Top Ten [Ethiopia version]

Before I even start with the TOP TEN list, let me fill you in on what we considered to be the most significant part of our time in Ethiopia. Last Friday, we got into a van and drove [on the bumpiest roads I have ever experienced!] from Addis Ababa, the capital city, about 10 hours north to a small village called Wombera. This is the home of Ayehu, the birthmother of my dear siblings, Tem and Tessa. We walked down the muddy streets of this small village to a one room mud hut and spent an hour conversing with this incredible woman. Our lives intersected in a glorious clashing of two different worlds. But, we are now family. We spent close to 300 hours on this Ethiopia adventure, but our 1 hour in Wombera changed our lives.

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." James 1:27 ESV

The rest of our time was spent doing a whole mix of things. Here's a glimpse:

10. Seeing wildlife that we have never seen before: Hippos and baboons. It was so awesome.

9. Our day in Bahir Dar: After meeting Ayehu, we stayed in this northern city on the shores of Lake Tana. Our time included: hanging out with Mahi, two ridiculous boat rides, hiking by the Nile River, and visiting a monastery.

8. Bethany Christian Services: We worked alongside BCS-Ethiopia and enjoyed spending time with some of the staff. Abel, one of my dear friends from my trip last year, took us to Mt. Entoto and had lunch with us a few days. We also met Senait, a dear friend that we hope to see again.

7. Eating injera. And drinking a lot of coffee. And, our favorite: mango juice.

6. Bungalow D: Our humble abode for our time in Addis Ababa. We have a new gratitude for showers with good water pressure, comfortable mattresses, and being able to flush toilet paper.

5. Funny signs: We saw signs for Baby Land Public School, the Hallelujah Pharmacy, Hanna Montana Baby Store, and a sticker declaring that "Jesus is the only way to Haven."

4. The Frankfurt Airport: We did not expect to spend so much time here. However, because of a volcanic ash cloud that cancelled our flight to Ethiopia, we stayed overnight in a German hotel and spent a full day in the airport. We actually had fun, met new friends like Riley and the four funny Canadians, and enjoyed a meal at McDonald's. ("annullie" = "cancelled")

3. Reading and sleeping: These are two things that we have neglected in the last year because of busyness. For two weeks we were living in Ethiopia without email, school, jobs, social events, etc. So, any free time was used to read and sleep. So wonderful.

2. Meeting some incredible adoptive families: Who knew you could get to know someone SO WELL in two days or less? We LOVE our new friends and cried tears of joy as we watched them interact with their new children.

1. Learning to trust God: We used our time in Ethiopia to encourage and support adoptive families, to love orphans and widows, and to attempt to teach English to kids in some orphanages.

On multiple occasions, we looked at each other and said, "just go with it." We had plans, but God didn't always abide by them. He did His own thing. And we are glad He did.