Life in the Country

So another night of shallow sleep. Every night was of shallow sleep. Dogs howling like the scene in 101 Dalmations where they are spreading news of the missing puppies, except it doesn't end. One dog starts it and then they all join in. Why are they howling? I am not sure. They are all hungry and thin. Without enough food to feed the people, there is nothing left for pets. Certainly the local people are bothered by the noise as well, right? I was given some ear plugs by Kim and put them under my pillow. Seems I can get to sleep fine, but the constant noise seems to keep me alert. And then I really can't handle it once the music starts. That is the point at which the discomfort of the ear plugs is well worth it.

Today we got our new driver. His name was Tom. He was quite different than Lsanu. He was a well dressed and handsome man. Kim said he made her hot! I was shocked! She was married and picking up her baby for goodness sakes! Then she revealed she was talking about how warm he dressed, which was true. It was rainy season while we were there and though it was hot outside, it was there coldest time thus everyone dressed as we dress in the dead of winter in Arizona (which of course is still moderate due to our warm temperatures). Anyway, he was on time and his car was in a more stable condition, so we were off to a good start. Until we got into the car and realized that he was not the gentleman we were used to. He did not open our doors. He did not carry our bags. I guess we all have our good and bad, and for now, I was thrilled with his "good's" and we were on our way.

Where we were going and when was all up in question this day. Top priority was obtaining Nettie's passport so that we could apply for a traveling visa for her. Grace had the passport and we were unable to get ahold of her. The lady heading the home where she was staying was frustrated with our english and irritated for the time we took of her, so we were at a dead end. We decided to get on with what the Lord had brought us to do and in the event we heard from Grace, we would just take a detour for the passport and resume with the day as time allowed.

So Tom took us back to the street home to pick up Fikadu. The big gate slid open at the short honk of our horn. And today- the kids lit up as they saw us. They were eager to greet us and wore ear to ear grins at our sight. It felt so good. And so very right.

As we drove out of the town , up and then down a steep hill, we saw country women with large piles of sticks tied to their backs. They were down trodden from the intense hike but wore determination on their faces. They were taking their sticks to town to sell as fire wood. There were men carrying bushels of eggs, one on each end of a large wooden pole that was resting across their back as they walked. Two men to one pole so that they could take turns with the heavy, yet delicate load. And then there were mules in which wooden boxes were made to fit along their backs with produce from the country side. The nearest little town which was where we were headed, took 25 minutes by car to get to from Addis. This was the walk in which all of these people and animals were headed. Now that is work.

The countryside was better than I had imagined. As we drove out of the smoke and smog, out of the smells of filth and urine, out of the tin propped homes and begger ridden streets, there was this beautiful, lush, clean countryside. It reminded me of driving in Northern California's wine country. The houses were not big, but bigger. The people were purposeful working to sort grains and produce. The streets were clean and for the first time, I felt a real peace come over me.

We pulled off the main road and not to far. There it was. There were acres of land that Hope for the Hopeless had bought and begun contructing their future boys and girls home on. Two dormatories were already built of concrete cinder block. Water had been run to the property. A foundation for a dining hall and kitchen was in place. There was land to build a total of nine dorms on. This one facility would house over 360 children one day. And it was truly beautiful. I had visions of the children working in the garden, playing football, talking over the fence to the boy who road backward on his donkey just for laughs. I could see this being an amazing place of healing for these children that had lost so much. It would be a place for them to be educated, cared for, trained in trades, and spiritually fed. They could leave behind the city life, the street life. They could start fresh breathing in fresh air and playing in lush, green grass. This was a true place of hope for these children. It felt so great.

We wanted to see where the children would go to church upon the completion of construction. It was only about a five minute drive to a tall barn like building with large glass windows forming a cross on the front. The gate was closed and we stepped out of our car to take pictures. The country children stopped and stared in amazement. Had they seen white folks before? I think if they had, it had been a really long time. Kim went to the car and brought them out some candy. They lit up with joy.

The logistics of getting this project complete are tough. There is not enough money. Not enough man power. And yet, as the project is stalled, the government can seize the land for it not being completed "on time". And the project has to be guarded by the super intendant daily which results in cab fare and labor expense even when construction is not under way. And yet, with no ongoing sponsorship, the two existing dorms are 80% complete. The dining hall is 10% complete. And God has protected the land from being seized already one time.

As we drove away, I was in awe. I could see a normal life in the country for a family like mine. Kim was ready to move there right then, I think! It was truly amazing. It was beautiful and right. The people were beautiful and right. And yet, the news that is coming out of the countrysides are stories of children being orphaned to disease and famine. The scarcity of food is causing people to mix dirt with their grains to make it stretch further and orphans are coming to the city at record rates to try and survive. Addis is growing exponentially with jobless, and most often times, parentless settlers. Now that I have been there, it is not hard to believe. I do believe it. I have seen it. It is not hard to believe, or to imagine. Just hard to accept.