Sendafa, the forgotten village: Homesick reflections

Well, I've been back for about a week now. What an emotional roller coaster. The "reverse culture shock" isn't that bad, I've dealt with it enough before to know how to prepare myself for it. But what I never prepared myself for was leaving friends and family behind in Ethiopia. This has been extremely difficult for me, especially the last 2 or 3 days. I've been able to have some limited email contact with some of them, mostly Ruth. But email only goes so far. I want to hear their voices, taste the food, smell the smells, feel the rain...I want to feel at home again. I have realized this week that I felt more at home in Ethiopia than I do here.
This doesn't mean that I don't love being with my friends and family here in America. But it does mean that I feel as if I was created to live in Ethiopia, as if that is my purpose in life...at least for now. Basically what I'm trying to say is that I feel a strong desire, a need, to get back to Ethiopia as soon as possible. Part of this is simply because I want to get back, because I enjoy it there. But there is something beyond that, something external that is pulling me there. Take it as you will, but I believe that it is God calling me there. There are so many things that have happened in my life that I can pinpoint which were preparing me for my work in Ethiopia. So, if all goes as it seems like it might, I should be moving to Ethiopia at the end of next summer. Yes, that's right, moving there. For how long? I have no idea. Maybe 6 months, maybe 1 year, maybe 5 years, maybe forever.

There's a story about one of our HIV patients in Sendafa that I'd like to share. Her name is Woineshet.
She was one of the first patients that I met, on my first trip last August. She was 19 years old then, my same age. Her story was typical, she contracted the virus, got shunned by her family and community and had to move to another village (Sendafa), she didn't want people to know that she had the virus because it would be hard for her to find a job. Even when she did find a job, she had a hard time with it because she would often become very sick and at these points she couldn't work. Her job was (and still is) embroidery. She embroiders beautiful designs onto scarves and dresses.
On my first visit with her last year she wasn't too happy, she was sick and rather upset at the world. It's our understanding that she was probably raped by her previous employer. She used to work as a housemate (a servant) and she told us that she always had good families to work for until the last one. It seemed to be a roundabout way of telling us that this is how she got the virus, though I guess we aren't positive.
But once we started talking about her embroidery she started to become happier and more talkative. Then when two of us (myself included) asked to buy some scarves for her she became extremely excited. A friend or two of hers was there when we were visiting her and she started smiling and talking very excitedly with them about what kinds of design she would do. We went back a few days later to pick them up and she was as happy as she could be, so proud of her work - which was absolutely beautiful.
Now, my mom had told me that she didn't want me to get her any gifts - unless it somehow directly helped someone. So, I thought this scarf would be perfect for her. So, when I got home I showed my mom some pictures, a few of Woineshet were included in these. I told my mom Woineshet's story. Then, after the pictures and stories, I gave my mom the scarf and told her that Woineshet had made it. My mom loved it and instantly made a special place in her heart for this Ethiopian woman.
When I went back in January, my dad and I brought a gift to Woineshet from my mom. It included some hand lotions, soaps, chapstick, a picture of our family, a letter, etc. Again, when we first got there Woineshet wasn't very happy. But after we gave her the gift and the letter from my mom was translated, her face lit up. We had told her in August that we would tell her story to our church and that she would be famous in America. So, I told her that we kept our word and that thousands of people now knew about her and that anyone who had seen her embroidery work loved it.
Then there was the trip this summer. My mom finally got to meet Woineshet in person and it was a beautiful thing. These two had known about each other for about a year and now they were finally able to look each other in the eye and give each other a hug. We (my mom, my dad, Ruth, Shewarged, Pauline and myself) sat and talked with her for over an hour on one of the days. Woineshet is in a relationship with a man who at first came to help her in her situation, but has now turned to abusing her. He tests HIV negative, but for some reason won't leave her. She has tried to get him to (maybe only halfheartedly, but has tried nonetheless) but he just won't leave. So we sat and encouraged her to get him out of her life somehow, but mostly just made sure that she knew that we loved her no matter what and that we cared about her wellbeing. It didn't take long for us to start talking about her embroidery work, my mom told her how much she loved the scarf that I had given her and how sometimes my little sister, Katie, also wears it. Then Woineshet got out a dress that she was working on, it was lovely. My mom asked her if it was possible to prepare some scarves that my mom could buy and bring to some of her friends in America, Pauline (from India) also wanted one. So, we gave her some money and she said that she would prepare them.
A few days later we went back to pick them up and to visit her one last time. It was a wonderful visit. She had finished the scarves and the work was amazing. She even prepared some roasted corn for us, which tasted wonderful. We sat and chatted for a while about many things.
I share this story, not because it is extremely heart wrenching (well, actually it is...). But because I think it is wonderful that we have been able to build such significant relationships. This was evident when, on one of the visits on this trip, Woineshet walked over to a corner of her house to get the picture of my family that we had given her. She wanted us to know that she kept it safe and that it was an important thing to her. We don't speak the same language and I have only visited her a few times, but she still said as I was leaving "Dan really loves me, the way he talks to me when he visits is not like other people and he always comes to visit me".
I think what strikes me so much about all of this is that it is one thing to simply give help to the poorest of the poor, but it is a completely different thing to befriend them and this is one of the goals of my church. They don't want to simply send money and aid over, but rather they want to stand alongside the people of this village - supporting them financially, structurally and emotionally. I see this as absolutely wonderful and the main reason why things have gone so well with our work in the village. Xabier Yemusgin.

Here's a few pictures of our visits with Woineshet: