Our 1st Days in Ethiopia

Wow. What a whirlwind this has been. We landed on a Friday morning, and as soon as our airplane began that final descent I was bombarded with an entirely new set of emotions from the ones I had been feeling as we left Memphis. Saying goodbye to our family and friends and our home brought intense feelings of sadness and grief and loss of what we know. I almost could not even identify what I was feeling. It was a rush of fear, excitement, and almost a question of how am I going to do this? All eight of us embarked on this beginning mission to get through customs and get all 23 of our bags and find our friends who are meeting us. The chaos and noises of an international airport combined with tired and hungry children is pretty much any mom’s nightmare. You are exhausted yourself, but God does provide a rush of adrenaline to get through this maze of people and bags. Thankfully my children are old enough to walk, and I cannot imagine doing what lots of people do with little ones they have to carry. Miraculously all of our bags made it and we managed to navigate the waves of people with more carts of luggage than people to push them only to go outside to a downhill descent to the parking lot with crowds of people waiting. As we careened down the hill with bags and carts and children, we see our new church family there greeting us with flowers and smiles and hands to help. What a relief that was to see them. It was like we had finally met our new family. They loaded all of our things and all our people to drive to our new family home. As we drove I noticed all the fascinating things and all the people, the smell, the flowers, the horns honking, the amoeba-like traffic, and I thought to myself, what have we done? Where are we going to live in the huge city? We drove up to our home, and we were greeted with more friends and food. Our home had the furniture moved in. There even was a ping pong table a friend had loaned us to play while we were quarantining. And the boys instantly ran around and investigated our home.

I began to explore all the new things. New house, new beds, new kitchen, new noises, new neighbors, a new way of cooking and cleaning. It felt like a tidal wave that came crashing in and literally knocked my boat upside down. Thankfully the Lord had gone before me and provided so many things to help. Again I felt like Peter stepping out of that boat on the water. All I could do was look around and so easily be overcome by the waves of emotions of feeling inadequate, unable, afraid of all the unknowns. Looking to Jesus all of the sudden became harder. But God had been moving; my brothers and sisters that I had never met were making a way for me. They had moved furniture, made food, bought food, cleaned my house. Prayed for us. How humbling it was to receive such acts of service from them all. It did feel as if God had parted the Red Sea for us. All I had to do was stand and then step forward in faith. My sister came with us to help me settle in. We began to make all the beds and figure out the stove and how to make the most important, coffee. Daily I have a choice to focus on the things we do not have or I can see God’s gracious hand of provision. He provided a beautiful home. A beautiful church family greeted us with open arms and such warmth and care. As a mom, making a house feel like a home is challenging in the States, but when you can’t run to Target or Bed Bath and Beyond you feel almost stranded on a desert island. I almost felt paralyzed. Everyway that I had known how to do just about everything was suddenly different and much more difficult. That evening we gathered as a family, my boys are saying this already feels like home. Home is not the physical house, it is family. We were here together. This great Ethiopian adventure has begun.

The next morning was Daniel’s birthday. We had packed some gifts for him and decorations. He woke up some familiar decorations. Then we had some dear friends bring him a birthday cake, a sign, and balloons. Our family tradition for birthdays includes having a balloon for every year. They brought him 7 balloons. So amazing. I even had to ask for a quick lesson on washing dishes. I’ve done it in the States, but water is different. I just didn’t know how to get our dishes clean and not make anyone sick. They just have to be completely dry before we use them. Then we all got busy unpacking, and the boys were running around playing hide and seek. It is one of my favorite noises, boys laughing and playing and having fun. Then Benjamin comes running to me and says, Mom, this is serious. Noah and Daniel are stuck in the dungeon. I said, what dungeon? We have a basement and there is a metal door with bars on the top half. And sure enough, there they were. STUCK. The lock had broken off and we could not open it. Our friend, Trent was already coming over to help do some things. There is no doubt in my mind that was not a coincidence. God knows what we need before ask!! Trent is a guy who can do anything. His love for Jesus just pours out of him. He is gentle and kind and strong. He came and looked at it. And says, hmm. I know a guy who can help. He calls a friend. I was not worried. I knew Trent could get them out. They proceed to work for 2 HOURS. They eventually sawed the bar off and the boys climbed through. I sent a Nintendo switch and sandwich through the bars. Daniel says it was awful being locked in the dungeon on his birthday. But this is a birthday we will never forget!!!

We are learning here that you never know what is going to happen. Everything seems to be an adventure, even going to the grocery. Everyone says, No Problem. As long as I keep my eyes on Jesus He tells me not to worry and not to be anxious. No Problem! Jesus has already taken care of my sin problem, I can rest in that glorious truth. The daily tasks and obstacles are not too big for God of the universe. Being here calls me to trust Him with literally every step.