Derek went on the trip to our care point wondering if he'd be bored while in Ethiopia. He wasn't. here's his blog post:
What I took away from the mission trip…
When people ask me how my trip to Ethiopia was, I
give them a very general “It was really good. It was eye opening and life
changing.” While this statement is true, it just scratches the surface of how I
really feel inside about my trip. I hope you don’t have lunch plans cause this
could take a while. Just kidding…
The weeks
leading up to this trip I was really getting excited and ready to go but deep
down inside the devil was working on me I think. I had this feeling that I was
going to get there and not want to be. Was I wrong? Finally getting to
Kombolcha after 15 hours of plane travel one day and 8 hours riding in a
sardine can the next, I was starting to feel that this was going to be AWESOME.
When we pulled up to the care point and there were kids there to greet us as we
got out of the vans like we were famous was a really good feeling. I shook so
many hands and still hadn’t got in the gate!!! Once in the gate I heard
clapping as I walked down this path in the trees. It started out a faint sound
but as I got closer the volume got louder. As I walked into the “church”, which
was a cleaned out chicken house, the noise was incredible!!! So many hands
clapping and kids smiling at me was a little overwhelming. I stood in front of
these kids and just took it all in. WOW!!!! As I stood there, I was scanning
them looking for the girl Deanna and I sponsor. I couldn’t find her though.
After we got introduced to them, we went out to hug and meet them. I shook
their hands, fist bumped, and hugged so many of them as I could. Greg and I
started a huge rock, paper, scissors game. I’m not sure who was winning because
there were so many playing. The ladies in our group were taking pictures and
hugging as well. Thank goodness for digital cameras because the kids love to
see themselves in the pictures after you take them. During this time, I’m
pretty sure Sandy
hugged and kissed every single one of these kids. IMAGINE THAT!!! Here was
another warm fuzzy moment for me. Getting to interact with them was a blast. I
was still looking for my sponsored girl and couldn’t find her. I felt down a
little bit cause I couldn’t. Where was this face on my refrigerator???
The next
morning when we arrived, the kids met us again at the gate like the paparazzi. Before
we got started, the kids sang a few songs in Amharic. That was a joyful noise
to hear. This is how each day would start. Then a Bible story would be told, we
used the Easter story. After the Bible story, the kids would break down into three
groups to go through a rotation of stations. There was arts and crafts,
recreation and a care package station. The care package station was where the
kids would receive gallon Ziploc bags packed full of stuff. Toothbrushes,
underwear, t-shirts, beef jerky, granola bars, toys, stuffed animals, small
sewing kits for the girls and flashlights for boys just to name a few things.
Also in each one was a picture and a note from who packed the care package.
Arts and crafts had different projects for them each day…salvation bracelets,
foam cross necklaces, decorating t-shirts with puff paint, and prayer journals.
Recreation had different games to play each day too…various parachute games,
playing with Frisbees, jump rope, volleyball and the kids taught us some of
their games. Each day was split into two sessions, morning and afternoon.
Throughout the day, there were so many hugs and so much love shown.
With the
outline of the week done, I want to tell you really how my trip to Ethiopia was.
On our first full day at the care point and in the first rotation of stations,
I was flapping my arms with the parachute when one of our other team members
came up to me and said that our sponsor girl was at the care point station
waiting to open her care package from us. I FINALLY got to meet Seada!!! As I
walked over to where she was, I realized that she looked totally different from
the picture I had. As I got to her I bent down and hugged her. Now I had a body
for the picture on my refrigerator. We sat down with her and watched as she
unpacked her care package. She was like a kid at Christmas and couldn’t get the
items out quick enough. She took the picture out and looked at the picture and
then at us. The smile on her face was huge. Another member of our mission team
had someone make and donate dresses for the girls. We helped her put it on and
her smile grew bigger. With her new dress on over her dirty and torn clothes,
she was happy!! We moved on to our letter which someone translated for her. As
I was sitting listening and watching her, the tears grew in my eyes. After she
had the letter read to her, she went to Deanna for a hug. Then she came to me
for one. We had pictures made and then more hugs. Then I had to go back and
help with recreation and Deanna back to arts and crafts. But instead I had to
go and sit on the porch and gather myself. I had known her for maybe five
minutes and she felt like a daughter to me. As I went back to the rec. group, I
now had this feeling this was going to be a good week. I played and grew close
to all of them but there was a different connection with Seada. Every time she
was in looking distance we would make eye contact and just smile at each other.
Since she was our sponsor child, we got to go and see her house and her family.
I had said before we went on this trip that I wasn’t sure I was ready to see
that but our day had come to take our visit. As we were riding to her house,
she was entertaining herself with balloons. She blew one up for me and her.
Well, the van stopped outside this gate and we were there. The gate was a rusty
piece of metal roofing and she opened it and it was like another village behind
it. We walked down the path with little Seada leading the way. We reached this
mud house and this woman came out with a smile on her face. We walked into this
small room and sat on mats they used for beds. It was an 8’x8’ room. That is
the size of my bathroom at home. We talked with her, Seada, and her older
sister, with the help of a translator, for just several minutes. This was her house.
Just this very small room with two mats on the floor, a raised bed and a small
hutch with their belongings in it. She shares this room with her mother, a 15
year old sister and a 9 year old sister. Her father passed away sometime from
sickness. They would use the front porch
for their kitchen. Her mother didn’t have a job but would buy things at the
market and resell them for her income. She was doing this to put food on the
table. We told her mother that we love and pray for Seada and her family. Her
mother told us that she was very grateful and gave them hope. When we were done talking, we went out on the
porch and took some pictures with them. After the pictures were taken, I hugged
all three of them. The hug with Seada was very emotional because I had this
pain for her. I picked her up and just held onto her tight as I was telling her
that I loved her so much. The emotions got the best of me and I had to get out
of there. I pretty much ran back to the van and got in and just balled. Deanna
took some more pictures of her house and then walked hand in hand with Seada
out of the gate. I saw her face and just couldn’t imagine living like that. What
I just saw is what I call Ethiopian reality. It makes me very grateful for what
I have and what I take for granted.
Another
thing we got to do was attend a Wednesday night prayer service. I don’t have
the slightest clue what they were saying as they were singing but Jesus was in
the room. You could just feel him there. One of the deacons spoke and was really
thankful that we were there showing God’s love to the kids. It didn’t matter
that they were a different race, spoke a different language, and lived
different lifestyles…they still need to be loved.
On the last day, you could tell
there was a different feeling in the air. Since this care point was the
farthest one out, not many teams come and see them. When they do come and
visit, they just stay a few hours with them. We had grown close and very
attached to these kids but especially Seada. As the day wore on and the time
running out, the kids would just cling to you. I spent most of my day right
next to Seada, holding her hand, letting her sit on my lap and hugging her. We
had a huge feast at lunch and then played some of their games with them. Then
it was time for our good byes. Each team member spread out and the kids came to
us with tears in their eyes. I hugged and cried with so many of them. The pain
was ruthless. My heart had been ripped out of my chest. As I hugged each one, I
told them that I love them. Then my little Seada came up to me…I picked her up
like I did on her porch and hugged her telling her how much I loved her and
just wept. She also was crying also which didn’t help. I watched as the last of
the kids walked out of the gate and cried. I already missed them…these kids
have been forgotten and we went and gave them hope.
Derek and Deanna's blog is: http://doitfortheorphans.blogspot.com
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