As I sat down on Jackson's bed in Ethiopia I started to get emotional. I remembered so many sweet memories in that room over the last five years. Jackson was 14 months old when he moved into that room. He learned to sleep in a big boy bed there, and he said goodbye to his passé there. He went to sleep anxiously awaiting the first day of school in this room and we were anxious the first time he slept without dippers there. Countless nights of awaking to the power being off and him yelling for us, and the eventual progression as he got older of finding his flashlight and turing it on. Hours of laughter filled the room as he played with tractors, Legos and Star Wars. Often times we would find him going out on his small balcony and talking to his friends Desta and Teddy who lived next door. We put him to sleep in this room in a cheaply made crib and laid down with him in his big boy boy on nights he couldn't fall sleep. So many sweet memories flooded my mind as I though back over the last five years, looking around his room as his toys sat untouched.
It is like two worlds colliding when I think about it. Our life in America and our life in Ethiopia. I miss us being there right now, but I don't miss being there the dreadful night Amanda was sick. I am joyful that she is in good hands in Raleigh, but at the same time I long for her to be healthy and all of us sitting around at dinner sharing our highs and lows of the day.
Ultimately though Jackson's room will sit untouched for a while, but he will not. We will hug him and squeeze him and laugh with him and discipline him. We will teach him and cherish every second of it.
Right now as I glance over at Jackson sitting on the couch in the house we are staying at in America, I am overcome with thanksgiving. Our entire lives are up in the air right now, but Jackson is resilient and so our we. We serve a God who fights for us and we praise Him that He will see us through.
16 June 2015
04 June 2015
The Summer of 13...
Bryan Adams has a well known song called "Summer of 69" which tells a nostalgic tail of "the best days of our lives". Its filled with youth optimism and the joys of being young. I suppose if I was going strictly on my youth days, I would say the summer of 97, but that is a post for a later date.
This is a different story.
It was perhaps the most challenging, rewards, happy, tiring, joy filled, sweet, sad, laughing, crying summer of our lives. It was the summer of 2013.
May kicked it off as we took Eric and Amanda to the airport as they headed back to the States. Furlough can be a tough time for those left behind. In one sense you are excited to see your friends having the opportunity to go back, but in another sense you realize that you are on your own. You hug them tightly and send them away wishing just a little bit that you could go with them, knowing that next year will be your turn. For us that is how it all started.
At this point, Ermias was starting to spend more time with us, coming over to the house whenever he could. It was nice having him around, and Jackson certainly enjoyed it as well. Amanda had talked a little bit about desiring to adopt Ermais but hadn't really determined anything yet. We knew our summer was going to be very busy because of two key trips, an intern coming to stay with us for a month, and normal work related events. Normally the rain season can be a discouraging time when you are in Addis, but we would not have any time to think about it.
I suppose I should also mention a couple other event that would shape the summer. In March Bethel moved from our original location to a new location which was much bigger. All four of us spent countless hours moving stuff and getting the new building ready for service, which was in April. Also, our beloved friend and neighbor Hana found out she was sick. Hana moved into the house next to us in 2011 with her husband and two kids. She was saved in the Fall of 2011 and on January 1, 2012 she became the first person baptized at Bethel. She was an extraordinary lady and a pillar for the early stages of Bethel. In the Spring she found out she had cancer and at the age of 29 she was in a battle for her life.
At the end of May we kicked of the first of two teams that came to visit. It was our medical trip, which was arranged through the medical clinic I work at. The team that came consisted of several doctors, nurses, and lay people spread all over America. The team was lead by our dear friends Kevin and Alicia who had visited us in 2011.
It is hard to describe this trip and how tiring it was, yet it brought so much joy to our hearts. It lasted just about 10 days and was an experience I will never forget. It is without doubt one of the highlights of my life. One night toward the end of the trip Dr Ralph Alvarado, Amanda and Alicia went by to visit Hana at her house. At this point the cancer had ravished through her body, and Dr Ralph was seeing if there was anything he could recommend for her treatment. For Dr Alvarado and Alicia to take time to do this was incredible. The day we said goodbye to the medical team was very hard for Amanda and I. I don't know why but it was one of the hardest goodbyes we have had to have in Ethiopia. It was a Sunday afternoon and as I watched the bus take the team to the airport, I did everything I could to never let that moment go in my mind. The feeling of pure exhaustion mixed with the gentle peace that the trip was a success. Hours of planning and preparation that for so long were talked about in the future tense were now past. I miss this group dearly, they were indeed a special group of men and women willing to do what it takes to help those in need.
Our second trip that took place happened at the beginning of July. A group from Antioch Baptist Church near Kansas city came to host a Vacation Bible School with Bethel. Also at this time we had a young girl from our home church, Cassia, who also came to stay with us a month. Dale and Nancy Myers brought the team over, which gave us the opportunity to make new lifelong friends. This was our first VBS at Bethel so I didn't really know what to expect. Once again however I was completely amazed how everything turned out. The team worked extremely hard to turn the the building into a jungle theme and it really came out well. The children piled in each day for an opportunity to sing songs, do crafts, meet the puppets, and learn the Bible. God indeed blessed our time together. Like the medical trip, this trip had a profound lasting impression on me. I look at the picture above and have a deep respect and love for all of those who came. Their desire was to dig in, work hard and show the love of Christ to the children of Ethiopia. We worked hard, we prayed hard and we laughed hard. It was a remarkable joy to be apart of it.
Our medical trip ended at the beginning of June and our VBS trip started the beginning of July. On June 22nd, we faced one of the hardest moments of our lives when our sweet friend Hana went home to be with Jesus. After a 4 month battle, cancer overcame her and she past away at a local hospital. A couple of nights before she went into eternity, Amanda and I had the opportunity to stop and spend time with her - I wouldn't trade that time for anything. The morning Hana passed away we received the call and immediately went to spend time with he family. As is custom in Ethiopia, the funeral was later that afternoon. That evening I would take Hana's two sweet children out for pizza, heartbroken as I looked at their sweet faces. They would remember very little of their mom on this earth, but my prayer is that one day they will know her in eternity. The next Sunday we would stand together at Bethel and as a family we would sing one of Hana's favorite songs: "Lord, I need You". It was a bittersweet moment for all of us. Longing to see Hana here on earth, we were praising Jesus that in His plan, Hana was with her Lord, and no longer in pain.
We wrapped up a hard fought summer with a trip to a local lake with our friends. It was a great trip with many sweet memories. It is moments like that that remind me why Ethiopia is so special. Ultimately we were happy as Eric and Amanda would get back from a great furlough and we dug in for a new year (Literally, New Years day is September 11th). The kids were back and school and the sun shown brightly. Ermias began spending more time with us as well, and when we asked him one rainy day over pizza if he would like to be apart of our family he said yes. Yep, that was pretty amazing. Of course, why should I be surprised?
After all, it was the summer of 2013...
This is a different story.
It was perhaps the most challenging, rewards, happy, tiring, joy filled, sweet, sad, laughing, crying summer of our lives. It was the summer of 2013.
May kicked it off as we took Eric and Amanda to the airport as they headed back to the States. Furlough can be a tough time for those left behind. In one sense you are excited to see your friends having the opportunity to go back, but in another sense you realize that you are on your own. You hug them tightly and send them away wishing just a little bit that you could go with them, knowing that next year will be your turn. For us that is how it all started.
At this point, Ermias was starting to spend more time with us, coming over to the house whenever he could. It was nice having him around, and Jackson certainly enjoyed it as well. Amanda had talked a little bit about desiring to adopt Ermais but hadn't really determined anything yet. We knew our summer was going to be very busy because of two key trips, an intern coming to stay with us for a month, and normal work related events. Normally the rain season can be a discouraging time when you are in Addis, but we would not have any time to think about it.
I suppose I should also mention a couple other event that would shape the summer. In March Bethel moved from our original location to a new location which was much bigger. All four of us spent countless hours moving stuff and getting the new building ready for service, which was in April. Also, our beloved friend and neighbor Hana found out she was sick. Hana moved into the house next to us in 2011 with her husband and two kids. She was saved in the Fall of 2011 and on January 1, 2012 she became the first person baptized at Bethel. She was an extraordinary lady and a pillar for the early stages of Bethel. In the Spring she found out she had cancer and at the age of 29 she was in a battle for her life.
At the end of May we kicked of the first of two teams that came to visit. It was our medical trip, which was arranged through the medical clinic I work at. The team that came consisted of several doctors, nurses, and lay people spread all over America. The team was lead by our dear friends Kevin and Alicia who had visited us in 2011.
It is hard to describe this trip and how tiring it was, yet it brought so much joy to our hearts. It lasted just about 10 days and was an experience I will never forget. It is without doubt one of the highlights of my life. One night toward the end of the trip Dr Ralph Alvarado, Amanda and Alicia went by to visit Hana at her house. At this point the cancer had ravished through her body, and Dr Ralph was seeing if there was anything he could recommend for her treatment. For Dr Alvarado and Alicia to take time to do this was incredible. The day we said goodbye to the medical team was very hard for Amanda and I. I don't know why but it was one of the hardest goodbyes we have had to have in Ethiopia. It was a Sunday afternoon and as I watched the bus take the team to the airport, I did everything I could to never let that moment go in my mind. The feeling of pure exhaustion mixed with the gentle peace that the trip was a success. Hours of planning and preparation that for so long were talked about in the future tense were now past. I miss this group dearly, they were indeed a special group of men and women willing to do what it takes to help those in need.
Our second trip that took place happened at the beginning of July. A group from Antioch Baptist Church near Kansas city came to host a Vacation Bible School with Bethel. Also at this time we had a young girl from our home church, Cassia, who also came to stay with us a month. Dale and Nancy Myers brought the team over, which gave us the opportunity to make new lifelong friends. This was our first VBS at Bethel so I didn't really know what to expect. Once again however I was completely amazed how everything turned out. The team worked extremely hard to turn the the building into a jungle theme and it really came out well. The children piled in each day for an opportunity to sing songs, do crafts, meet the puppets, and learn the Bible. God indeed blessed our time together. Like the medical trip, this trip had a profound lasting impression on me. I look at the picture above and have a deep respect and love for all of those who came. Their desire was to dig in, work hard and show the love of Christ to the children of Ethiopia. We worked hard, we prayed hard and we laughed hard. It was a remarkable joy to be apart of it.
Our medical trip ended at the beginning of June and our VBS trip started the beginning of July. On June 22nd, we faced one of the hardest moments of our lives when our sweet friend Hana went home to be with Jesus. After a 4 month battle, cancer overcame her and she past away at a local hospital. A couple of nights before she went into eternity, Amanda and I had the opportunity to stop and spend time with her - I wouldn't trade that time for anything. The morning Hana passed away we received the call and immediately went to spend time with he family. As is custom in Ethiopia, the funeral was later that afternoon. That evening I would take Hana's two sweet children out for pizza, heartbroken as I looked at their sweet faces. They would remember very little of their mom on this earth, but my prayer is that one day they will know her in eternity. The next Sunday we would stand together at Bethel and as a family we would sing one of Hana's favorite songs: "Lord, I need You". It was a bittersweet moment for all of us. Longing to see Hana here on earth, we were praising Jesus that in His plan, Hana was with her Lord, and no longer in pain.
We wrapped up a hard fought summer with a trip to a local lake with our friends. It was a great trip with many sweet memories. It is moments like that that remind me why Ethiopia is so special. Ultimately we were happy as Eric and Amanda would get back from a great furlough and we dug in for a new year (Literally, New Years day is September 11th). The kids were back and school and the sun shown brightly. Ermias began spending more time with us as well, and when we asked him one rainy day over pizza if he would like to be apart of our family he said yes. Yep, that was pretty amazing. Of course, why should I be surprised?
After all, it was the summer of 2013...
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