Archive for November, 2008
Listening to Chris Tomlin and Reading a Book On Sexual Abuse (AT THE SAME TIME)!
Wednesday, November 26th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments
“He was her uncle, an adult, a man authority and power…the setup was in place.”
“How Great is our God, sing with me how Great is our God.”
“Sexual abuse occurs in a context of emptiness, confusion, and loneliness, a context that sets up the victim for a baffling interplay of betrayal, ambivalence, and powerlessness, as the adult moves the victim from one stage of abuse to the next.”
“Your GRACE is enough. Your GRACE is enough. Your GRACE is enough for me.”
“To add to the complexity, there are times when the child literally will feel betrayed by his own body, because he is powerless to stop the abuse or even his psychological response to it.”
“Nothing and NO ONE is beyond your love.”
“The silence is rarely broken. Few children or adolescents tell a parents, friend, or teacher about the abuse. It remains a dark secret for years, if not forever.”
“Everything YOU hold in your hands..Praise you God of earth and sky. How beautiful is your unfailing love”
As I put the truths of these songs and this book side by side, it sometimes seems crazy to think that both are true. But of course they are. And honestly, I can only believe these things are true because of my own experiences with Amazing God, what it says in the Word, and the many stories I’ve heard from ex-prostitutes/ex-strippers/sexual abuse survivors. Even lately, I’ve heard about the beautiful way that the women at the Center for Women are worshipping God because He has reached the depths of their souls. They have realized that He is their real Savior and Redeember. It’s amazing and amazingly TRUE. That’s all I have to say about that.
An Afternoon Party With My Co-Workers
Wednesday, November 26th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments
It’s a tradition of mine to always have an English Tea every year-either by making if myself or going to a tea house. So, this year I decided to have my co-workers over for one. I made chicken cranberry sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches, and cranberry orange scones. Cindy helped me and bought some cookies too. The only problem was the power went out just before everyone came so we had to settle for fruit juice instead of tea. We had about twenty of the ladies over in the afternoon. It was nice to spend some time together away from school, but as we sat in our living room I realized that we had very little to talk about. This was partly because my co-workers don’t speak English all htat well, I don’t speak Amharic well, and some of my co-workers can be very shy. Nonetheless, we did havea good time and I’m glad that Cindy and I were able to open our home to them.
Being in Africa When Obama Won
Wednesday, November 26th, 2008 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Now I must confess that it was a bit fun to be here in Ethiopia, East Africa when the first African American won the presidency. I didn’t find out the results of the election until early that Wednesday morning because of the time change. As I turned on the TV at 6:30 a.m. and found out that Obama won, I could hear my neighbors next door shouting for joy.
Never has anyone of African blood had the powerful position of American President and that means a lot to the people of Africa who have such a history of racial oppression. It is a huge sign of change for them that Obama has been elected and they are excited. People wear Obama T-Shirts, they put Obama bumper stickers on their cars, and there’s even an Obama Cafe here in Addis.
To top it off, I went to Bible Study that Wednesday night to find that one of the members from Kenya had brought an Obama cake. I couldn’t help smiling because I don’t think we would ever do this in the states. I think this man brought the cake because he happens to be from the same tribe in Kenya as Obama’s father was, so technically he’s related to Obama.
That’s been my Obama experience in Africa!
Psalm 45—An Answer to Homesickness
Monday, November 24th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments
I was listening to a sermon from my church in SD on marriage (really really good sermon on Ephesians 5) and in that sermon the pastor mentioned Psalm 45. I looked it up and started to read verses that God seemed to be saying just to me….
“Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father’s family. The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor Him, for He is your Lord.”
Now at first when I read the word “forget” I was a bit astounded. I don’t think God is calling me to literally forget everyone back home. But I think He is calling me to let go of them a bit more and be totally in the moment here. I am here to honor and worship God by serving Him. He loves me and I love Him and that has a lot to do with my being here.
P.S. As I read the part that says “enthralled by your beauty,” I have a hard time believing it. Is that really possible?? But sometimes when I feel the most broken and empty, that is when God reminds me of His Love the most. He must see something in me that I don’t always see.
Halloween Ethiopian Style
Monday, November 24th, 2008 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment
No matter where I go, I will always be an American and this is definitely true when it comes to holidays. So, since October 31st was on a Friday, Cindy and I decided to have some friends over and celebrate Halloween. We bought a pumpkin and Cindy did the honors of carving it into a pumpkin. This was her first time doing this in her life and she did quite a good job, considering that our knives weren’t all that sharp. Then I made Mexican food from scratch (which takes forever, but it sure is tasty : ) and we had a few friends over, mostly from work. After dinner we did some ‘reverse trick or treating’ and started handing out candy to the beggars on the street. We wished them a “Happy Halloween.” I’m sure they had no idea what that meant but they were grateful just the same.
An Excursion to Entoto Mountains!
Monday, November 24th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Entoto Mountains is a historic place outside of Addis. It is home to quite a large population of people living with HIV/AIDS who have been ostracized from society and forced to live isolated from the rest of the city. It is also a historic site of a former emperor’s home, a few churches, beautiful views of Addis Ababa, and perhaps the most important thing—CLEAN AIR!!! (Addis definitely suffers from poor air quality)
Just getting there was quite the adventure. Cindy and I got a ride with a local Dutch guy which was very nice. Then we found ourselves in Shiro Meda, a huge market area where they sell tons of traditional clothes and souvenirs. We started walking up the hill. On the way up we saw women carrying 15-20 feet long eucalyptus branches on their backs. We also saw a few men getting into a fight, and of course, we saw cute Ethiopian children (there’s always a plethora of them around)!! The further we went up the hill, the more we got stared at. We were really getting the feeling that usually white people don’t walk this road. Later we realized that all forengees (the Amharic word for foreigners, also my second nickname here) take tour buses up to this site, but we wanted to try walking. That lasted for about an hour when we hopped into a very very crowded mini bus on a road with no shoulder or ramp to prevent us from falling off the mountain. (another one of those adventures that made the list of life experiences).
Once we got to the church, looked at the view of smoggy Addis and breathed the clean mountain air, Cindy and I were both a peace. We had finally made it to the top and all was quiet and calm as we overlooked the busy city. It was almost as good as going to the ocean, but not quite.
Happy Birthday Sisterrr!!!
Monday, November 24th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments
We had chocolate cake just for you!! : )
So, one of the most difficult things about living so far away from home is that you have to miss important moments like birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and other get- togethers. It is part of the cost of living abroad. Moments in time can never be duplicated so you have to live with the reality that you will miss those moments with the people that you love and trust that this too is part of God’s will for being far from home. It’s not always so easy.
So, on Friday it was my sister Kristi’s birthday. I have only missed being with her on her birthday a few times in her life so it was sad that this year had to be one of those years : ( Nevertheless, I thought about her all day, did get a chance to send her a present and card, and to top it off, my friends and I ate chocolate cake in her honor. It wasn’t the same but it was the best I could do. I love you Kristi and please know that your birthday was celebrated here in Ethiopia too!!! : )
CH-CH-CH-CHANGES
Monday, November 24th, 2008 | Uncategorized | No Comments
The two guys have left, but our maid is still here with us!
In the course of three days, Cindy and I saw both of our security guards and a foreign teacher friend quit. Every day for three days in a row, someone left. It feels very unstable. The longer I stay here the more I realize that I will be saying a lot of hellos and goodbyes. Ethiopians leave for other countries to try to find something better. Foreigners come here for limited amounts of time. And all of this means that I cannot self-protect myself from the pain of getting to know someone and then saying goodbye, not knowing if I will see them again. It’s difficult at times. Sometimes I wish everyone I knew and loved would just stay in one place so I could just savor them for who they are and never have to say goodbye. But, that reality does not exist this side of heaven and I have to pray for the grace to accept that and love others no matter how long we live in the same place.
P.S. We now have two new security guards who we’re still getting used to and they haven’t replaced the other teacher yet.