Searching for a Place to Belong

Sunday, January 8, 2012

I have been out of internet contact the last day and a half, so I just keep getting further and further behind on my updates.

On my last update I forgot to talk about the bucket bath. The water here has not been working right; it started a few weeks before I got here. That has made things pretty interesting. I really don't mind it at all. It does make things a little more complicated, but I feel like it gives me a more realistic view of life here. I am glad that things are somewhat challenging so that I get the real missionary experience, not a watered down version of it. I have been brushing my teeth and washing my hands with cups of water. We haul water upstairs to fill the tanks in the toilet for flushing. On the first day here, after the day and a half of flying, I felt pretty dirty. I got to take a bucket bath. We boiled a couple of kettles of water, mixed it with some cold water and I used that to wash my hair and body off. It was FREEZING!!!! Anyone who knows me knows that I do not like to be cold. I think I mentioned in my last update that though it gets warm outside each day the nights are cool and the house stays really cold because it does not get hot enough to warm the concrete. I know Larry would love it. I could go out and get warm and he could stay in the cold house. I had a pretty good attitude about the bucket bath, but it was not my favorite. I opted out of taking a bucket bath for the next couple days. I just put in extra deodorant and put my hair in a pony tail. I understand that is just kind of how it goes here.

The second day I was here, my first full day, we got up and had a pretty laid back day. We had planned to go early to the Shannons house and look at the project they run, Embracing Hope Ethiopia, but ended up hanging around the house due to some other things that needed to be taken care of. The way things go, plans are pretty loose around here. Nothing ever really goes as planned or in the timing planned. I did wake up at my usual time about 430. I guess that is really where I left off the last one. I got to read a bit and journal and just relax. That must have been what God knew that I needed. After all the other stuff was taken care of we headed off to the Shannons'. I got to meet Christy first and just as I knew I would totally loved her. We got to visit a bit. After a little bit of visiting, we headed back out to come home. I got to drive by the project and see it in passing. My heart just felt so drawn to it. I was so sad that we could not stop. I really felt such a connection to that part of town. There is a visible change as you head to the part of town where Embracing Hope is. It is in the Korah village which is connected to the land fill. You can see the poverty in the buildings and in the way the people dress. I felt such a draw toward the people. I could not wait til the next day when we could go back and spend some real time at the project.

Levi and I left about 830 am the next morning so I could be dropped off to spend the day at EHE (Embracing Hope Ethiopia). I had packed up the photo printer prepared to take pictures of the kids so we could print them and give them to the mom. On the way over, I realized that I did not have the picture paper to print the pictures on because it was in my suitcases. That morning was the first morning that I was really kind of bothered by the fact the I didn't have my suitcases.

I have to end here b/c the battery is about to die on the computer and everyone has gone to bed. I will pick up more tomorrow.

Friday, January 6, 2012

This one is probably going to be short b/c I have had a long eventful day and I am tired. But I don't want to get too far behind. I want to get through the travel stuff so I can get to the fun stuff.

So I got on the plane from London to Addis Ababa. I had a window seat with someone sitting beside me, so it wasn't nearly as comfortable as the flight to London was. I read for a bit, then fell asleep. Walking around London had been pretty exhausting. I woke up not too long after take off. The guy beside me was really nice. We struck up a conversation about our huge carry on fees. As it turned out he was a Economics professor. We chatted about politics and economics, most of which I did not understand. I wanted to be polite and let him talk though so I nodded and listened. He had been born in Ethiopia and was traveling back to visit. He had been in the US for 36 years. At some point during the flight he got up to go to the bathroom and I jumped up to grab something out of my backpack. I lifted the arm rest up to get up quickly before he came back. I forgot to put it back down. When I fell back asleep and he did too, he ended up all sprawled out on my side in my space. Because the arm rest wasn't down he was seriously in my space. I couldn't, however, put the arm rest down without being rude. So I dozed in and out and reminded myself about how many people warned me that people in Ethiopia do not have personal space or respect for it. I figured this was a good time to start getting used to it and and to be reminded that life wasn't all about me. I did not sleep so well during this leg of the journey.

We arrived in Addis and I was so glad to finally be here. It was definitely a long journey. I had to wait in a really long line to get my visa after waiting a very long time in the wrong line. Then I went get my luggage. My carry on which I had been forced to check came out, but unfortunately after seeing the same box of oil go past me on the luggage belt I realized that the other bags did not make it with me. I had known that there was a chance that the bags wouldn't have made it on the plane. I went to find Levi and figure out where I needed to file a claim. My carry on and back pack had to go through a security check point xray machine. The man tried to get me to pay a bribe to get my photo printer in, but I played dumb and acted like I didn't understand what he was trying to say to me. He finally got annoyed and gave up on me. I got my bags and found Levi. We found out I had to go back into the main arrival gate to file a claim. At the claim site I filed a claim and found out that my bags were still in Dallas. Wow!!!! She assured me that they would go on the next plane to Addis Ababa once she entered the claim and should be here by the next day. I didn't get them until I had been here for 3 days. I was pretty tired but super excited about finally being in Ethiopia. The first few minutes of talking the Jessie and Levi were slightly awkward, but after about 15 minutes we were like old friends. I really love these guys. I feel so comfortable in their house and with them. It's like we have been friends for a lifetime. I knew that the best way to settle into this time zone was to stay awake all day and go to sleep at bed time. I really wanted to do that b/c I didn't want to miss any time here. I wanted to get into the groove and be able to hit the ground running. I fought fiercely to stay awake. There were many times I got myself dozing off sitting straight up. I went to the big market with Jesse; that was neat. I went to the grocery store. We ate a delicious dinner cooked by the cook that prepares food for them. I kept dozing off, but I would get up and walk around when I realized that I had fallen asleep. I was determined to make the transition in one day and not lose any time. Finally at 745 my eyes were starting to cross even standing up and Jessie said she thought it was late enough. I went upstairs and realized that I did not have my super comfy pj's and my security thermal shirt and was sad. Jessie lent me some clothes to sleep in. The house is like a meat locker; seriously. The sun doesn't really hit the house right to warm it and it is all concrete, so it is super cold. I wasn't really expecting that. I put in my ear plugs and fell deep asleep. I woke up at my normal 430 am which I was excited about. It is my favorite time of the day and gave me quiet time to pray and prepare for the day before anyone else was awake. I did my Pilates and went down stairs for coffee and quiet time. I have to say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE Ethiopian coffee. We drink it in a french press at the Benkerts and it is so delicious. It is the best coffee I have ever drunk. I will be bringing a bunch home. I do not like Starbucks Ethiopia Sidamo at all so I wasn't sure how I would feel about it. I love it. I don't want to drink anything else. It has the best flavor and undertone. It is amazing. Oh and milk comes in a bag here. Weird. More tomorrow. I promise tomorrow we will get into the really interesting stuff.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

The Flight

Okay here is the update about the trip over. I got to the airport pretty early and made it through security without too much trouble. My glitter and my printer showed up on the xray machines as a problem, so I got to have the security person go through my bag. I was nervous about the bags, what would be a problem or whether my big backpack would be a problem.

I had a good time sitting, reading, working on the hand quilt that I brought to start on this trip. It was nice to not have any real responsibilities or people to tend to. The first complication happened right off the bat. The flight was supposed to leave at 5:25 pm. At 5 they told us that they were waiting to hear from the crew, but that there was going to be a slight delay. At 5:15 they informed us that the pilot had called in sick and they were waiting for the pilot that was going to take his place was tied up in Houston due to weather. The flight was delayed for 2 hours which would effect anyone with a connecting flight in Washington, so we were told to line up so we could try and get things worked out to get to where we were going. While in line the Flight was cancelled. I was a little stressed because I have never traveled internationally like this, so I didn't know what I was supposed to do. I was reminded that the world is not about me and that God is in control. That being the case I saw no reason to get upset. Others around me were getting upset, but I didn't see that it would help the situation at all to get upset or be rude. I just started praying that He would help me stay calm, not be rude and to work things out. As it turned out, everyone was instructed to go to the ticket counter to rebook, except those who were going to London or Boston. That was grace number one. Three of us were going to London. We were rebooked onto an American Airlines flight direct to London. We didn't even have to go to Washington DC. The Flight attendant told me that the flight left in 30 minutes, so I had to literally run to get to the sky tram to the other gate. Also, she told me she wasn't sure that they would be able to get my bags onto the plane before I left. The other option was to leave the next day which totally changed flights, arrival times, etc. I decided I could run and that I would chance the suitcases. When I got to the gate, the Flight Attendant put me in the back row with an empty seat next to me, that would be grace number 2. That was great; I slept like a baby in the plane on the way from DFW to London.

I arrived in London super excited to be there. I left the airport, took the Express train into the city and took off walking. Well, first I checked my rolling suitcase into a storage place; the guy at the storage place gave me a map. I really just wondered around the city. I really had no idea where I was going, but I was really content to be just wondering. It was quiet, there was no pressure to have to be anywhere or worry about where anyone else wanted to go or what they wanted to do. I really enjoyed the quiet, aimless wondering. I found a street with artist exhibiting and selling art. I really like some of the art. I bought a picture that was small enough to put in my backpack. I loved a bunch that I wanted to buy, but I just couldn't get them into me bag. I got the contact of both of the artist who had art that I really loved. Both of them said they could ship to me. The artist I bought from was really sweet and really grateful that I bought one of his pictures. He told me that 2011 had been a really hard year for him and that I had made his day and his year on the last day of the year because I bought a piece of his art. That made buying the picture even better. I bought the picture b/c I really liked it, he negotiated a good price with me, and as an artist I know that I put my heart and my soul into the things that I make just hoping that what I put into it touches someone else. Having someone love something I made and buy it from me really means a lot and makes my day as well. It just made it doubly wonderful that it meant so much to me. I also enjoyed visiting with the two artist for a little while. Here is the web site for one of the artists www.richardpriceart.co.uk

. This is the one I couldn't buy from b/c his pieces were too big. I really wanted a couple of them and hope to be able to purchase from him when I get back.

I found a park and decided to sit down and write about what had happened so far in my journey. At the park a squirrel came up literally a foot from me. I will post pictures of that later. I wondered around some more, but I had worn the wrong shoes. My feet were beginning to hurt really bad. My back was hurting b/c my back pack was ridiculously full causing it to be ridiculously heavy. Once it started to rain on me I decided to call it a day. I had brought a rain poncho, but had left it in the bag I stored rather than having it in my backpack. Yay me!!!! I found some stuff to buy for the kids from London and headed back to the train station. By that point I was exhausted and my back and feet were killing me. I thought it was silly that I had not seen any real tourist spots nor taken a tour. I did enjoy being able to just wonder around pressureless. I had to pay to go to the bathroom at Paddington station. I thought that was pretty silly. I asked a lady to help me with which coins to insert and she said it was on her and paid for me to enter the bathroom. At that point I picked up my bag and headed for the train.

I got back to the airport with lots of time to spare and hung out waiting for the plane. Challenge number two came when the gate finally open for boarding. There I found out that our carry ons could only be 7 kilos. I had been totally unaware of this restriction. I would have definitely packed differently had I known that. I packed my carry ons pretty heavy so that my checked bags would be under weight. The checked bags ended up having like 15 pounds to spare. So when they weighed my bags to be 21 kilos and said the charge was 100 pounds or $200 dollars my heart was not so happy. What could I do, though. Either I pay the fee and check my other carry on or leave my bag (with my clothes, printer, some of my craft supplies and a lot of other stuff) in London. I had prayed an hour earlier for God to give me grace and help me be kind, and to behave in a way the honored Him and dignified the people that I encountered. I prayed that b/c I knew I was exhausted, my feet and back were hurting and I know it can be challenging to be kind and Christlike when in that state of mind. Standing in front of the airline guy who was telling me that I had to give him $200 for my bag, I was really grateful that the Holy Spirit had inspired and stirred me to pray that prayer. I heard a lot of people get really angry and mistreat the airline guy. I didn't want to be one of those people. It was a very large chunk of my mission trip money to cough up. I spoke silently to God telling Him that this was all His money anyway and that the bags were full b/c of all the art supplies and things for my missionary friends that my other bags contained. I told Him that all those art supplies and what I was going to be able to do with them was worth more than $200. In the end I was able to keep my cool and be at peace. God provided all the money for my trip and He knew what I needed to be able to pay my way in Ethiopia for two weeks and even knew that this money was going to be required of me even when I did not. I just had to see the $200 as a gift to the Lord which came from being able to bring art supplies and love on kids. He will provide and take care of me while I am here. I was able to pay the guy, tell him that I was really sorry that he was being mistreated by so many people and to have a great day. All and all God was able to help me take it all in stride, and not act un Christlike.

I will take up the flight from London to Addis Ababa later. I am out of time and there is stuff to talk about on that flight.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Thoughts on travel

This post was technically brewing in my brain before I left, but I did not find the time to write the post before I left. As I woke up Saturday morning, knowing I was leaving to go to Ethiopia that day, I took some time to get really quiet and still, so I could pray and listen. I really wanted to be able to be prepared for the trip. I wanted to be open to whatever God wanted to do in or through me on the way over. I had such an overwhelming sense of God's presence and His peace as I sat quietly. I felt so surrounded and overwhelmed by Him. What I really felt Him impressing on my heart and stirring me to pray about was really, really being present and engaged in everything around me as I traveled. Sometime I can be so distracted by my mind which always seems to be going a million miles an hour. Sometimes I miss what is really going on around me b/c I am so in my head planning or thinking or processing. I am where I am, but just not fully aware of everything that my senses could be taking in. I felt like I needed to be very intentional on the plane, in the airport, and all along the trip to take in what was going one around me.

What did I see with my eyes? Not just this is an airport, but what are the details my eyes see in the airport?

What do I smell?

What do I hear?

I wanted to notice the people around me, what did they look like? What were they doing? What were they saying? Did God have anything to say about them? Did He want me to engage them?

How did I feel? What was going on in my mind? In my emotions?

I just felt like I really needed to take in what was going on around me. God gave me senses to experience the world around me? My senses are to stir my affections for Him and tell me about what is going on that I can see and maybe sometimes what I can't see. It can be so easy to take the fact that my five senses work, because they do work so well. It would be very sad to not truly appreciate my senses until one of them is gone. I had a sense that He did not want me to be so wrapped up in getting to the destination (getting to Ethiopia), that I missed the adventure and experience of the journey. I guess that has kind of been the theme He has been recently speaking to me about life over and over. I have, in the past, been so focused on the end destination of so many times that I missed all that I could have gotten on the journey. I finally understand that the journey is as important as the destination. Yes, where God is taking us is important, but He is also working in us along the way. He wants for me to get so much more as we go than I usually get due to not really understanding the importance of the path that gets me to where I am going.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Five Minute Friday: Open

What an amazing and timely prompt for me.

As I go into this new year pondering what the Lord has for me this is the feeling I have. I am beginning this new year with a 17 day trip to Ethiopia to serve. I am open to whatever God wants to do and excited for Him to work in me and through me. I don't know what to expect, but I am open. I have been open by saying yes to join in the adventure. I have said yes to leaving me comfort, my rhythm, my safety and diving into something new and big and scary.

I also feel like the last few months have been challenging to me. I have been a little off and a little different. Maybe it's been a little dark even. Now I realize I have been in a cacoon. I have been preparing for the next phase of my journey. I have felt the cocoon opening the last few weeks. I feel like i am emerging as a butterfly. There are so many amazing things stirring in me. I am taking some art classes. I am starting to dance one again. I am beginning to take all the really great techniques that i have been learning and merge them into new and interesting expressions of beauty and goodness. I feel filled with excitement, anticipation, joy, vision, and direction.

My wings are spreading. I am open to the new the God wants to do. I am open to where He wants to lead me, challenge me, and ask me to go. I see so much light as the cocoon is breaking open and the arts begin once again to flow out of me like a river.

Lord, I want to be open to all that you are and all that you want to do. Free me from fear and the desire for safety. Help me to say yes, live dangerously and wonder at how small I would make my life compared to how big a life you have in mind for me.

At the top is some of the Art coming out of the cocoon.

Putting away lying

I flipped open my bible to Ephesians and began to read. It always amazes me that I can choose what I think is a random passage to read and God will illuminate and speak so clearly to me. I know it shouldn't surprise me by now, but it still evokes a sense of awe in me. As I read I came to Ephesians 4:25 " Therefore putting away lying, "Let each of you speak truth with his neighbor," for we are members of one another. It really struck me so I stopped and began to ponder.

I have read this book of the Bible a thousand times, and have read this verse over and over, but two things struck me about it. Every other time I have read this verse I have really concentrated on the not lying to one another part. I really make every effort to tell the truth and not shade it or lie. When I realize that I have misrepresented something I am pretty quick to go back, admit what I have done and ask for forgiveness. My children used to really make fun of the fact that mom wouldn't even tell a white lie. I have gotten the attitude at times from people that this is a fault my refusal to tell any type of lie. I feel like it is what God wants me to do. I find sometimes that b/c I am so careful to tell the truth I also generally assume that people are sincerely telling me the truth. Then I am really surprised and hurt when I find out someone has lied to me.

Anyway, enough about that. What I had never really pondered was the last half of the verse. For we are members of one another. I know that the body of Christ is considered members of one another, but I didn't read don't lie to fellow believers b/c we are members of one another, it read don't lie to your neighbor. So I went on a search to see if anyone else had the same thought process that I had. Was this verse saying that we are all in fact members of one another?

I found a lot of reverences to the Body of Christ, but I did also find those that pointed to all of humanity being members of one another. We are, as humans, part of the same race of created beings. We all came from the same original set of parents: Adam and Eve. What we do and say to one another effects us all. So how does that effect how we should interact with everyone. We are told not to lie to anyone. Do we misrepresent? Do we exaggerate? Do we take advantage of people's trust? Do we excuse not being completely honest and transparent in our dealings with people outside of the church, justifying that they are not a part of the family of God? But aren't they they family of God? Isn't every human being created in the image of God? Whether they choose to glorify Him or not, each and every person is an image bearer. Is there ever a reason to deceive anyone? What if we made a point to be totally truthful at all time not matter the cost?

Then Romans 13:10 came to my mind. "Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." Deceiving anyone is harming them. If we are out for the good of everyone else, even over ourselves we have no need to lie or harm.

This lead me to the following list of verses about how to treat people:

Galatians 6:10

¹⁰ So then, ^(A)as we have opportunity, let us ^(B)do good to everyone, and especially to those who are ^(C)of the household of faith.