Blog Update: Ethiopia

Hello, everyone!!!!! We only have wifi for like thirty minutes today. We’ve driven to Addis Ababa (the capitol of Ethiopia) and it’s roughly three hours from Harbu Chulule (where we’ve been for the last two weeks). The village we’re in is very secluded and we’ve had and will continue to have zero access to wifi. Also this will likely be the first and only encounter we have with wifi until the end of the month. The closest we’ve been to a town for two weeks is the local market (about a ten minute walk from our compound). It’s where everyone brings their donkeys and cows. There’s one corner store that basically only has Coca-Cola, popcorn kernels, and one flavor of lollipop. I mean you can’t get any more World Race than this.

I’m getting very tan from all the outdoor work we’ve been doing and loving the peacefulness of our compound. I’m on the reforestation and brick building ministry team; however, we haven’t visited the reforestation site (we’re praying that will happen next week) so my team has been sifting dirt and building bricks. It’s hard work. I’ve lost some weight I think from the workout it has been. Luckily, we’ve been fed very well and we are living on land with a fresh, CLEAN water well so we are never without water readily at hand. The first week I was shoveling dirt for 3hrs in the morning and 3hrs in the afternoon nearly every day. Earlier this week, we learned to build bricks with all the sifted dirt from the week before and Thursday we manually carried bricks two by two from one end of the compound to the other (roughly a quarter mile one way). Thursday alone I walked upwards of 7.5 miles carrying about 22 bricks and, then, personally stacked 108 bricks (double the size/weight of the first 22 bricks I carried) on the ground to dry as they came off the brick maker. Needless to say, I’m pushing myself to new levels.

It’s been an amazing month so far. Africa will definitely be the place I will see the most change in myself and my squad, and it has/will create greater dependence on the Lord. God’s leading me to dream a little with him and get some vision for the future. The people are wonderful (even if I haven’t worked as much with them). God is certainly moving among us here and the peace on this place is so refreshing. I’ve dreamed more in the last two weeks, hoped more, and had more freedom to lean into the Lord without the distractions/noise that comes with our comfortable, digital world. I mean, our room of 8 people has like two outlets and I’ve only had to use my powerbank to charge my phone because I’m literally never on it. I’ll have fewer pictures and fewer blogs, but we’ve all gotten to have a whole lot more of Jesus. Praying and believing for even more. More Holy Spirit. More dependence. More community. Just so much more.

Thank you for your prayers. I want to ask that all of you really press into the Lord during this time of true separation. Please, please keep praying big, faith-filled prayers for our squad; but, also, pray big prayers for yourself, your family, and your friends. Man, I wish you all could experience the peace out here. It makes you believe your prayers are heard. It makes you see that God is very real and active. It makes you see the turmoil inside and address it head-on, which I guess isn’t peaceful by most definitions or for most people. However, it brings lasting peace when we do face the music. I love how Africa is bringing out the best in everyone and showing all of us areas to grow in. Don’t fear the mess or the daunting nature of the prayers you might be led to pray. Face it. Pray over it. Worship in it. Fast for it. Tell people about it. Get quiet. Get vulnerable. Get humble. God is in it with you. He is closer than a breath away.