieber one! But people here will wear just about anything, The people also hate gays! It is simply not a part of their culture. So Heith asked Daniel if he knew who [Justin Bieber] was. And of course he didn't. So Heith told him "Well, he's a queer." Lol, Daniel got really mad and was like "No way! Really? My sister bought this for me!" And Heith said, "Maybe a joke?" And Daniel said "Well it's not very funny!" Lol! He was so mad according to Heith and Krystal! They were both laughing as Heith told me the story! It was pretty funny! 

    Yesterday was Brother Bruce Radar's funeral. I haven't heard anything about how it went, but of course we all hope it went well. I hope and pray his family is doing okay! I know it's got to be hard! But with him gone, so is his sickness! He no longer has to worry about any of that! And for that, I am glad! He was ready to go! Well on that note I will stop! I don't know if I'll have time to write tomorrow, because we will be cleaning all day at the new house! Well good-night!

  ~Sarah ;P

Mud House

07.22.15

I can't believe I've been in Africa for almost 2 weeks now! That's crazy! A couple days ago Krystal, the boys, and I all walked to the stores to get bread milk and a couple of other things. We got to try donuts from the bakery. They were actually pretty good! Not nearly as sweet as ours in the US, but they were good! On the way home a man stopped us and said "look my baby." and gestured to his daughter who was probably about 4 or 5 years old. He shook our hands and told his daughter to do the same. She was super cute! I swear it's like we're famous here! ha ha! Seems like a lot of people want to talk to us. Which I don't mind! It's really cool to be able to communicate with the people here. 

We got the chance to go to a traditional Ethiopian house last night! Well, The Fussner's have already been, but it was a first for me! We went to Messeret's house for her young girls' graduation party it was a small mud house. The whole house was smaller than my bedroom at home. Maybe even half the size! it had a small kitchen and bedroom.  One bed, three people. The girls were adorable! Ficarasalaam and her older sister (I can't remember her name) are both beautiful! They are four and five or six years old. 

The food messeret made was so good! I would've eaten so much more, but I had too  take it easy because my stomach has already been a little upset since I've been here. But it was all Ethiopian food with the exception of lasagna. Cabbage and potatoes, green beans and carrots, bread, spring rolls, rice, and some other foods I don't know how to pronounce yet! But all that was homemade! [We had pretty good spread!]

We stayed for a couple of hours and visited with Messy and her girls, neighbors, friends, and family. Most cotuld speak some English, but some couldn't. Most were women but there were some men, but we didn't speak with them. I don't think they could speak English. The lady seemed impressed with the AMHARIC that Heith and Joshua knew.   

They are very pushy when it comes to food! You finisa plate they tell you to get more. No matter how much you eat or say no thank you! Lol! Ficarasalaam spent most of the night in Hheith's laps teaching him new words in Amharic.. And he taught her some English words. Both of Messy's girls caun read and write in English but they can't speak it. But Fica knows what cake is! LOL! [While] waiting for the food, we sat on the bed with the window open and the gate was open as well. Some of the kids passing by stopped to wave and blow kisses to us! It was so funny! They kept coming back too! LOL! When we gave the girls their present of chocolates and we're getting ready to leave, Ficarasalaam came to me and I started talking to her. I said "Ficarasalaam?" And pointed to her. And she started smiling and nodding your head yes. Then I pointed to myself and said "Sarah". She repeated Sarah and her grin grew bigger. She was so cute! She started playing with my hair and seemed like she was just having a ball playing with it! 

There was also a little girl there named Sarah. Heith told her my name with Sarah to and she started just grinning. She came over by me later and I pointed at her and said "Sarah!" Then pointed at myself and said the same. She started smiling and nodding then ran off to play. It was really fun to see and experience so much culture at once! We had homemade coffee and got to watch them cook the beans and everything! I thought it was good! We had chocolate cake.it was good, but since they use real sugar and not a lot it wasn't very sweet. The coffee here is so much better than American coffee! Though it was a small madhouse we said a lot of people and they're pretty comfortably and they had electricity! So that was nice!  

Messy has an oven small enough that she alone can carry it! It was pretty cool! Messy walked us out so we would make it up the slippery uphill climb that was their walkway to the house. It was dark so messy held her held my hand until we reached the stairs at the top. We hugged and said ciao. When we arrived earlier for the party message showed me how to properly greet someone. You take the person's hand and lean in and kiss close to their face three times. But I've seen people say goodbye the same way. Miss you seemed really happy that we came and she just kept thanking us! We had a pretty quiet ride home. We sauce two horses in the middle of the road, the car in front of us barely missed one of them! 
Once we got home and got the boys in bed, Krystal told me that Joshua was scared [and having a hard time going to sleep. He was pretty concerned and Krystal tried to console him.] Krystal prayed with him and he went to sleep.  he was almost crying when he was telling Krystal about it so he was pretty torn up about it. Krystal told me some about some violent things they had seen and that was common but she said that what Joshuah just described wasn't something she expected to see on the side of a busy road. So I don't know but I just hope Joshua can either forget about it or find peace about it through prayer! 
we continued  to talk about how the night had gone and the plans for the rest of the week,  and then we went straight to bed! Today nothing much but cleaning and we will probably try to pack a bit. Messy and her girls are coming to visit on Saturday so I'm excited about that! I get to meet Daniel on Monday he comes to help us move. Daniel is sort of like the fussners interpreter. Well, that's about it! Hopefully within the next week or two I can update my blog!(which I never got to do in Ethiopia! Lol!)

         Simply,
                Sarah

 I apologize for the vagueness of the last story! I decided it best to leave some of that out. But please let this be a reminder to pray for not only the missionaries, but their children! Moving to a new place is hard enough, but when the culture is full of violence and filth, it can affect the MK's in a big way! So please don't forget to pray for missionary kids! 

First visit to Sishu's

I have been staying busy! I haven't gotten around to posting lately! Life is about to become extremely busy, and there will be no apologies from me! I do want to try to stay on schedule as much as possible! Thank you to those that keep me committed! ;) I am going to miss some weeks this summer for sure! Life happens, and I refuse to apologize for living life, rather than sitting on the computer to write a post! I love my blog and I absolutely love that people are interested in reading what I write. I guess what I am trying to say is this: I will not be able to write every week like I did last year! I will try, but no promises! I will try to expound on all that is going on at a later date; but for now, lets get on with today's post! :) Thank you all for your understanding and for keeping up with my blog! :)

07.17.15

    Well, we are beginning to very slowly pack things away to move! Heith and Krystal closed on the house yesterday!

   Oh! And a couple of days ago we went out to eat at a burger place. The name of the restaurant is Sishu, just in case you find yourself in the area and need a good place to eat ;P It was so good! It was pretty cool too, because the tables, booths and even the highchairs were all made out of paper mache! It was pretty cool! The food was great! The ketchup was very different and the coke was too! But it was good! We also went out for ice cream and coffee afterwards, and it was all so good! The coffee, OH MY WORD! I'm hoping to bring some home with me! Which I did! :) Still have some uncooked beans :)

Krystal and I are probably going to be making a lot of curtains soon! Once we figure out what she wants to do with the curtains she has. 

    I've learned a few more words! I understand these may be completely wrong in spelling, and if you have knowledge in the Amharic language, please feel free to correct my errors!

 yik’irita (Yee-kirt-a) is excuse me.

Birr is one of the first words I learned. It is like a dollar to them, but 1 birr equals about two cents in American money. Most things here seem to be pretty cheap, food does anyways. The housing and vehicles on the other hand are quite expensive! $2000 dollars in US money a month is a good price for a nice house!

    Meseret, the Fussner's serantina, is really sweet and good at what she does! I really hope she finds the LORD! She worked for another missionary family before she worked for the Fussners so she has definitely had a Christian influence in her life.  Please continue to pray for her salvation!

    Devotion went well last night! The boys seemed to love it! I read a couple of pages of Charlie Coulson's story. I plan to finish over the couple of weeks but we will see!

    Heith is fixing the light in my room. It stopped working a couple of days ago! Don't know why yet!  I think it was just wacky Ethiopian wiring lol!

    I love going outside with the people here! Lol! Everyone stares and waves at us ferenjis! Some point and yell "Ferenjis!" or "Americano!" Lol! It's pretty rare for white people to live here I guess! They all want to talk to "the white people"! They don't seem to be prejudice as a whole, but we do stand out!

    Krystal is probably going to start school in a couple of weeks so I will be keeping the boys a [lot] more! Which is why I'm here! Well, I'll write more later!

    ~Sarah ;P

P.S. I walked down the street today with Joshuah to get Coke & Sprite at the sukes. [One man spoke to me saying] "You! How you do today?" I smiled and said "good". He seemed pretty happy to communicate with a ferenji! lol

Another group of guys passed us and one [proclaimed] "You look just like my sister! I love you! I love you so much!" Haha! I just laughed and kept walking as did they, but it was pretty funny! I also remember his buddies all elbowing him and laughing. I thought they were going to trip they were laughing so much! Joshuah and I laughed the rest of the way there and back! lol! Heith enjoyed this story, and I have heard him repeat it or he would have me tell it many times! lol! I really like it here!

The wonderful Sishu burger!

        Simply,

              Sarah 

Fussner's New Bate (House)

07.13.15

    The Fussners have a found a house! It is beautiful! They are hoping to move in as soon as the contract with this house is done, which is in 4-5 weeks! It is just completely perfect for all their needs! So praise the Lord for that! So, there you have it! My excuse for not writing was we had been busy looking at houses, and cleaning!
    I really love it here! So far I haven't missed any items or possessions from the states! Of course, I miss the people back home, but I cannot yet say I am homesick! 
    Krystal cracks me up! We just finished getting rid of all the mosquitoes we could possibly find in the boys room and also my own! It was quite hilarious to watch her! I told her I will eventually catch it on camera! Lol! Unfortunately, I never did! :(
    Heith has had quite a bit of building to do since he's been here it seems. He built my bedframe, his own iron bed, (Which was beautiful by the way!) and a wooden ladder. He also had time to make a wooden gun for the boys! LOL! 
    Since I have been here, Heith has been pretty busy with [language] school. I've been trying to pick up on the language a bit so I know how to say a few words. Not spell though!
"Wooha" ውሃ means water. 
"Ciao" means goodbye. 
"Sa-lam-no" =Hello
Still trying learn all that!
    The Fussners have a "ser-en-tiña" to help around the house, but she is also a friend to Krystal :). her name is Meseret. She is lost and she has two young girls. please pray for Meseret's salvation
    The Fussner's are hoping to start a Bible study once they get settled in their new home. Heith also assigned Thursday night devotions to me! So I'm going to have to think and pray about that!
    Well, I'm falling asleep while writing so I [will] write more later!

    Simply,
         Sarah

Arrival

This week I'm going to do this a bit different! I'm going to add a bit of commentary to the journal entrée. Let me know if you enjoy this or if it throws you off!

07.09.15

 

    Well, I had some serious jet-lag yesterday! To the point I was literally falling asleep standing up! But I made it!  The flight was long, but good! I watched TV, finished a book, played some short games on my kindle, [and] slept very little! I got up one time the entire thirteen hours I was on that plane! But I think I timed it just right because I didn't feel swollen at all. I beside a couple that were on their way to Uganda with a [church] group to help missionaries.  From the way they talked about it they often went to help missionaries around the world! Which was cool. I don't know if they were Christians but they definitely seemed to have good intentions! (I did talk with them a bit about their church and the work they were doing. I believe they were from a non-denominational church.)

Once I got to Addis Abba (which is where the Fussners live), I had found a lady to show me where luggage was located, then I found a man to keep pointing me a little farther, then another lady came to me and showed me which line to be in to get my luggage! LOL! Once I got in line, I met a man who said he was from Memphis! I think we both kinda were a little excited to know we were both from TN! But we made small talk until he went to the desk to get his passport checked out as we all had to do. 

    I went to get my luggage, [and] of course, being a little white girl, I stick out anyway! I obviously stuck out trying to continuously find the luggage! I got a lot of help and finally made it to baggage claim! I paid a guy WAY too much to help me, but he kept asking for more even after I gave him [a whopping] $25 [in] American cash! Haha! Stupid move on my part! But he did help me a lot! In my defense, I was tired, and really didn't care! I was just ready to get out of there to see the Fussners! but I finally put my foot down, and said no more! To which he thanked me and quickly went away! Probably afraid I would realize what a fool I was and try to take some of it back! Whatever! At least I know now! I hope he uses it wisely! LOL! Oh well!

    I made it out (with the rest of my money lol)  to Heith and we hugged. I'm really sentimental when I'm jetlagged right? lol Then we were on our way! I learned within the first few minutes of being here, they are all very willing to help you, for a price! Lol! Well we made our way to the house in the "mecina" (car) and heith showed me through town a bit and taught me a few words in Amharic. Ethiopia is definitely a very different place, but as of day two, I would way rather live here than in Washington DC! I was tired of it after just one day!

    Yesterday was pretty much a blur to me! I stayed awake for [probably] 29 hours [give or take a few]! Taking tiny naps on the plane that were maybe 2 hours together! So last night I slept for about ten to twelve hours! Call me lazy, but I felt great today! Well, I will write more tomorrow about what all went on today because it is midnight and I'm still getting over a tiny bit of jetlag!  (and... I don't write for another four days... but I had good reason! I'll save that for next week though ;) )

Ethiopia bound

    I must apologize for the lateness of this week's post! My excuse is a bit of a measly one; I was cleaning house for a game night with friends! (which was fun btw!) so sorry, not sorry! :) life comes first y'all!

    Between the last entry and this one, a big change had already happened in my heart! At youth camp on Thursday night, I got assurance of my salvation, and took a step in straightening out my strained relationship with the Lord. Thank God for His forgiveness and mercy when I failed and doubted Him time after time through the years!

Also, I stayed in Washington for one day and one night with my mom, which was really nice to have that extra bit of time together to sight see a little bit and just spend some quality time together. Though we didn't get a chance to see much of anything, we enjoyed the last bit of time we had before I headed to Ethiopia.

I will try to keep this short, but I hope you enjoy this entree!

07.08.15

    I am on the plane headed towards Ethiopia! I'm still not sure what to expect! But I think if I can get all of my luggage then I'll be fine! I had to check even my carry-on because it was too heavy! So I'm really hoping it all makes it there! If not, I have no clothes except the ones on my back! 

    As I've been sitting here looking out my window [I've been] think[ing], "Why did God place all of this up here where we wouldn't see it for centuries?" I think God likes to see us discover His creation one piece at a time, and He will continue to let us discover the beautiful pieces of His creation until He is ready for us to see it all at once! Now that will be a day! 
    Well, I'm going to try to sleep, beings that once I get there it will be about 7am [10pm our time!]

Simply,
    Sarah

Ethiopian Journey Begins

Here is the first of hopefully many more Ethiopian journal entrees I plan to post. I immensely enjoyed my time there and don't mind reliving a bit of it with you guys! That is, if you all enjoy this particular post! Please let me know what you think and if you'd like more! If I don't get any complaints I am going to continue sharing them! There may be some entries and bits I leave out, simply because some things are better left private. I don't know about you guys, but as I reread some entries on my own, I began to see a difference in how I viewed things and how my whole outlook on life began to change. It's kind of neat for me expecally, knowing what was going through my head and what I was struggling with through that time in my life. I hope you enjoy reliving this journey with me!

06.14.15

I haven't even left yet and the Lord has already started to teach me things through this trip to Ethiopia! I am still learning, but I am trying to learn patience! And to control my stress level! A lot goes into a 3 month long trip like this! I am super excited to get there and be a blessing to the Fussners. I know Krystal is ready for me to get there as well! Lol! She has texted me almost every single day trying to make sure everything is on track! I will be honest, it can annoying at times, being that I'm extremely busy with Izzy, VBS, youth camp, and even Rae (Izzys sister) through VBS week! So much going on and going through my head these past few months. I just hope to set them all aside this week at youth camp so the Lord can truly speak to my heart and prepare me for my trip. I haven't had a great relationship with Him as of late, but I truly hope and pray that can change through this week and my trip. 

Simply,

     Sarah