Treasures of Zeway

I’m used to being asked for pens by kids on the street, but the other day  a few of my co workers got in on the game.  I was writing some letters home and was using these sparkly jelly roll pens that I found among my stuff.  I somewhat stupidly left the package on my desk as I was writing notes.  Well one of my coworkers came in and unabashedly said give me one. I said no I won’t give you one, because the moment you walk out of my door everyone else here will want one and I will end up with no pens and won’t have enough to share.  He begged me and promised that no one else would ask me for a pen.

Whadda ya know– literally 1 minute later another coworker walked in and asked me for a pen.  By now I had gotten a bit smarter and only kept 2 pens on my desk and hid the rest in a drawer.  But he looked at my two pens and said they’re so pretty- give me one.  I said no i don’t have anymore and I asked him if he had talked to the guy who was in my office just before.  He said said “who and you do have more pens and I want one”.  So UMMMMPPPHHHHH— I gave him one.

When I told my first coworker about how the other guy came in right after him he couldn’t believe it and insisted that we 3 talk about it.  Both pleaded innocent to knowing about the other’s pen.   The moral of the story is that if you are seen to have something- it doesn’t matter what it is it’s fair game for someone to ask you for it- whether it’s eggs or fruit that you just bought or a pretty pen.

I found this in Into the Depths of God, by Calvin Miller. In this chapter, the author was talking about materialism and tried to show what steps it would take for a westerner to truly identify with the developing world. I think it gives some insight into life here:

First take out the furniture: leave a few old blankets, a kitchen table, maybe a wooden chair. You’ve never had a bed remember?

Second, throw out your clothes. Each person in the family may keep the oldest suit or dress, a shirt or blouse. The head of the family has the only pair of shoes.

Third, all kitchen appliances have vanished. Keep a box of matches, a small bag of flour, some sugar and salt, a handful of onions, a dish of dried beans. Rescue the moldy potatoes from the garbage can: those are tonight’s meal.

Fourth, dismantle the bathroom, shut off the running water, take out the wiring and the lights and everything that runs by electricity.

Fifth, take away the house and move the family into the tool shed.

Sixt, no more postman, fireman, government services. The two classroom school is three miles away, but only two of your seven children attend anyway, and they walk.

Seventh, throw out your bankbooks, stock certificates, pension plans, insurance policies. You now have a cash hoard of $5.

Eighth, get out and start cultivating your three acres. Try hard to raise $300 in cash crops because your landlord wants one-third and your money lender 10 percent.

Ninth, find some way for your children to bring in a little extra money so you have something to eat most days. But it won’t be enough to keep bodies healthy- so lop off 25-30 years of life.

This hits a lot right on the nail. Just imagine what life would be like after you’ve taken these things away. I’d like to make a few changes…. You can take away the kitchen table and replace it with a mattress (made of straw or thin foam). Don’t forget to take away your health insurance… it is no more. And lucky you… in Zeway you get to keep your electricity!

The thunder rolled and the darkness came.  Still no power so the night was very dark, but softly the drops of rain sounded on my tin roof!  It was great to hear.  More than a brief sprinkling but not a deep downpour, the rain was the beginning to an answer to prayer. This little bit that we received although not enough to quench the thirst of this area or this great land is a good start.  Please pray that the rain will continue across the land.

It’s the season of short rain, but there’s actually been almost no rain (at least in this part of Ethiopia).  So far I have enough to eat and drink, but I know that many do not.  Please join me in praying that the rain will come soon and relieve a parched land.

As a consequence of no rain, the water supply in the lake which gives hydroelectric power to Addis Ababa and many towns (including Zeway) is very low.  They have been making rolling power cuts to decrease electricity consumption.  Right now I’m working off of a computer battery which is slated to go dead in about an hour.  After that… completing tasks becomes rather difficult as we depend so much on computers to do much of our work.

Please pray

Women of a Savings Group in Adami Tulu

Awoke cutting the special bread

Last week I had the opportunity to participate in a unique celebration. For those of you who get my newsletters a while ago I mentioned the kickoff of our savings groups. Well these groups are now going full force. We have 15 official groups all organized and headed by women whose children are in our program. Each group has its own bylaws and standard of saving from 1 birr a week to 5 birr a week (remember that one US dollar equals 9.5 birr). Things are going well and I was invited along with some of my co-workers to the official opening celebration for one of the groups. Although they started their group back in December, and have been saving since then, they had a big celebration to kick of their “real” beginning. We ate homemade bread and spinach and partook in a coffee ceremony. It was a happy celebration as the 22 women came together to celebrate the 345 birr that they had saved together. Soon they will begin to give small loans to the members of the group, charging small interest rates. Together they will not only save, but watch their money grow.

One of the half completed classrooms in Bulbula slated to be completed in the comming year. The community began construction and ran out of funds to complete the buildings. There is a 1/2 foot layer of dust on the ground. The school officials have been keeping the doors locked because the children have been using these unfinished classrooms as toilets. Currently there are around 130 children in each class.

This is a latrine which is currently being dug at the school. The old latrine is falling apart and at least 25 years old.

I thought I’d share a few pictures of some visits that we’ve had recently. Morris, has been out to visit our project at least 5 times. This time around he brought a good friend, Rick, and his friend’s two daughters. Much of Morris’s heart is here and he has a great passion for the children in the area- it is beautiful to see. One of our major areas of focus is building up the capacity and quality of the schools in our project sites. Many don’t have latrines, enough desks and have few classrooms, many of which are poorly constructed.

I don’t think I’ve actually introduced my friends Corrie & Sara.  This picture is actually a bit old as Sara (on the right) has recently returned to the US.  These two gals are/were my dearest friends here in Ethiopia.  Every time I return to Addis Ababa there’s always a small reunion as we reconnect once again.

Two nights ago I spent the night at Lake Langano with some guests who came to visit our project site. As we drove to the lake the sun was beginning to set.  We could see dark clouds in the distance over the lake and there was a dark wall over one part which meant that it was raining there.  As we approached I wondered if the rain would reach where we were- you never know here as it can rain in one spot and you can walk a few steps and it’s dry there.  Well, after we arrived and got ourselves settled into the hotel, I took a walk as the rain started coming.  Big drops fell but it was more like a heavy sprinkling.  I walked by myself down to the lake.  I felt rain on my face– for the first time in at least 5 months. It was hot and humid.  I stepped into the lake, I could barely see the moon peaking through the heavy clouds and up above me was a mass of dark. The thunder was rolling and the lightning flashing as I felt the cool of the water on my legs.  The waves of the lake sounded like traces of the ocean. I closed my eyes and listened to the peaceful sound of the crash of the water against the lake shore.  It’s incredible how in all of those sounds and sensations God can feel so close and alive. He is always close and always alive but somehow in the almost dark with the rain wetting my face and hair it was exhilarating  to feel Him so close.

I’m not sure if I’ve talked about the drought that is afflicting various parts of this country.  This rain is a late but wonderful sign.  Please pray that it will not tease us, but be the beginning of a watering of this land.

Exactly 25 days from today my parents will be arriving in Addis Ababa!!! I don’t think that I can effectively convey how excited I am to have them here. I think that I am the most excited about having them see, live and breathe a bit of my life. They, like anyone who comes to visit, will be able to really see and experience the world in which I live. I just wanted to share that with you.