Thank you Bonnie for your willingness to share:
Even though been putting off writing about Ethiopia, it has never been very far from my mind at any given moment. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but whatever it was, it caught me unawares -- many times. A catch in my throat, a sigh, a tear that formed in my eye--these were all manifestations in my physical body what my heart was feeling.
Sure, I was excited to meet up with my husband, whom I hadn’t seen for eight weeks. Sure, we were thrilled to be able to meet and hug our little Girum, whom we sponsor. But I was not prepared for certain moments, like when 225 precious children in tattered uniforms and bare feet came to welcome us with so much appreciation. Like when we went shopping for some socks and closed-toe shoes that we could give Girum and it only cost $20 U.S. dollars. Like when we presented those shoes and socks with the gift bag and found out that they were his first pair of shoes--ever. He is nine years old and in first grade and walks over five miles a day just to get to school and the feeding center. We realized that our sponsorship is just a drop in the bucket among thousands of children, but it is making a huge difference in his little life.
And then there was the moment that we had a home visit with Girum’s mother and family. “Oh, it’s not far,” they said as we had to stop the van and walk down the washed-out road. Africa is huge, and when they say, “It’s not far,” don’t believe them. We got to the mud hut where Girum’s mother was. This was my first home visit and I was not prepared. I was shocked at the state of her mud hut. I could see the sun shining through the gaping hole in the back. Girum has five other siblings and his mother is a widow. His mother began to cry when we came because she had been praying to God to send some relief. She saw Girum’s shoes and was so grateful. I think Girum is the only one out of that whole family that gets one consistent meal per day. Through a translator we learned that she had her one breast cut off. They don’t call it breast cancer, they call it “breast sickness.” Her first husband had died several years before and she had been hired out to another man. This other man abandoned her, but left her his legacy in the child that she was holding and nursing with her one breast. I assured her of our prayers and then we had to leave. I was crying when we left. The loaf of bread we brought for her was woefully inadequate.
I remember the moment the first time I had to use the “squatty potties.” And then realizing the staff and the children alike had to use these all the time. Many moments were routine, like when I took vital signs from child after child so they could have a medical record after the doctor examined them. Do you know that in Ethiopia, there is a ruler that I marked on a door jamb for children’s heights that will probably be there for many years? I am so very thankful I went on this trip. It brings the mission field up close and personal. When I read about Ethiopia in the Bible I can say I’ve been there. Though I could write much more, I will remember that the moments were precious, unforgettable, and sometimes troubling.
