home again!

well i only slept two of the fourteen hour flight (not surprised, too excited), so i apologize if this post is a bit out of sorts. right now i am running on fig bars and pure joy!!!!!!!!! 

our plane arrived in Addis Ababa this morning at 7:30. ive never been more giddy to hug my Ethiopian friends who waited for us at the airport. their happiness is so contageous. my team took two (small, crowded) busses to the Ordinary Hero Life Center where we met up with the rest of the OH staff. it is SO GOOD to be with this group of people! they are so encouraging and uplifting! and can i just say that this team is AWESOME?! i have already made new friendships and many more to come this week! plus, there are several adopting families staying here and so many cute little Ethiopian babies around every corner in this house YAY! 

after unpacking a bit, we attended the worship part of an Ethiopian International church service and WOW is all i can say to that! the lyrics "yes Lord, yes Lord, yes! yes! yes!" are still running through my mind...the worship leader asked the congergation to sing those words aloud, saying YES to EVERY part of our lives. giving it ALL to our heavenly Father. 

i think that's the beauty of being in missions- you're really leaping out on faith alone and giving your all, saying "yes Lord, yes yes yes!" 

after church we visited the Hope for the Hopeless original drop-in center, where we passed out clothes, bed sheets and blankets to the precious fifteen street kids who live there. the living conditions are so crowded and limited, but far better than living on the streeets. one girl (the only girl in fact) shared her story of living on the streets for a year after her father died and her mother became extremely ill. this fifteen year old's heart is so big and her story so impacting, i sat there on her bed, inside her cramped room in awe of her spirit. we went outside to take a picture and IT IS SEVENTY DEGREES out there with FULL SUNSHINE all day long!! another blessing!

we then drove back to the Life Center sat in a circle and shared a bit about ourselves with the team. of course, i cried as i exclaimed my passion for this place and how God has placed this on my heart. how being back here floods me with the Holy Spirit. how every part of this place reminds me of how we arr to be the hands and feet of God. 

i am finding another blessing in knowing that there are many others here with me who share in this same passion. 

well i am off to sleep....i can garuntee that not even the shouting muslims and the barking dogs will wake this girl up in the morning!! 

to love Africa like my mom did

lately i've been missing my mom, words can hardly say how much. i miss her smile, her spunk, her voice. some days i only want to talk with her- she understood me on a level only a mother could. 

last night i had a dream, and like most of my dreams, this one was so vivid. i was in Africa, surrounded by hundreds of beautiful, brown children, all wanting to hold my hand and braid my hair. their eyes were so bright and smiles contageous. in this dream, i had to catch my breath when i realized that, kneeling on the ground right next to me, was my mom. she was holding a baby and laughing with pure joy as she held her hand out to the other kids around us. she glanced at me, smiling, saying nothing. but she didnt have to- there was a look in her eyes, the same look she would have when talking about Ethiopia. 

this dream was given to me by God. 

and it sparked memories of my mother and how she loved Africa. how she loved the culture and language, how she adored caring for the children in the orphanages, how adoption was laid on her heart. 

my mom and i shared the same passion for Africa. and i cant help but believe that she is a huge reason why i am pursuing missions. 

and i am thankful and humbled, that the Lord would place this desire in me to love Africa like my mother did. 

another door is opened wide!

i am counting down the days until i return to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia....leaving two days after Christmas. i literally cannot express how excited i am to be going back. it's like i've been here, in my own hometown, waiting to go home. the fire inside me that's been burning since i was in Africa is only getting brighter. it's brighter than ever. the Holy Spirit has been moving my heart so much- it's crazy to think- i'm moving in a direction i never dreamed possible!!! 

i'm thrilled to tell you all that after i get back from the Ordinary Hero mission trip this December/January, i will be returning to Africa in 2014 to Jinja, Uganda!

a few weeks ago, i met the founder and director of HEAL Ministries. she and i chatted about the ways the Lord has been using this ministry to better the community in Jinja, and just hearing about this organization blew me away. HEAL is very involved with the younger generation, and is focused on equipping them and their families with education, work ethic and the TRUTH- that each one is precious in the sight of our Father and has a unique purpose in His kingdom! 

for three months, i will be living on HEAL's compound, called James' Place (James 1:27). i will be teaching, leading Bible studies and devotionals, and helping out with an every Saturday VBS for 200+  kids! i also get the opportunity to volunteer at several, near by children's homes and Amani Baby Cottage- where i'll basically get to hold babies all day (ummmm yes please!). 

needless to say, i will not have any trouble sleeping at night in Uganda! my days will be so full, and this makes me SO HAPPY!

i believe that this internship is a door that my heavenly Father has opened for me. and i am willing and wanting to take this leap of faith all for His glory!

my heart is tied to Ethiopia still, but the more i talk to God about this, the more i am convicted that it's not just Ethiopia....all of Africa is on my heart! 

{all pictures above are from HEAL Ministries' blog}

dinner, anyone?

today our driver and translator took us to purchase sheep in Addis. it is very different from going to the grocery store and buying a package of meat.....

the pictures say it all. the shepards loaded the sheep onto the top of our bus and we road it up the mountain to H4H. i am somewhat surprised that after hitting all the bumps and potholes in the road, a sheep didnt bust through the top of the bus and land in our laps. 

dinner, anyone? 

the same God

our team joined the worship part of an English Ethiopian church servive. can i just say WOW!?! i was so moved as we started singing.....the Holy Spirit was so present in this place. there were hundreds of people, black and white, all lifting their voices to the heavens. i think it is mind blowing that even though we live on opposite sides of the globe, we all serve the same God. what's more amazing is that He loves and adores us all equally. how great is our God?!!! 

heavy burdens

 as our team drove down Entonto Mountain today, we saw many Addis burros carrying huge loads of firewood and branches on their backs. it's just as normal to see women doing the exact same thing. some of their loads weigh over 70 pounds. this is how they survive - carrying and selling firewood to earn money to feed their families. our team met a 6 month pregnant woman carrying an 80 pound load from the top of the mountain to the village where she lives. we took the burden off her back and loaded it onto the top of our bus. then we gave her new shoes and clothes. she smiled the whole time - thanking us and Jesus. it's incredible to witness how some of these people live. their burdens are heavy and yet they have so much joy.

 

IAG visit

the team visited orphans today. i swear, i could spend all day in this orphanage just playing with these babies. this visit was an emotional, joyful one....and praise Jesus, we were told that ALL of the precious little ones (in the room i was in) have their forever families!!

a faith like his & an unexpected adventure

our team had the honor of having Bisrat (Bissy) with us during our time here in Ethiopia. he is an amazing disciple of God, and shared his testimony and love for Christ. Bissy grew up in the monestary, when he broke away from their false teachings, he was thrown into prison. after his release, he lived in the Korah trash dump community and later started the church in Korah. he partners with Ordinary Hero now and is the biggest help to the people of Korah. his life is an example of how God makes beauty from ashes. i love the picture below - this was taken when our bus blew a tire in the city. our bus was just sitting there, in the middle of the street, cars honking at us and everyone started freaking out. Bissy pulls out his Bible and starts reading. can we all have a faith like his?

the girls on the team stood at the side of the road (in the rain drizzle) while the guys worked on replacing the tire. all we could do was laugh and soak in every minute of our unexpected adventure. Asfaw wrapped me up in his hoodie and started taking pictures....

i really love how daily interruptions turn into precious memories....learning to appreciate every single moment here! 

happy shock

today we gave away Addis donkeys to several families living in Korah. one donkey provides help with manual labor (hauling firewood, water, etc) for the people's survival. i wouldve never thought that one donkey could help as much as it does here in Korah. the families were so very excited to recieve these gifts. it was like experiencing Christmas in July! 

as i handed the rope (tied to one donkey's neck) to a hand, i realized with a happy shock that the woman i was giving the donkey to was the same woman i visited yesterday during our home visits in Korah... so good to see Ababa (flower) again!