Did We Mention This is the Rainy Season?!

Don’t let the title mislead you…this has been a wonderful week, but it sure has been a wet one!  We’ve never been to Ethiopia this late into the rainy season, and we had no idea how much rain they truly get.  We get heavy rain every day  and have had four hail storms in the past few weeks.  The ground can’t dry out with this much rain, and the mud stays pretty constant in most areas.  It has made for some interesting adventures this week.

First, we were so thankful to have Larry’s mom, Linda, here with us for the past nine days.  It was such a wonderful encouragement for us and the boys, and we loved getting to share our time here with her.  She was able to meet all the friends we’ve talked about over the past four years, and we were so excited to introduce her to everyone.  With Mimi here, Larry and I were able to do a little bit of ministry together on our own while the boys were home in good hands.  We love learning how to be a family on the mission field, but we were also so thankful for some time to work together just as a couple.

Sunday we worshiped with the Bantu church, and Larry shared a message about God’s power as we step out in faith to begin a task He has called us to.  It was a wonderful message that included brief summaries of the Israelites at the Red Sea, Jesus healing the 10 lepers, and Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.  The congregation seemed so encouraged by it, and worship that morning was really powerful.

Monday morning we headed out to Abebee to distribute 1000 Meals 4 Multitudes to the children in the Abebee school.  We made it about halfway and had to stop because of the mud.  The road to Abebee is poor…you have to cross two rivers, but the main problem is a large gully that has become a complete mud pit about two feet deep.   From there, we took a gaarii (horse cart) the rest of the way to the school.  We had an incredible morning packing and distributing the meals to school children.  It was a great ministry for us as a family because even Matthew could help fill bags.  We pray that the meals will be a blessing to these families as they wait for the next harvest, but mostly we pray that this ministry will open doors for the Abebee church in the community.  I’ll post pics if the Internet will hold out.

Linda and I got to meet with the Bantu women’s program again Monday evening for worship and biblical storytelling.  Linda was able to share her faith story using a Bible story, and it was just such a great example as to why it’s so important to share these stories in the community.  When an unbeliever hears a Bible story and then hears how that story is mirrored in the believer’s life, they have the opportunity to see how the Gospel redeems each of us.  Our hope is that if they see how Christ has redeemed others, they will begin to believe that He can redeem them as well.  This Monday we worked on learning the story of the Samaritan woman at the well.

Tuesday was a Sabbath day for us while Larry did some work at the Bantu church construction site.  The majority of Wednesday was spent purchasing new materials for the construction, and we spent most of Thursday getting a flat tire fixed.  When you live 2 hours from the nearest tire shop and are constantly driving on rocky roads, a good spare is a necessity and getting it repaired takes all day.  We have learned to accept that some days will be like this.  We are currently at a total of 6 flat tires and 8 times the car wouldn’t start.  But it has always worked out.  God is good and my husband is pretty awesome.

Friday the final trusses were raised on the Bantu church.  The workers are finishing the end walls and the support poles and tin roof will go on this next week!  Everyone is so excited to get the roof on and to start laying the rock for the floor. 

Yesterday we went out to Abebee for Sunday morning worship.  We have made a couple of adventurous treks to Abebee, but this one definitely topped the list.  Because of the rain, we went the entire way by gaarii.  There was just no way the car could make it, and there were several places we had to walk as the horse crossed a bad part on its own.  By the time we made it back to Bantu, we counted 22 times we either got into or out of the horse cart.  It was a 3 hour round trip and a muddy mess, but it was so good to be able to worship with our sister church in Abebee. 

After the Abebee trip, we ate a quick lunch and headed up into the mountains to one of the most beautiful places on earth.  Our destination was a village called Bottonee, where we shared about 700 Meals 4 Multitudes.  Bottonee is one of the hardest hit villages while people wait for this next harvest to come in.  After Bottonee, we had the privilege of visiting Berhanu and Shewa in their home for a traditional Ethiopian meal and coffee ceremony.  They were such gracious hosts, and we loved spending time with them.  Sunday was a wonderful day, but also very exhausting.  By the end of the day, we’d crossed 10 rivers.  We were so physically tired that both Matthew and Josh fell asleep during dinner.  Though we were tired, we are very thankful for the opportunity to make the most of the time we have left here.

Thank you so much for keeping us in your prayers.  We have only three weeks left, and we are praying that God uses us in every way He has planned before we return home.