The week with the American team flew by way to fast. I can't believe it's already over, but they flew out yesterday evening. It was pretty difficult to say goodbye, especially to my parents. Even though I hardly knew most of the team, I have a deep love for them. It's something I can't explain, but strong connections can be built in one week. Also, there were people on this team that came with me here last August. So, it was wonderful to be with them again.
I know I've said so much about miracles the past few posts, but I've really been blown away by them. Today I had a lot of time to relax and I couldn't stop wondering why I haven't noticed miracles before this trip. Do miracles not happen in America? Or are we too darn busy to notice them? I think I've learned that (as Mark said in a comment on a previous post) miracles don't have to be these massive ordeals. We don't have to see an angel or see a crippled person instantly stand up. Miracles can be something unexpected. If you could have seen many of the HIV patients we help just one year ago and could compare it to now, I think you would count it as a miracle. By all accounts many of these people should have died, some of them came closer than others. And yet they are up, walking around, smiling, running businesses, etc. It truly is amazing.
I have one more week here. It's not enough. I've strengthened previous relationships, built countless new ones, been welcomed into a family and grown in my love for this country. I can't imagine leaving, it's become another home for me. I'm also entirely unsure of when I'll be able to come back here and that's making it all the harder. To be honest, part of me (ok, quite a lot of me) simply wants to give up everything and move over here immediately. I realize that this is a rash decision and would probably upset quite a few people (like you, mom and dad, I know you want me to finish college...ha).
Tomorrow I'll be visiting a theological school in the morning with Ruth (one of our translators from last week). I'm looking forward to talking to some of the teachers, should be quite interesting. After that, who knows. The rest of the week will be rather crazy. Lot's of friends to visit, restaurants to eat at with them, trips to take out of Addis...should be crazy, but good.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Friday, August 10, 2007
Miracles...Part Two
Today, even before we reached Sendafa, I was confronted with yet another miracle.
Our transportation to the village has been one van, Dr. Frew's Land Cruiser and a big bus. The Ethiopian translaters are split up between Frew's car and the van. All the foreigners (Americans and Indians) are in the big bus. We were on our way to Sendafa when we got a call from Birhanu. I didn't understand what they were saying because they were speaking in Amharic, but I could tell that something was wrong. I didn't think much of it because there is almost always a small problem that makes us late, I thought that's all it was. But this time Frew got more upset than usual and we actually pulled to the side of the road. I asked what the problem was and they told me that the bus crashed, then they said that it didn't crash but only a little dent, nobody was hurt. I was a bit nervous, but figured it was no big deal. So, we started going again. Soon we reached the place where they crashed.
It was at a curve in the road. On the right side there was a steep hill and on the left side there was a construction vehicle parked (it's been parked there for at least a few days). I looked off to the left and saw the bus smashed into a grouping of small trees on a small hill, I saw all of our team standing around, seemingly alright but definitely shaken up. I quickly got out of Frew's car to hug my parents. I then learned what happened.
The bus was coming down the hill and coming up to the curve, a construction vehicle was coming up the hill and forced its way into the path of the bus in order to get around the parked construction vehicle. This caused the bus to go off of the road, at this time it ran into a few trees and started to lose balance. The drive swerved back onto the road but the bus had already started to tip, if it had fallen over it would have tumbled down quite a steep hill. The driver then lost control and they went on the other side of the road, narrowly missing a group of pedestrians standing along the road. This is when they went up the small hill and into the trees. Even at this point the bus almost tipped over again.
Somehow the bus didn't tip, somehow it didn't roll off the side of the cliff and somehow everyone walked away without so much as a scratch. This is nothing short of a miracle. The people in the bus explained it as feeling like something was pushing the bus exactly where it needed to go in order that nobody would be hurt. I don't know how it's possible, but this was definitely a miracle. I don't know how it could be anything else.
Needless to say, this kind of shook everyone up for the morning. Even so, we still went on to Sendafa and continued our work there. Today the government gave a ceremony for us to commemorate all of the books that we donated (I want to say that it was 20,000, but I am not positive). They also gave a painting to our church to thank us for all the work that has been done in the village.
I was able to go to the school today. Some of our team has been teaching conversational English there. I was part of the group that did that last year, but today was the first time I was able to go on this trip. The kids were wonderful. They are so grateful for the teaching and are so excited to be with us. It's quite sweet.
I also visited a few more HIV patient's homes today. This is always difficult for me, I often find tears welling up in my eyes as I hear their stories. If I wasn't so tired I would go more in depth about these patients because I count most of them as miracles also. I will write about this some other time.
Denahun
Our transportation to the village has been one van, Dr. Frew's Land Cruiser and a big bus. The Ethiopian translaters are split up between Frew's car and the van. All the foreigners (Americans and Indians) are in the big bus. We were on our way to Sendafa when we got a call from Birhanu. I didn't understand what they were saying because they were speaking in Amharic, but I could tell that something was wrong. I didn't think much of it because there is almost always a small problem that makes us late, I thought that's all it was. But this time Frew got more upset than usual and we actually pulled to the side of the road. I asked what the problem was and they told me that the bus crashed, then they said that it didn't crash but only a little dent, nobody was hurt. I was a bit nervous, but figured it was no big deal. So, we started going again. Soon we reached the place where they crashed.
It was at a curve in the road. On the right side there was a steep hill and on the left side there was a construction vehicle parked (it's been parked there for at least a few days). I looked off to the left and saw the bus smashed into a grouping of small trees on a small hill, I saw all of our team standing around, seemingly alright but definitely shaken up. I quickly got out of Frew's car to hug my parents. I then learned what happened.
The bus was coming down the hill and coming up to the curve, a construction vehicle was coming up the hill and forced its way into the path of the bus in order to get around the parked construction vehicle. This caused the bus to go off of the road, at this time it ran into a few trees and started to lose balance. The drive swerved back onto the road but the bus had already started to tip, if it had fallen over it would have tumbled down quite a steep hill. The driver then lost control and they went on the other side of the road, narrowly missing a group of pedestrians standing along the road. This is when they went up the small hill and into the trees. Even at this point the bus almost tipped over again.
Somehow the bus didn't tip, somehow it didn't roll off the side of the cliff and somehow everyone walked away without so much as a scratch. This is nothing short of a miracle. The people in the bus explained it as feeling like something was pushing the bus exactly where it needed to go in order that nobody would be hurt. I don't know how it's possible, but this was definitely a miracle. I don't know how it could be anything else.
Needless to say, this kind of shook everyone up for the morning. Even so, we still went on to Sendafa and continued our work there. Today the government gave a ceremony for us to commemorate all of the books that we donated (I want to say that it was 20,000, but I am not positive). They also gave a painting to our church to thank us for all the work that has been done in the village.
I was able to go to the school today. Some of our team has been teaching conversational English there. I was part of the group that did that last year, but today was the first time I was able to go on this trip. The kids were wonderful. They are so grateful for the teaching and are so excited to be with us. It's quite sweet.
I also visited a few more HIV patient's homes today. This is always difficult for me, I often find tears welling up in my eyes as I hear their stories. If I wasn't so tired I would go more in depth about these patients because I count most of them as miracles also. I will write about this some other time.
Denahun
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Miracles
So, after an hour of trying to load the blogger site it finally came up.
Story time:
When I was here last August we visited a lady, her name is Bizu Allum. She is HIV positive and we have been helping her for about a year with such things as medicine, blood work, transportation to clinics and food. She was living in a home that wasn't more than 10 feet by 6 feet. There was a mound of mud on one side, this was her bed. She had a chair and a few odds and ends. Her son, who is now 6 years old, is also HIV positive and he lives at a hospital in Addis Ababa called Mother Teresa Hospital. It's a place where HIV patients can stay for free and recieve free medical care.
When we saw her in August she wept almost the entire time we were in her home. She was so sad about her son, her husband had passed away about a year before and she had no money for anything. She often went for a day or two without eating. The only time she was able to eat was when her neighbors would bring her some bread or other food. The biggest problem with this is that the HIV medication needs to be taken with food, otherwise it makes you rather sick (but still better than the alternative). So, she was quite sick and was sick quite often. It was a sad sight. All of us were moved to tears in the room. We talked to her, we told her that we loved her, that many people were praying for her and then we prayed for her. It broke my heart and I was never able to forget that time with her and I don't think that I ever will.
Today we visited her again. It was a miracle. She is healthy, her son is healthy, she was all smiles today. She even has a business selling injera (it's kind of like an Ethiopian flat bread, it's what they eat all of their food with). She has a new house now, it's much bigger and nicer than before. She gave us some injera to eat, we told her it was the best we ever had. She made coffee for us and it was wonderful. We smiled and laughed together. We told her that we were happy to see that she was so well, to hear that her som was doing better, that we never forgot her and always prayed for her. She was overjoyed. I count it as a miracle that everything is going so well for her and it gives me hope amidst all the sorrow in the world.
I have been thinking a lot the past few days about miracles and I truly believe that they are real. I feel like I am seeing them everyday in this village. People that would have otherwise been dead look as if they have no disease. People who were living in utter despair are now very happy. People who had no hope now have some. If these are not miracles, then what is a miracle?
Story time:
When I was here last August we visited a lady, her name is Bizu Allum. She is HIV positive and we have been helping her for about a year with such things as medicine, blood work, transportation to clinics and food. She was living in a home that wasn't more than 10 feet by 6 feet. There was a mound of mud on one side, this was her bed. She had a chair and a few odds and ends. Her son, who is now 6 years old, is also HIV positive and he lives at a hospital in Addis Ababa called Mother Teresa Hospital. It's a place where HIV patients can stay for free and recieve free medical care.
When we saw her in August she wept almost the entire time we were in her home. She was so sad about her son, her husband had passed away about a year before and she had no money for anything. She often went for a day or two without eating. The only time she was able to eat was when her neighbors would bring her some bread or other food. The biggest problem with this is that the HIV medication needs to be taken with food, otherwise it makes you rather sick (but still better than the alternative). So, she was quite sick and was sick quite often. It was a sad sight. All of us were moved to tears in the room. We talked to her, we told her that we loved her, that many people were praying for her and then we prayed for her. It broke my heart and I was never able to forget that time with her and I don't think that I ever will.
Today we visited her again. It was a miracle. She is healthy, her son is healthy, she was all smiles today. She even has a business selling injera (it's kind of like an Ethiopian flat bread, it's what they eat all of their food with). She has a new house now, it's much bigger and nicer than before. She gave us some injera to eat, we told her it was the best we ever had. She made coffee for us and it was wonderful. We smiled and laughed together. We told her that we were happy to see that she was so well, to hear that her som was doing better, that we never forgot her and always prayed for her. She was overjoyed. I count it as a miracle that everything is going so well for her and it gives me hope amidst all the sorrow in the world.
I have been thinking a lot the past few days about miracles and I truly believe that they are real. I feel like I am seeing them everyday in this village. People that would have otherwise been dead look as if they have no disease. People who were living in utter despair are now very happy. People who had no hope now have some. If these are not miracles, then what is a miracle?
It's only been a few days since I posted. But a ridiculous amount of things has happened. I don't have time to post them right now because I just heard Frew start up the car, which means that I need to get going in a minute or two.
Things were a bit bumpy in the village yesterday. We arrived late so the students at the school went home and the people at the medical clinic were a bit upset. At the end of the day, however, everything turned out fine. 600 patients were seen yesterday (2,400 are scheduled to be seen this week). We also sorted through a ton of books at the library and painted a church that we helped to finance. It was a long day, but a lot of work was completed.
Keep us in your prayers, hopefully things go smoother today.
Things were a bit bumpy in the village yesterday. We arrived late so the students at the school went home and the people at the medical clinic were a bit upset. At the end of the day, however, everything turned out fine. 600 patients were seen yesterday (2,400 are scheduled to be seen this week). We also sorted through a ton of books at the library and painted a church that we helped to finance. It was a long day, but a lot of work was completed.
Keep us in your prayers, hopefully things go smoother today.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
The others
We picked up the three Indian's (no, not Native Americans, Indians from India) today from the airport. Living Word has a project in India, it has for many years. It's a medical project along with a few other things. I have to be honest, I don't know much about our project there. Either way, these three people are ones that we know from this project and they have agreed to join us here in Ethiopia to do relief work. It's amazing really, that people who have so little would travel to another country to help those who have even less. It's a beautiful thing. One of the people, Dr. Sankar, was here with me last summer. He and I shared a room together. He truly is a wonderful person, very kind. This time his wife and another nurse came along, it was the two ladies first time out of India.
In less than 4 hours the other Americans will be arriving. We have been calling them "the others" for the past week or so. I often find myself referring to them as "the Americans", forgetting that (unfortunately sometimes) I am also an American. It's kind of funny actually, I am so used to seeing people with black skin that the other day when I was holding Frew's hand during prayer my white skin shocked me. Even my Ethiopian friends here have begun to tell me that I am becomming more Ethiopian than I am American. I only wish that I could stay longer to make it even more true.
Two of the Americans that are coming are very special people to me, mom and dad. I am very happy that they are coming. My dad was here with me in January and this will be my mom's first time. They haven't travelled in a long time, Ethiopia is quite the place to pick. I hope that they will enjoy it, actually I know that they will. How can you not enjoy a beautiful country, beautiful people, wonderful food and the best coffee in the world? I think it's impossible.
I have just over two weeks left, 16 days to be exact. I can't believe that my time is half over. I think that I will find it very hard to leave. I have become a part of this family, I have become a part of this culture and they both have become a part of me. How do you leave such a thing?
Well, I should rest now...I had to wake up rather early this morning to get to the airport...and I'll probably be up late with the others.
In less than 4 hours the other Americans will be arriving. We have been calling them "the others" for the past week or so. I often find myself referring to them as "the Americans", forgetting that (unfortunately sometimes) I am also an American. It's kind of funny actually, I am so used to seeing people with black skin that the other day when I was holding Frew's hand during prayer my white skin shocked me. Even my Ethiopian friends here have begun to tell me that I am becomming more Ethiopian than I am American. I only wish that I could stay longer to make it even more true.
Two of the Americans that are coming are very special people to me, mom and dad. I am very happy that they are coming. My dad was here with me in January and this will be my mom's first time. They haven't travelled in a long time, Ethiopia is quite the place to pick. I hope that they will enjoy it, actually I know that they will. How can you not enjoy a beautiful country, beautiful people, wonderful food and the best coffee in the world? I think it's impossible.
I have just over two weeks left, 16 days to be exact. I can't believe that my time is half over. I think that I will find it very hard to leave. I have become a part of this family, I have become a part of this culture and they both have become a part of me. How do you leave such a thing?
Well, I should rest now...I had to wake up rather early this morning to get to the airport...and I'll probably be up late with the others.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Home
This place has become like a home to me. Over this past week or so I have felt completely comfortable here, as if I have been here for a very long time. I thank God that I have fallen into the routine of this life so quickly, but at the same time it will be very hard for me to leave when the time comes. Luckily that is over 2 weeks away.
Tonight I had a very special prayer time with Frew and Frehiwot. We prayed by ourselves for some time and then came together and prayed aloud. I am amazed at this family, even though they have so little they share so much. I can only imagine what kind of burden it must be to take in a person for one month, especially in a country where everyone is so poor. Even so, they will not let me pay for anything (the only times I have been allowed to pay is when it's only me and Frew drinking coffee or tea, and he has only allowed me to do this twice). This family truly has been a blessing to me. This is how I look at the situation, they are the ones blessing me...however, they are so humble that they think I am the blessing. I do not see how this can be true and yet, this is the kind of family they are...truly wonderful.
Another thing that struck me tonight, and this has struck me many times before, is that they have so little and yet are willing to give of themselves who have even less. They taught their children to pray "Dear Lord, thank you for this food that you give us today and give to those who have none. Amen". They understand that even though they are poor compared to much of the world, they still have food, shelter and clothing and a little extra. So, with that extra they give to those around who do not have the first three. It is truly amazing and is a beautiful thing. I wish there were more people like this in the world, if there were maybe it would be a better place. I wish that you could all meet these people. It is not only the family I am staying with, but the entire team of Ethiopians that we work with over here (I will try to post a picture of them soon).
Ok, I've said enough times about how amazed I am by these people...
Denahun
Tonight I had a very special prayer time with Frew and Frehiwot. We prayed by ourselves for some time and then came together and prayed aloud. I am amazed at this family, even though they have so little they share so much. I can only imagine what kind of burden it must be to take in a person for one month, especially in a country where everyone is so poor. Even so, they will not let me pay for anything (the only times I have been allowed to pay is when it's only me and Frew drinking coffee or tea, and he has only allowed me to do this twice). This family truly has been a blessing to me. This is how I look at the situation, they are the ones blessing me...however, they are so humble that they think I am the blessing. I do not see how this can be true and yet, this is the kind of family they are...truly wonderful.
Another thing that struck me tonight, and this has struck me many times before, is that they have so little and yet are willing to give of themselves who have even less. They taught their children to pray "Dear Lord, thank you for this food that you give us today and give to those who have none. Amen". They understand that even though they are poor compared to much of the world, they still have food, shelter and clothing and a little extra. So, with that extra they give to those around who do not have the first three. It is truly amazing and is a beautiful thing. I wish there were more people like this in the world, if there were maybe it would be a better place. I wish that you could all meet these people. It is not only the family I am staying with, but the entire team of Ethiopians that we work with over here (I will try to post a picture of them soon).
Ok, I've said enough times about how amazed I am by these people...
Denahun
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Sendafa
No pictures today. I don't have the patience.
I've been in Sendafa for the last three days and it has been simply wonderful. There has been a lot of construction since I have been there last, it's looking nice. Also, the HIV patients that we have been helping for about a year are all looking very healthy. It's amazing to see the difference in some of these people. I have probably told some of you this story before, so bear with me. There is a lady, her name is Busanesh, that we visited on the first trip last August. When I first met her she could barely even lift her arm to shake my hand, much less get out of bed or even roll over. When I saw her in January, she was sitting up, standing up, moving around, moving some furniture. She looked great and was very happy and gracious. When I saw her this time, she looked even better. You could tell that she was starting to gain weight again (she was very frail before) and she was all smiles. You could see in her eyes that she had gained a lot of strength. Seeing things like this is very encouraging to me. Sometimes I wonder if we are able to make much of an impact in a village that is in as sorry of a state as Sendafa, but then I remember people like her. I think we are currently helping about 70 HIV patients. This means doing blood testing for them to see how their CD4 levels are (google it, I don't know much about it). We also give the more poor ones food and soap. We give them emotional support, free medicine, rides to Addis Ababa if they need to go to the hospital. Our staff here is really amazing, they are such a blessing to us. They do this work all year long, without fail. The people in this village love them and they love the people. It is truly a beautiful thing.
I also saw some of the students who were in the English class I helped to teach last summer. They run up to me and say "Dan! Dan! How are you?", I reply "I'm good, how are you" "I'm fine". Then they just stand there staring/smiling. Ha. The kids here are simply wonderful, they are so kind and happy - even though they have nothing.
We have mostly finished preparing for the American team to come next week (about 30 people). So, tomorrow and Saturday we will rest. Sunday is when everyone arrives. We had to buy a carload full of medicine, bring it to the village clinic and also prepare the rooms for all of the doctors to come. I think that next week will be an awesome week. There are 2,400 patients registered to see the doctors, many of these people have never seen a doctor in their life or not for a very long time. The problems that these people face is unbelievable. It is so distant from the life we live in America. I hope that some of my pictures next week will help you to see this, though I think that it is the kind of thing that you need to see for yourself. The sights, sounds and smells of the life here are too hard to capture or put into words. Even the capital city, Addis Ababa, is a mess. The streets are mud, with rocks if you're lucky. Only the major roads are paved, and even they are full of potholes. Many people sleep on the streets, in corrugated tin sheds. The capital is much better than the rural areas, but is still a shock when you think about it being a capital city in 2007 (or 1999 according to the Ethiopian calendar).
Ok, it's time for me to rest a bit.
Denahun (or denahuni if you're a female).
It means, goodbye, be well.
I've been in Sendafa for the last three days and it has been simply wonderful. There has been a lot of construction since I have been there last, it's looking nice. Also, the HIV patients that we have been helping for about a year are all looking very healthy. It's amazing to see the difference in some of these people. I have probably told some of you this story before, so bear with me. There is a lady, her name is Busanesh, that we visited on the first trip last August. When I first met her she could barely even lift her arm to shake my hand, much less get out of bed or even roll over. When I saw her in January, she was sitting up, standing up, moving around, moving some furniture. She looked great and was very happy and gracious. When I saw her this time, she looked even better. You could tell that she was starting to gain weight again (she was very frail before) and she was all smiles. You could see in her eyes that she had gained a lot of strength. Seeing things like this is very encouraging to me. Sometimes I wonder if we are able to make much of an impact in a village that is in as sorry of a state as Sendafa, but then I remember people like her. I think we are currently helping about 70 HIV patients. This means doing blood testing for them to see how their CD4 levels are (google it, I don't know much about it). We also give the more poor ones food and soap. We give them emotional support, free medicine, rides to Addis Ababa if they need to go to the hospital. Our staff here is really amazing, they are such a blessing to us. They do this work all year long, without fail. The people in this village love them and they love the people. It is truly a beautiful thing.
I also saw some of the students who were in the English class I helped to teach last summer. They run up to me and say "Dan! Dan! How are you?", I reply "I'm good, how are you" "I'm fine". Then they just stand there staring/smiling. Ha. The kids here are simply wonderful, they are so kind and happy - even though they have nothing.
We have mostly finished preparing for the American team to come next week (about 30 people). So, tomorrow and Saturday we will rest. Sunday is when everyone arrives. We had to buy a carload full of medicine, bring it to the village clinic and also prepare the rooms for all of the doctors to come. I think that next week will be an awesome week. There are 2,400 patients registered to see the doctors, many of these people have never seen a doctor in their life or not for a very long time. The problems that these people face is unbelievable. It is so distant from the life we live in America. I hope that some of my pictures next week will help you to see this, though I think that it is the kind of thing that you need to see for yourself. The sights, sounds and smells of the life here are too hard to capture or put into words. Even the capital city, Addis Ababa, is a mess. The streets are mud, with rocks if you're lucky. Only the major roads are paved, and even they are full of potholes. Many people sleep on the streets, in corrugated tin sheds. The capital is much better than the rural areas, but is still a shock when you think about it being a capital city in 2007 (or 1999 according to the Ethiopian calendar).
Ok, it's time for me to rest a bit.
Denahun (or denahuni if you're a female).
It means, goodbye, be well.
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