Easter In Ethiopia

April 6, 2010

Another week has gone by and I have decided that maybe I better start my own blog- one I try to keep going once I go home- I'm thinking a blog is a great way to keep a journal & I find adding a few pictures will help with the story too.

Three main events that come to mind since my last entry- more rain, Easter & the first day of planting on the farm

And the rains came pouring down- another night of rain- thunder & lightning too which seems odd in the middle of the night- which wouldn't be bad since the next day proved to be warm & dry. Unfortunately the rains came at a time the when the water truck was low. You know you're in a remote area when a little rain makes the roads impassable. Our bottled water was getting short too so Alyssa & I went to the nearby tarp tents to buy water from the locals- they pointed out that they get water from the tops of their tarps- actually Val had set up a way to save the rainwater too into barrels with a rain gutter system. We bought 4 bottles of water & started conserving- but before the day was out our men had brought us more water. Not to worry though, we have a water filter & clorox too if we need to use the water off our roof.

Easter was different this year- and enjoyable. It was really a quiet weekend here- many of the workers had the weekend off- Good Friday & Easter Sunday is a holiday for Christians while Saturday is a day of worship for the Muslims. It was conference weekend here as well. We listened to conference Saturday & Sunday night- the 10 a.m. session began at 7 p.m. here. All twelve of us Americans shared Easter dinner together- a goat roast pressure cooked until tender, mashed potatoes & gravy (Val welded me a potatoe masher out of rebar), corn, rolls & coconut cream pie. Tasty! Alan & Shelly, Mark & Heidi, Clair, Bracken & of course Alyssa & Wes are all feeling like family here as we work together toward a common cause.

Sunday afternoon found Val & I on a motorbike for an adventure-you get a better sense at how big this farm is that way. About 5 miles away we stopped at a little school & village- a teacher gave me a tour of the place and another teacher took me to her home. I can't wait to go back when school's in session. That evening as we listened to the prophet speak, I couldn't help but feel grateful my many blessings.

Planting wheat officially began yesterday- the pressure is on to get the wheat planted before the rainy season which could commence at any time. This year the hope is to plant 2000 hectres or about 4000 acres of seed wheat- a variety for producing higher yields and drought resistent. Of course nothing is easy around here- the farm is still awaiting better equipment but until then they are patching together any equipment they can get a hold of. Val's skills have been in high demand. He has got equipment going that didn't seem posible to fix. Really I need to have Val blog about the farm side of things- his perspective & experiences are unique as well. Today they planting using old methods - 3 broadcast spreaders & then discing over that. We hope this will work for this planting season. We're praying the sunshines for 10 more days- rain rain go away...come again after the wheat is safely in the ground.

This is the middle of no where even for Ethiopians

Monday Evening March 22

Saturday we spent the entire day shopping- picking up hand made rugs, curtains that were made to order- the market we went to pick them up has thousands of open stalls-its the largest in all of Africa- and so fascinating- unfortunately its not the place to look like a tourist so I haven't taken any pictures there- interesting that like items are situated together so if you are shopping for something you can go to that area- (Today we went shopping for kitchen items and there were blocks of little stores) Last Saturday we also went to 3 different grocery stores to stalk up on food items for the farm with the understanding that we wouldn't have refrigeration yet and wouldn't have access to another grocery store for at least 4 hours away. Kinda tricky to find good food in a third world country store that we will want to eat but won't need to be kept cold- we bought pastas, rice, flour & pickles.

Sunday March 14th was a first district conference since Ethiopia was made a district several months ago. A member of the first quorum of the seventy came, Elder Redlin. There was an amazing spirit there. He shared with them some warnings that we all can take to heart. 1. They will be critisized for joining the church but they must stay strong and hold to the truth. 2. When there are problems, don't become offended and stay away from church. He told a story about Edward Wooley who was an early member of the church and bishop- He was asked to build an assembly hall, later Brigham Young severly critized him, telling him it was too ornate. Later Brigham Young apologized and asked why he didn't leave the church over that incident. Bishop Wooley told him it was because it was the Lord's church and not Brigham's. Interesting to note that Bishop Wooleys grandson is Spencer Wooley Kimball. 3. When you sin, don't feel like you can't come back to church. We all make mistakes and must continue to come to church, repent and partake of the sacrament worthily. 4 Be obedient for the Lord has many blessings for you. He also made a statement telling those couple hundred members that in ten years there will be tens of thousands of members in Ethiopia and they will look back to these members of the church with gratitude for being pioneers here in Ethiopia.

Monday March 15 Alyssa & I flew out to Bali, Goba - The Alyssa Farm near Beltu. What took Val over 20 hours to drive took us just over an hour to fly in a small plane- which meant we could see the patchwork farms, villages & mountains along the way. The ride was smooth but a little unsettling to see the Pilot put a map over his windshield to keep the sun out- I'm sure he was flying by auto pilot but still... We arrived and how wonderful to look down and see the farm and then our family waiting for us- Val & Wes

Tues Morn and I'm still trying to finish my journal entry:

The farm compound is amazing with so much happening there. There is the actual farm operation of clearing and tilling the land. Bulldozers go out 16 hours a day to clear the ground and pile up the brush, fire starters then go out and burn them up, tractors then are out tilling the ground getting ready for planting around the first of April. They are hoping for 2000 hecters to be ready by then. The homestead area is also a hive of activity with 4 homes in various stages of being built. We moved into the home that was filled with boxes and almost finished- We spent the week unloading furniture, finishing the wiring and generally making it a home. Val made some makeshift cabinets our of scraps. Wes is the project manager there and works to keep it all moving forward- and there is something every day to work through. He really communicates well with his entire crew- there are a handful of frengies (foreigners) and hundred of Ethiopians working on the farm.

Alyssa & I set up our home with lots of help. One house has been getting the cement foundation in. It has taken about a week to pour it by hand with one mixer and lots of labor as they pack it to the the site by hand. Wes invited some of the women construction crew to help us in our home. They have helped cook with a kerosene stove, wash dishes outside in a bucket- we are teaching them to use dish soap and clorox, and sweep out the house. We have had more help than we need but it is fun to work with them. They are amazed at the flushing toilet and the now working stove. These homes are going to be really nice especially when Val tells me what rough roads the trucks had to bring all these supplies out here.

Of course we are not just working on the farm. We are having fun too! Wes has started a wild animal collection. A few weeks ago he bought a baby monkey from some kids. Ever since then the locals have figured out Wes will pay for interesting animals. So far he has collected a baby monkey, a couple of baby African civets, a guinnea pig thing that died when it rained too hard, a tiny turtle (their are huge ones walking around too), and yesterday when he got a cameleon we haven't seen yet. When the locals brought a guinna hen, we ate that for lunch- a little tough but it was meat:) Alyssa & I walked over to a local tarp restaurant set up to feed workers here. It was fun- first they brought us chairs, then a little table complete with table cloth, a coke and then we ordered tibbs for lunch (goat in little pieces cooked with onions & hot peppers) This can be spicy but this time is wasn't. It was tender compared with the beef I've tried here.

Since we are pretty close to the equator, the days are about equal with it getting light about 6:30 in the morning and getting dark around that time too. We play games at night and gaze at the strars which are much, much brighter out there so you can actually see Orion and it really looks like its suppose to. We're glad to have electricity & lights- most don't out here. We have been taking showers from a bucket but they will be getting running water too. And as of last Saturday, Internet service was brought to the compound. Amazing since it really is out in the middle of nowhere.

Last Friday we took a drive to the village of Beltu about 15 kolometers away. It has rained some and is very beautiful and green. We stopped at a spring surrounded by beautiful trees. We saw monkeys, baboons & even a warthog. There is no water in Beltu so they must pack it several miles from the spring. White people are a very unusual site. I took some pictures of some ladies in colorful dresses. (almost all women here wear dresses) They were a bit fearful but interested in seeing their picture on the camera. In Beltu we were mobbed by more than a hundred children which was fine until a group started pinching Alyssa hard. We plan to go back on market day soon.

Alyssa & I flew back to Addis because her children have been released from the VOH. If all goes well they will be coming here today. We are very excited to be getting them. We will be spending our days shopping for them & the farm. We plan to fly back to the farm this Saturday.

This is more than enough for now. Time to get up and greet this new day!

A Trip to Addis

Tuesday, March 30 2010 Ithink this is the date-it's easy to lose track of days here.

My Ethiopian Journal:

I'll try to pick up where I left off last week- I wrote that the kids had been released from the VOH and they were expected to arrive. Unfortunately, we hit another road block and that did not happen. So disappointing! Alyssa & I spent a tearful evening in Addis wishing we had the kids in our care. I want to share their lives with them before we come home. We are still hoping it may happen soon- with help from others.

In spite of the disappointment, Alyssa & I saw Addis through the windows of a taxi as we traveled around the capitol shopping for various supplies for the farm-. Addis is a kalidascope of colorful images. I'll try to paint a picture for you.

Fashion: Many women dress beautifully with lots of very pretty fashionable things to buy if you have the money & can figure out where to buy them. When we went shopping, we walked down a street of clothing shops- each one carried about 200 items -mostly one of a kind items. We must have popped into 20 tiny shops before she found 2 pairs of shorts & a cute shirt.

Religion: Ethiopians are very religious. A beautiful Christian Orhodox church can be seen from the guest home we stayed in- Each morning and often at night- loud speakers chant in a language that has been lost even to the Ethiopians of God's will for them. (I'm guessing here and so are the Ethiopians) Sunday morning on our way to church we saw many people in their worship clothes heading for church as well. Alyssa & I enjoyed primary at the branch. They had an excellent program using the same material we use at home. I was impressed with how well the children know their bible stories- even obscure ones. Beautiful children everywhere.

Transportation: We easily spent more than a hundre dollars on taxis this week. Amazing that we dare jump into a taxi with a stranger and put our lives into their hands as they transport us around through the bizare traffic system. Surprising that the system works as well as it does- pedestrians crossing randomly, cars turning left without a light over several lanes of traffic, and cars driving where there isn't even suppose to be lante. They beep at each other and seem quite aware of one another as they zip around the town. There are hundreds of little blue taxis and hundreds of vans too. The vans have a driver & someone hanging out the window to get more passengers.

Efficiency is not a strong trait here: Last Tuesday morning Alyssa & I decided that getting anti snake venom was important for the farm- never know if someone might get bit by a snake and have only hours to live. As we were out walking we stopped by a OB hospital who then sent us to another hospital, a ten minute walk away. At this hospital, I had a nice chat with a Somalian business man who wanted to practice his English while waiting to visit with the doctor. The doctor then wrote me out a prescription for medical supplies for the farm (Val was wishing for suture items since a girl with a big gash had come in) and told us that the lab at St Paul's would have anti venom. So Alyssa & I jumped in a taxi for 100 bir (about $9) and rode 45 minutes across town to St Pauls. At the lab, we were told we would need an official letter from the hospital we came from but pointed out the distribution center where we would get it. We didn't want to go back so after waiting for the boss to return from his 2 hour lunch we pled our case with him. At first he refused but since he was dealing with forengies (foreigners) he relented. 6 hours after we first began our quest, we had our anti snake venom in hand. Not an efficient day!

Culture: Ethiopians are a helpful, gracious people.and very communal. Besides the connection they have with one another while driving, you feel their connection whenever we go walking too. Everett is a star here and he happily jumps into everyone's arms. Ethiopians will happily coo over him or just as willingly, give their advice. If Everett is not wearing a hat when the sun is shinig, they will tell you he needs one. If he is sleeping in his carrier, they will point at him to let you know that he may be uncomfortable. We chuckle to hear them laughing at the way Alyssa carries him in her front pack rather than on her back like they do.

So many sites to remember from Addis. With over 5 million people living in the city and many without jobs- you have to admire the way they try to make work for themselves. Selling gum, shining shoes, or weaving through the cars to sell sunglasses. Hardest to see are the beggars on the street- children, women with babies, or those with severe physical defects. This is a city of opposites living side by side- the rich and the poor but nothing in between. Especially colorful are the fruit stands at every corner selling a large variety of fruits and vegtables- bananas (yummy), avocados, zuchini, mangoes, & tomatoea, to name a few all lined up in rows.

After a week in Addis, Alyssa & I were ready fly to the farm & our men. When we arrived, I knew Val was sick because he wasn't at the plane to greet me and I could see him sitting on the porch. Everyone was worried about him as he hadn't moved from his bed for 24 hours- some checked on him to see if he was dead he was still for so long. Unfortunately the hundreds of bug bites- we think bed bugs from a motel before he arrived at the farm & fleas since arriving had pulled his ability to cope down- fevers & chills for several days. These open sores are pussy & infected and are slow to heal- several on his ankle has made it swell. Very painful & itchy. Thank goodness he is on the mend though- Sunday night I had nightmares- waking up all hours of the night thinking I had fleas in bed with us. Lucky for me they only like certain people.

The farm work progressed without us- a bulldozer & 6 loaders go out and push up burn piles, burn crews are piromaniacs and the tractors are plowing virgin land every day. Another house is almost completed which will be Alan & Shelley's home for the next couple of years . Val has cobbled together another kitchen area for them which includes a kitchen sink. No small feat since when a needed parts are missing, you can't run to a plumbing store. Wes & Alyssa's home has been started- metal frame in place & brick work going up fast. And we are really happy that we have a real stove & a refrigerator using a generator & cold running water now too.

Everyday has its challenges & uniqueness- the last couple of days it has rained good & hard in the early morning hours- muddy mess! This morning the living room wiring started smoking aparantly we have a short somewhere.

- We are-sad the last African civet died.He was fun. since he liked to run up your leg & sleep in our hair . Right nowAlyssa, Shelly & Val iare doctoring the little girl with the slash wound on her back.The mother walked 2 hours to bring her and she has come several times- it still looks really bad. We are defineately having experiences we won't soon forget.

Glad to know are children are taking good care of one another. I sure love my family & friends. There are definately some things I've taken for granted- one is cooking breakfast without waiting for someone to turn on the generator.

Life is still very good.

The Village of Hope

It was great to see Everett sitting on Alyssa's shoulders the morning we arrived here at Addis after an all night flight from Rome. We headed straight for church at 10. What a sweet gathering we found there. Members with the light of Christ in their eyes and the church with beautiful flowers and grounds too. Testimonies were humble and sincere. Missionaries, including a humanitarian couple were fun to visit with. I had one slight trouble there- I almost fell off my seat in Relief Society when jet lag overtook me. A Sunday nap and I have since tried to ignore the 10 hour time difference.

Monday morning March 8th had me trying to email my kids to let them knowof our safe arrival. I wrote three newsy letter without success in getting them to send. Around noon we were told that we had permission to go with Carolyn & Celina down to Shashaminy and the Village of Hope where Alyssa & Wes' five children they are adopting were living about 4 hours away. 30 minutes later we were on our way. What an intriguing journey it is to travel the roads of Ethiopia. It's not an experience you'll soon forget- It's eye popping! Just getting out of town was difficult with road blocks, diesel pollution and not much order with traffic in the city. Alyssa said there are only a couple of lights throughout the whole city. Once out of the city, the sights change but continued to amaze my senses. People walking, laden donkey carts, goats running into the road, busses stopping in the middle of the road as we weaved between and around them all. Honking your horn is different here too- people give little honks to let others know they are planning to pass or to get out of the way- a type of communication that seems doesn't seem especially rude. We passed huts and villages all along the way.

We arrived at the VOH much to the children's surprise. They were more than happy to see us. Fourteen children living in a compound built to meet their needs of home. Alyssa's children came running to greet us. It was very heartwarming. Beautiful, delightful children! What a treat for us to spend the week getting to know them and experience their life with them. Alyssa and I enjoyed playing games with the children- hopscotch in the dirt, organizing a few books, and making a pinata. Val helped fix the lights and toilets- unfortunately he spent one sick day at the village too. Everyone we meet including staff are extremely gracious and friendly.

I ate some real Ethiopian dishes here- Injera is an everyday staple and is eaten by most Ethiopians every day. It is like a large sour dough crepe and is eaten with other food- You tear off a piece and scoop up your food in place of silverware. They have special Injera stove and I learned to cook them. Some of the tasty dishes we ate at the village were cookies that were like doughnut holes which they fried over a fire, goat with lots of biberi a popular spice, potatoes,carrots & cabbage in a tasty combination, & beets. One dish I didn't try was green beans with intestines cooked in. The VOH also has a milk cow which produces much more milk than most cows here. Friday morning found us at the market- lots of beautiful things to buy. I found it fascinating to watch people building a cobble street road one stone at a time. Friday afternoon we found it hard to say goodbye to the staff and even harder to say goodbye to the children.

I said goodbye to Val too. He was invited to drive with Paul out to the farm- he had quite an adventure coming with several people & some break downs- The roads are terrible so it takes twice as long as it should- 18 hours to get there. Val saw lots of animals & countryside while Alyssa & I went back to Addis so we could finish up shopping before heading to the Alyssa farm.

Lovin' Rome

Sunday, March 21 2010A beautiful morning in Addis Abba Ethiopia and I am in bed at the guest house- a rental home of Paul Morrell. Everett is sitting beside me trying to tear up pages in Val's bible and lunge at my computer. It has been an amazing couple of weeks here and I want to share my feelings of these events.

Two weeks ago today we flew in after three exciting days in Rome- we walked around central Rome to almost every important spot that Jeff Anderson had lined out for us. The way this city is able to merge its ancient history & modern culture is really fascinating & wonderful to see first hand with Val. The first day we wandered around the ancient palaces & colloseum- our tour guide filled us in with cool background stories of the place. Our second day was spent at the Vatican- Art everywhere- in paintings, sculpures, rugs, mosaics, & even the ceilings. We spent several hours gawking until our necks were cramped at the Sistine Chapel. Val & I climbed the 521 stairs to the top of St Peter's overlooking St Peter's square and all of Rome. Amazing to see Michaelangelos work and wonder how he could possibly accomplice all he did. Eating was a pleasure too with pizza by the slice, sandwiches without crusts & a yummy pork kabob on flat bread. Our last day was on Saturday was sunny & bright so the crowds joined us as we checked out the Trevi fountain, the very ancient Rome column and Bernini's square filled with fountains, art, and entertainment on every corner.

Christmas 2006