Monday, October 22, 2012

On American Soil

Our team is now over halfway in their journey home.  We received word yesterday morning that the Wade family had said their goodbyes to everyone and dropped them at the airport in Addis.  The team traveled through Rome and are now in Washington D.C. going through customs. The line is pretty long - when Bret texted me this morning, they had already been in line an hour and a half.  The good news is that they all were able to sleep on the plane so no one is terribly tired at this point.

If traveling all goes as planned, they should be landing in Spokane at 8:30 tonight.  They are ready to be home with their families to be sure!  Welcome home team, we have missed all of you and are so excited to hear how God was working in you and through you during your time away.

~Melissa

Friday, October 19, 2012

Mission Ethiopia & Project 61

Salam!
Thursday, October 18… Today the team had their flexibility day. We went to Mission Ethiopia and Project 61. This is on the opposite side of Korah from where we were the first few days.
The first thing we did was tour some of the classrooms and watch the women make paper beads and then put them together for necklaces to sell. We got to visit a kindergarten of children that sang us the “ABC” song and “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” song. We enjoyed how well they spoke English. We also had an opportunity to worship with the women who work there and to hear some of their testimonies. Then Myron, Linda, and Clarissa shared their testimonies.
After that, we divided into three groups. Two of the groups rolled paper beads. These women make about 500 necklaces each week. Amazing! Just trying to make 1 bead was challenging for many of us. Myron, Jan, and Shawna strung the beads and made necklaces.
After doing this, we had a quick lunch then served the school children their lunch. We were not surprised that every child cleaned their plate. Very little was thrown away. This is the only meal the children eat each day.
When all were done we divided again into two groups to go visit two different families. One group had a mother of four plus her husband in a 5x4 hut. The kids sleep on floor and 2 of them go to school. The mother does not work but the Father is a laborer. Her children were very small for their ages because of poor nutrition.
The other group had a similar situation, but was invited for a coffee ceremony. This woman had TB and HIV and she had a baby that she said was only one month old. Her daughter, who was 15, roasted the coffee beans and prepared the coffee. They pulled out a brand new set of cups and saucers to serve us with. Each time we go, we are all touched deeply by these people and their children.
After a brief shopping adventure, we went back to the guest house and had pizza—yes, pizza! Then 2 of the ladies from Mission Ethiopia came to the guest house and brought beads so we could make our own designs. I’ve got to say, I was impressed with everyone’s, even Myron’s!
Ciao from Tina!

Thursday, October 18, 2012

A Picture (or more) Tells a Thousand Words


The team and Wades with the elders of Korah Misgana Church




Bret on a prayer walk in Korah

Playing with kids at Rafiki Village in Mojo




Craft time at Rafiki Village in Mojo

Kids at Rafiki Village in Mojo -
who doesn't love a giant inflatable ball?

Where there's a Poffenroth, there's baseball!
 (Rafiki Village in Mojo)


Everyone outside the gates of the guest house

VBS at Korah Misgana Church

Tina coloring with a kiddo recovering at
CURE International Hospital



Repairing the ceiling at Korah Misgana Church

Some of the children who live in Korah



Part of the team with the Genet (the Wade's house worker) and her kids.
The team paid 75% of the fees for each of the kids to attend school for one year

















On Wednesday October 17 we became flexible again. Our plans changed just a bit. We painted rooms at the Cure Hospital on the 16th and realized the rooms needed a second coat to the walls so we would be sure to cover the red that was there.  Four members from the team went back to the Cure to paint walls while Myron and Sherridan got an opportunity to observe a surgery. The remaining team members stayed at the guest house to organize suitcases and pack for the next few days. We packed the Wade’s belongings that we brought for them and also the things for orphanage (Bethzatha.)  One of the elders at Korah, Ato Abera wanted to meet with us once again before leaving on a trip.  Leanne asked him if he wanted to come to lunch with us, we went to Tivoli’s, the same restaurant we went to on Saturday for dinner. After lunch we went to the silk factory, Sabahre we got a tour and saw scarves being made, then had the opportunity to purchase scarves that were made. From Sabahre we went to Home Accents, which is a store where you can purchase decorations for the home. This is the place that Leanne gets many of her scarves. We returned to the guest house, freshened up and left for the Wade’s house for dinner. Once there we congregated in their living room and talked. We ate a delicious meal prepared by their house worker, Genet, consisting of bow tie pasta and sauce, corn and garlic bread. After dinner we had cake! The team was able to present a gift to Genet to support her boys schooling.  We had to eat by candle light since the power was off and on all night. They did not regain power while were there. Once back at the guest house Linda lead the devotion and made plans for the morning.  Written by: Clarissa

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Good morning, Spokane. This is Linda reporting yesterday’s activities. Today is Wednesday, October 17, 2012.
Yesterday we visited the CURE Children’s Hospital in Addis. The hospital was opened in September, 2009.  We have found most of the missions we have visited were started within the last four years or so. There are a lot of new Christian works in the area, and there is a lot of new construction throughout the area as well.
Construction methods appear quite different from in the States. They do not have dimensional lumber here, so all of the scaffolding we see is pole scaffolding. Buildings are made of pole, concrete block, concrete, metal and/or mud. (depending on the relative wealth of the people building).
Back to yesterday. The CURE hospital has one full time orthopedic surgeon and one full time anesthesiologist. They also have visiting physicians of various specialties that come in from time to time to treat other conditions, such as cleft palate and facial deformities.  The hospital has a residency program to teach Ethiopian physicians, with the goal to eventually turn operation of the hospital over to local doctors. Children are treated with no cost to them or their care givers. Funding for the hospital comes from outside donors and from a one day a week private practice by the surgeon. Yesterday an elderly woman who broke her hip had surgery. The private surgeries (about one a week) make up about 40% of the hospital funding. The majority of the support staff, such as nurses, are Ethiopian nationals.
The CURE hospitals around the world have two basic functions: spiritual and physical. The doctors treat the physical side, while another branch of equal importance in the running of the hospital deals more with the spiritual needs of the patients and their families.
We had two purposes at the hospital yesterday: bring a program to the children on the wards and paint three rooms which will be used by visiting physicians. These rooms are at the end of the private floor. This way visiting doctors can board and room at the hospital, rather than at the more expensive tourist hotels. The income from these rooms will help fund the hospital as well as help the visiting doctors. They won’t have to fight the undisciplined traffic all the time.
Dr. Mary, the anesthesiologist, said that Ethiopia (or Addis? Don’t know for certain) has the highest pedestrian mortality rate of any place in the world. Traffic is like bumper cars on steroids. It was even crazier the other night when Ethiopia won the soccer game which qualified them for the Africa Cup for the first time in over 20 years. We were out in traffic when the game ended, and the entire city emptied onto the streets for a party.
I have not seen an elevator or escalator since we’ve been here. We have traipsed up a LOT of stairs. My room at the guest house is on the third floor, so I try to remember to bring everything up or down that will be needed for the day. Doesn’t work. It seems as how I always need to climb that mountain again to retrieve some forgotten item. One would think my legs would get used to stairs, but they really don’t. Yesterday was a hard day on my legs, because I was standing all day. That’s why today I elected to stay at the guest house for the morning. We have been a healthy team thus far. Some sunburn, a bit of upset tummies from a couple of people, one sore throat. All ailments so far have been very minor and not disabling in any way. Praise the Lord!
We have had a wonderful trip and feel we have truly impacted some lives. I know the experiences of the team itself have been life altering. Leanne did a wonderful job of preparing for us. She is a great resource for our church family.
Thank you for all your prayers and support for the team. They mean a lot to us.
Linda ;>

Monday, October 15, 2012

Early to Rise

Hello All
This is Leanne bringing you the news of the day.  We were up early this morning ready to go to Rafiki.  We ate a packed breakfast of French toast (with no syrup) that would have been a mess with all the crazy driving and sticky syrup flying around.  We arrived at Rafiki with a short introduction from the campus director, then out to start VBS.  Well that is what we thought, we went to get all of our supplies to find that our van had left to go and gas up.  We finally got started with crafts, recreation and Bible story and songs.  We had 50 kids from ages 3-7.  After two hours of working with the children, we all had lunch together in the dining hall.  We were able to meet the house mothers of the children and eat lunch with them.  When lunch was over we had Bible story and singing with the older kids, I sure did enjoying watching Tina sing all those songs with the kids.  And the kids and their teachers loved her.    The kids listened to Jan so intently and loved hearing the story of Elijah with the widow.  What an amazing story teller she is.  We ended our day with giving each of the teachers a gift bag full of little goodies
Rafiki is a wonderful place for children who are orphaned for many different reasons.  It is placed on many acres of land where the children have lots of room to play.  There are 5 houses with a house mother and 10 children in each house.  These children are loved by these mothers and taught the Bible. Please continue to pray for these children as many of them have had a hard start to life
Now a little note to some of our family members
To Jeff, Julia, Megan, Ryan, Mom, and Dad.  Just a quick note to tell you all I love you and miss you.  We are doing well, working hard, and really tired.  See you Monday night.
To my mommy, Things are going great. I have seen God working in so many places here.  In Korah, wow God is moving mountains there and Rafiki is a blessed place.  I am fine and hope to stay well. I love you very much.  Love Clarissa.
Dear Family, I am having an amazing time here! The plane trip was really long, but still fun.  I miss you all. Can’t wait to see you, and tell you all the crazy stories.  I will talk to you soon!  Love you, Maggie
Hi People, I survived and I’m having fun.  Bret
I have been able to find many things to eat.  I have not had to resort to top ramen yet.  I am having an amazing time.  Love you Dad, Nana, Papa, Cash, Tango, Bo and Steve.  Hope you guys are having a great week so far.  Love Andrew.
Hi to all my friends and family.  Larry, I love you and miss you.  Can’t wait to be home with you…. I really love it here…the weather is perfect and the people and children are so grateful even for the little things.  P.S. Thank you Nelda, Bekki, Bren,  Vance and Tara  for taking over the preschool.  Please tell the preschoolers we miss them and think of them every day. Love Tina
Greetings, Thank you so much Nelda, Bekki, Vance, Bre and Tara for helping us out in preschool.  We think of you often as we work with the children here.  Louise, we are praying for a speedy recovery from hip surgery.

Thank you to those who are filling in while I am away.  It is good to have so many trustworthy people sharing each week. 
I want to thank everyone who supported each member of this team.  I am loving having a little bit of Spokane here in Ethiopia with our family.  We have shared many laughs and tears together.  I miss all of you.  Love  Leanne.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Last Day in Korah

Our day started with a wonderful service in Amharic. It was a two-hour service. We were able to pick out certain words, but by the congregation’s response we understood a little. After the service, the elders stayed to introduce themselves to us and us to them. There were 12 elders. Each elder received a “Spokane to Ethiopia” t-shirt. They were truly grateful for our time and interest.
We left the church to have lunch at Metro Pizzeria. We filled our stomachs and brought two boxes of leftovers home. The afternoon was filled with shopping in little shops, deciding which souvenirs we wanted to purchase. Bartering is a new experience for most of us.
We left for Kaldi’s for some fantastic coffee drinks. In the middle of receiving our orders, the Ethiopian soccer team won placement in the African Cup after winning against Sudan. We thought Americans get excited over sport wins. Wow! Running, dancing, blinking hazard lights, even police sirens went off! Driving back to the guest house was exciting. For a while, we had boys riding through the streets hanging on the back of the car. With all this excitement, Sherridan and Bret almost missed their ride!
We had a short planning meeting. We will be going to Rafiki at 6:30 in the morning. Ready to turn in and call it a night.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Hello from Ethiopia!!

Hi everyone. This is Sherridan again. It is Saturday night here. We just returned from dinner at Tivoli's where we had a variety of both American and Ethiopian foods.

Today started with a return trip to Korah Misgana Church. Yesterday, as Melissa mentioned, we toured the area. I will try to explain what we saw, but also I know I truly can not justify it with only words. The streets are unpaved paths of rocks. Few cars ever travel down these roads and no shock absorber could last a day here. The streets are lined with a trenched sewer system and gate after gate which behind are homes. The street is the playground and the children are everywhere peering out from doorways and corners. Trash is everywhere. In the street, the bushes, stacked up against the house. This is their way of life. They collect the trash to either use or sale. Further behind the streets is the dirt path and bridge that leads over the river to the actual trash dump. the smell hits you as you cross the bridge, but later we find out that that smell was mild compared to in the middle of the dump. Yes, we hiked up into the dump! We stepped over and on garbage the entire way up the hill. We even stepped around animal carcasses. People started gathering around us and each of the guides and interpreters told us several stories of the people who actually live up there. Each story as devastating as the one before.

But back to today. Today we arrived to the sound of childen singing and clapping as they sang songs of praise and wroship. All of course by memory with no overhead visual aid or hymnals and also much longer than what we are use to our own children singing.  We listened for a bit and then began our day. The children were divided into three groups ranging from 20-50 in each group ranging from 2-12 years old One group  made drums from formula cans. The second group included Bret, Andrew, and myself and we enjoyed some recreation. The area was very small so recreation did not include running games. Instead we blew up balloons and played "Keep it in the Air". Then we did "ring around the rosie" with small groups at a time. The third group was led by Tina, Nora, Clarrisa and Maggie helped children bead necklaces. Later, a group of 85 older children gathered to make Frisbees out of lids from gallon ice cream buckets. We finished the morning with a story about Daniel and the Lion's Den and songs with hand motions.

The elders served us a traditional lunch followed a coffee ceremony then we started work on the ceiling. It was an all day job and it is still not quite complete. We left around 5:30 and the workers started up again. Tomorrow we return for church service. Hopefully they were able to complete it.

That is it for now. Thanks so much for following.
Sherridan

Thursday, October 11, 2012

13.5 Hours To Go!

Hi all!
This is Melissa writing from Spokane for the team.  I just received word that their first two legs of the journey were good and they are currently preparing to board in Washington D.C. on Ethiopia Air.  They should be in Addis Ababa in approximately 13.5 hours!  The team is pretty tired, so hopefully they will be able to get some good sleep on this flight. 

When they land in Addis it will be Friday morning.  (Addis is 10 hours ahead of us)  The team will have time to put their bags in their guest house and then they hit the ground running with some lessons on Ethiopian culture, a tour of Bingham Acadamey and a tour of Korah. 

They will be helping the Misgana Church in Korah with some building repairs as well as holding a VBS for approximately 150 children who live in Korah.  Korah is a community centered around the dump outside of Addis.  Feel free to look it up to see what the team will be encountering on their first two days in Ethiopia.

Thanks for following their story.  The next post should be coming from Ethiopia!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

The Day Has Come!

The day we have been waiting for has finally arrived!  We are leaving at 5:30pm and couldn't be more excited.  The 9 of us have been preparing and working hard to reach this day and it is so worth it.  Our 10th team member, Nora, will be arriving in Addis ahead of us and we are all looking forward to seeing her again.  Already some of the plans for our time there have been adjusted, but we know that God is in control and whatever He has planned will be for our good and His glory!

We finished the packing with just minutes to spare before heading to the airport.  We have 18 large suitcases and totes filled to the brim with supplies to use for our work projects, gifts for the kids and their caretakers at the orphanage, and of course a few gifts for our wonderful friends, the Wades.  There were so many great items given for these projects.  It was a big job to get therm all packed and filled to the correct weight limit.  50 pounds adds up fast! 

Here we are, outside of the church with our luggage.


Packed and ready to go!

Keep following us... Updates will be coming daily (provided we have internet).

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Special Sunday

This past Sunday was pretty special.  It was the last Sunday with our NABC family before heading off to serve in Ethiopia and we had several special guests with us in worship. 

Dr. Fred VanGorkam,  Africa Regional Director for Christian Veterinary Mission
Garry Benfield, Region 5 Director for the Northwest Baptist Convention
Maurice Gress, Mission Team Member for the Inland Empire Baptist Association
Dr. VanGorkam came and shared the message during the service and gave us a great reminder of how good our God is and encouraged us all to take refuge in Him.  "The LORD is good, a stronghold in a day of distress; He cares for those who take refuge in Him."  ~Nahum 1:7
Following the message, Garry gave the charge to the mission team.  He spoke of keeping focus on God (looking up), examining ourselves (looking in), and serving others (looking out). 
Finally, Maurice led our congregation in a prayer time for the entire mission team.  As we knelt at the altar, our NABC family gathered around us and prayed.  It was special time of sending and we are so grateful for our church family for all of the ways they have supported us this past year.

We leave tomorrow!  EVERYONE is so looking forward to this adventure that God is directing.

The family that prays together

Thankful for our supportive church family

Sending us out to serve

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

8 Days and Counting......

Leanne has been very busy!! We heard from her several times in the last twenty-four hours. First, she sent us a notice that the workers employed to build the playground equipment have started the slide. It feels good to know that the project we originally talked about over 9 months ago has finally started. It is also good to know that by having it built there, we also employed others. Leanne then contacted us again and this time sent pictures of the slide!!
 
 
It is hard to see, but on the white board is the plans for the slide and it is all written in Amharic. The top picture is a rotated view of the slide and materials.

Our final contact from Leanne this evening was a three page document giving us instructions on getting through the Bole Airport. First there is the visa counter, security, baggage, and security again. It was disappointing to hear that the Wades will not be about to meet us in the airport. Restrictions require them to wait for us in the parking lot! 

I want to take a moment to thank everyone that has donated supplies and funds to see this trip through. Personally, I have great friends and co-workers that have supported this trip from the beginning and I appreciate it very much. Thanks also to Ken Kerr from McKesson for his donations of medical supplies and equipment that we will be able to share with the kids from Korah.

We are sorting supplies on Thursday morning and packing suitcases on Friday evening.

The count down continues!!
Sherridan