Sweet Home Alabama

Well folks, I survived Africa and made it home safely.  We picked up our dog from my parents’ house and unpacked all the suitcases this morning and got everything back to normal.  Well…almost everything is back to normal.  After this trip, Blake and I will never go back to the normal we knew before.

It was an amazing experience.  It was exhausting, and at times it was scary, but it was so rewarding.  It’s hard to put into words why it was so powerful.  I saw a huge change in myself while we were there.  I stepped out of my comfort zone, threw aside my insecurities, and was willing to be used by God in any capacity.  He worked in my heart to be more outgoing, more compassionate, and more loving.

I saw God in a special way in Africa.  Mostly, He revealed Himself to me through my team members.  28 people from around the country.  Some knew each other beforehand but most didn’t.  I’ve never known such generous, loving people.  We all immediately accepted one another and bonded together.  We all had little in common except for a love of Jesus.  Watching them just jump right in and feed babies or play soccer or hold an orphan’s hand was like seeing all of them truly being Christ’s hands and feet.  It moved me in a special way.  They inspired me to be better than myself, to seek God more fervently, to be more gracious and more forgiving.  And they made me laugh like crazy :-).

So now I’m back home.  It was great seeing my parents and my puppy again.  It was definitely awesome to sleep in a soft bed and take a hot shower. But I lack that sense of purpose and drive I’ve felt the past couple weeks. I think it’s partly because I’m not on a tight schedule packed full of activities…but it’s also because I feel so much less useful here.  I keep adding 8 hours to the time and thinking about what we might have been doing in Africa at that time.  I know I’ve only been home a day, and you’d think it would be awhile before I started missing Africa.  But no…while we were driving home from my parent’s house, you know what I did?  I went to the Visiting Orphans website and started looking at the upcoming trips.  Am I nuts?

I want to thank you all so much for your prayers while we were gone.  We are so thankful to have made the whole trip without getting sick, getting injured, having side effects from medications, losing our luggage, or having any travel mishaps.  God was with us every step of the way.  Thank you for caring about us and about the message we were there to spread.  I pray that reading this blog has given you a better idea of the needs in Africa as well as what you can do about it.  We were certainly blessed to have the opportunity and the support that enabled us to go on this trip.  I know that not everyone is able to go on a mission trip like this.  I want to encourage you to pray about whether or not God is calling you to go, or to give to missions.  The need is great, but God is greater.

Thank you for reading my blog as we made our great journey.  This will be my last post….until the next trip to Africa :-).  If you would like to keep up with my husband’s blog where many needs are displayed and Christ is revealed through daily life (especially after our trip to Africa), go to http://www.anthemsong.wordpress.com.

Love you all!
-Lindsay

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widowsin their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”  –James 1:27

Headed Home

Ok so we just landed in Washington DC.  It was a long 17 hours of traveling, but now we have some time here in DC to eat lunch together and say our goodbyes.  It’s nice to be able to flush the toilet paper and drink from the water fountain!  The following was actually typed up last night, but I didn’t have internet to post it.  It tells you all about our last day in Africa!

It’s almost 9 PM here in Addis Ababa, and we are about half an hour away from boarding our flight.  From there, we have about 27 hours of traveling ahead of us before we land in Sweet Home Alabama.  Phew…that’s a lot.

So here’s what we did on our last day in Ethiopia:  This morning, we went to visit Kibebe Betsehay Orphanage.  This is one of 3 government orphanages in Ethiopia, and it is considered the worst of them all.  There are not enough staff and the facilities are not fit for little children.  This orphanage is primarily for children 5 and under, though a few older children are still there for various reasons.  Our leaders, Tymm and Laura Hoffman, run a Non Profit Organization called Brighton Their World. You should definitely visit their website to find out about the awesome things they are doing to care for orphans just as God’s Word commands us to.  They give TONS of formula to help these orphans get the nutritional food they need. Kibebe Betsehay has not allowed any team like this within their walls, but due to Tymm and Laura’s continued relationship with them through Brighton Their World, we were allowed in.

We spent the first part of the morning touring the facilities.  It’s certainly in desperate need of some changes, but they are doing the best they can with what they have.  They are desperately in need of more staff, and ESPECIALLY occupational therapists and physical therapists.  The children in the special needs room look like they are rarely out of their cribs (some up to 9 years old) and they do not have the equipment needed to get these children the help they need.  That was the most heartbreaking part to me.

Then we went to the infant room.  I didn’t get to spend a whole lot of time with infants at Noel in Rwanda, so I enjoyed doing something new!  I found the CUTEST little boy (I think it was a boy).  He was dressed in a little orange pumpkin onesie.  They don’t have names so I called him my lil punkin.  He was so beautiful, but unfortunately the orphanage doesn’t allow pictures.  Oh well.  Just trust me.  He made awesome crazy faces and had huge eyes with long eyelashes.

Afterwards we played with the toddlers/young kids.  Due to the lack of staff, the kids obviously get away with a lot.  They fight like crazy.  I mean 4 year olds are punching each other in the mouth and kicking in the stomach.  It’s pretty unusual to see such hardcore fighting from little bitty kids.  I spent most of the time just holding this one little cross-eyed boy with a hairlip who got picked on and pushed down.  He hit his head on the table and started tearing up.  It obviously wasn’t a serious injury, but once I picked him up into my lap and kissed his boo-boo, he sat there for the next hour and didn’t budge.  I don’t even know his name, and I only knew him for a short time, but it was still sad leaving him just after knowing him for a short time.

Then we went to a street market to do some shopping and use up our Burr (Ethiopian currency).  We found some cool stuff, but it’s just sad because so many beggars hang out there and ask the rich white people for money.  And finally we came back to the guest house to pack, eat dinner, and say goodbye to our awesome guide Nebyet (probably butchered that spelling).

Everyone is SSSSOOOO sad to be leaving each other.  We’re all exhausted and ready to be home, but we aren’t ready to leave one another.  Seriously, with 28 people on a team, I thought for sure at least a few people would be weirdos.  But no.  We’ve all gotten along SO WELL!!  These people are like family to me.  We’re already planning a reunion.  I have never in my life seen people so incredibly willing to do WHATEVER God asks of them.  On top of coming to Africa, I’ve seen people just give and give and give some more.  We get peed on, we get muddy, we get sweaty, we get pulled in all directions and break up fights…but these people never stop.  They are so full of Jesus.  This is what the body of Christ should look like — reaching out to orphans and widows and giving to the poor and spreading a message of hope, joy, and love wherever we go.  I pray that I will be just like these people.  I know that America will be different, but I pray that I will continue to keep Jesus at the forefront of my mind at all times, just like these generous, wonderful, hilarious, 27 team members have shown me.  I will miss these people so much, and I’m not kidding when I say we need to go on another trip with just the same people…no one else allowed.  To all my VO team members and leaders, I LOVE YOU!!

What Hunger Looks Like

Have you ever seen a really really hungry person?  I know I’m always saying, “I’m starving!” but before today, I didn’t really know what starving looked like.

Today was chaos.  Hundreds of children everywhere, no structure, no organized tasks for us to do…just chaos.  There were so many kids, that we were afraid to even get out toys and play with them.  As soon as they see a toy or a soccer ball or stickers, dozens and dozens of kids start climbing all over, pulling you, punching the other kids, screaming “YOU! YOU! YOU! YOU!”  Because of this, we never even got out stuff to play with. Unlike Noel Orphanage in Rwanda, these kids are not supervised, most of them are not well fed, and there is no one in charge.  We spent the day breaking up fights as kids pushed one another just to get close enough to ask us “Candy? Gum? Football?”  It was difficult and honestly it was not the most fulfilling mission work.

Well, the highlight of my day was when we got to feed lunch.  Our team put money together and purchased 2 goats.  This morning, the goats were slaughtered and cooked.  The kids here rarely get to eat meat, so this is a HUGE deal.  One of the many dogs that wander in Korah had somehow gotten the head of the slaughtered goat and was eating it in the middle of the courtyard the kids play in.  We were all grossed out, but the kids were excited to see that a goat had been slaughtered and didn’t mind playing right next to it.  And no, that specific part was not the highlight of my day.  When it came time for lunch, the kids all gathered in the church (which is a big tarp tent), and we passed out plates and then a few of us were able to serve the kids with the goat meat and a spongy bread called ngera (probably destroyed that spelling).  They were so excited to be eating this delicacy!  It was awesome seeing their happy faces.

And then…the worst thing ever happened.  The Ethiopian girl whom I was helping to serve asked me to help her carry the huge pot of goat meat.  I of course said sure, picked it up, and followed her.  I thought we were just carrying it to the back of the church or maybe just outside the building.  But no.  She led me outside the church gate and there were hundreds….literally hundreds of people had gathered outside the walls in search of food.  Suddenly I knew why ALL the kids hadn’t been in the church for lunch.  The ones we had fed were only the sponsored kids.  All the other kids were outside…still hungry.

The girl pulled me along as we went through the mob of people, pointing at the food I’m carrying and asking, crying out for food.  It was mostly children, but adults and elderly were there too.  All with their hands out making eating motions.  They were pulling on me and grabbing my clothes and there were just so many of them.  We were taking the food to a separate building with a separate gate.  We got to the gate and it was locked, so the girl just kept knocking and knocking.  The whole time people were pressing in on us, trying to stick their hands in the pot.  Finally, the gate was opened.  A flood of children ran inside the courtyard in front of us.  We handed off the food to 2 other women, but then there were still dozens of kids who needed to be herded outside of the gate again.  Some men came and started pushing the kids out of the gate.  These gates have metal poles that you have to step over and there’s about a 4 inch gap between the poles and the mud below.  As children were leaving through the gate and being pushed, I heard a scream.  There were so many bodies, I couldn’t even see what happened.   I moved some kids out of the way to see a boy, about 5 years old, with his little leg stuck under the metal pole.  He was bent forward and children were stepping all over him.  He was completely covered in mud.  He reached his little hand out toward me and I was able to pull him up so he wouldn’t be trampled anymore.  He was crying hysterically.  An older boy came and took him from me.  I needed to get out of the gate and back to the church with my team.  I stepped out of the gate, back into the main corridor, and all the people were still there crying out for food.  Since they had seen me carrying it (and since I’m white) they thought I could give it to them.  They all pressed in around me with their hungry faces and sunken eyes.  I had no one else with me to help me get through them or to speak in their language and explain that I couldn’t give them food.  Some men came and started pushing kids again, and this time they had plastic bats that they were hitting the children with in order to get them away from me.

I felt so helpless.  I felt horrified.  I felt scared.  I wanted to throw up.  Finally I was able to get back into the church.  Then I immediately found Blake and cried in his shoulder.  Now I know what starving looks like.

If you would like to help the children of Korah, please visit p61.org.  They are not taking any more sponsored children right now because they have no room for any more.  However, you can donate to the organization so that they can continue to expand and make room for more children to be sponsored.

 

Poverty…much more shocking in person

We worked hard today….really hard.

Today we served with Project 61 in Korah, Ethiopia.  Project 61 is an organization that ministers to kids who live in the city dump scavenging for food.  They get sponsors for the kids that enable them to go to boarding school and have food, clothes, and shelter in addition to education.

I had no idea what to expect from Korah.  I had heard it would be very different from Rwanda, but I didn’t know how.  Well, honestly until you can see pictures of it, you can’t really understand it.  But here’s the best way I can put it….

Korah began as a leper colony where lepers would be exiled from society.  It is now primarily just a location for those with leprosy, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis., as well as the poorest of the poor who are outcasts.  They have no roads.  Since this is their rainy season, it is a giant mud hole.  The mud came up at least 5 inches deep in most places.  The people have very flimsy, open-toed shoes as they slosh through the mud (if they have shoes at all).  The buildings are made of tin panels, full of jagged, rusty holes.  These people looked weary.  Their faces had the drawn, sunken look of hunger.  Many of them (probably the lepers) were missing fingers and limbs.

When we drove up, to be totally honest, I was scared.  Not scared for my life or anything.  Just scared.  I had no idea what to say to these people, how to help them, or how to associate with them.  When we first got there, people began gathering around to see the white people.  Right when I stepped off the bus, children began asking me for food by signaling their hands to their mouths.  Whoa.  That was heartbreaking.  I sort of made my way to a fenced off area with a couple of others and had to take a minute to process it.  It was extremely overwhelming.

Once I came out, I was still a little afraid and stood awkwardly watching some other team members interact with the people.  Then Sumer, the director of Project 61 gave us instructions.  They are trying to build a few buildings for the kids to use for summer camp, which starts on Monday.   The men helped pour concrete, and some of the women painted buildings and fences.  The rest of the team had the task of “distracting” the kids.  They played games and painted faces and had Bible story time.

Since I was still feeling nervous and afraid at this point, I volunteered for the painting team where we wouldn’t have to interact with people as much.  Plus I love painting.  Not long after we started, I noticed a boy, watching intently.  We had painted the entire wall that we could reach from the ground, but the one ladder was being used elsewhere.  This boy could see that we needed to reach up high so he went and found 2 benches (not very sturdy ones) he set one on top of the other and steadied it with rocks to make it even in the mud.  Basically, he made a small scaffold.  We thanked him and then as I climbed on, he helped the other 3 people hold it steady.  I thanked him again, and he asked to help paint.  Of course we let him help us, and he really was a big help!

This boy’s name is Blaina and he is 14.  As we were still painting, a blind man came walking in with a cane.  Blaina immediately went and led him through the mud into a separate small little shack.  It was so sweet to see this boy leading him by the hand.  Then he asked me, “soft. Soft.”  I didn’t know what he meant until he pointed to a little piece of paper.  It occurred to me that the blind man was using the bathroom and needed toilet paper.  We gave Blaina some to give to him.  And then he led the blind man back out of the muddy courtyard.  Seeing the selflessness and kindness from this teenage boy just touched my heart.  I hugged him over and over and thanked him endlessly.  He loved being needed and feeling a part of the painting team.

I tell you all that to explain how I went from the nervous girl holding back when we first got there, to the girl with 8 children hanging all over her, kissing their lil heads and wiping their snot.  Through Blaina, God showed me that these people might be outcasts from society, but they are still loved by a great God.  They are not gross or weird or evil.  They are beautiful and kind.

Later on, we went on a home visit.  We went to a home, about the size of my walk-in closet, where 3 people live.  In their culture, they make popcorn and coffee and serve it to guests.  These people are the most hospitable people in the world.  We were all crammed in there like sardines, but they brought in seating from outside.  They stood so we could all sit.  They apologized for the mud outside, as if it was their fault.  They served us all more popcorn than we could ever eat!  The boys held our hands as we walked through the mud so we wouldn’t slip.  They even offered to wash our feet in their little spicket that the community shares.  Incredible.  These people have so very few material things, yet they were so proud to have us come and drink coffee with them.

The woman who was our hostess asked us to pray for her.  She said that she has been bleeding for many years and is very sick.  I was immediately reminded of the woman in the Bible, who had this same sickness, and was instantly healed upon touching Jesus’ robe.  We prayed over her, and I will continue to pray that Jesus heals her just as He did the woman in the Bible.

Afterwards we just played with the kids in the street, covered in paint and mud and drenched from the two downpours we had today.  The emptiness that was in their eyes when we arrived was replaced with a light and a hope, and once again, the cold and the mud and the ruined clothes were not even on my mind.  I was just thanking God for the opportunity to make them smile.

We’re in Ethiopia!

Ok so here’s the update on our trip!  We made it to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  A 13 hour flight is never the most comfortable thing in the world, but y’all…Ethiopian Air is legit.  We got 3 hot meals (that were actually pretty good).  Each seat had an individual touch screen monitor with DOZENS of movies, games, and more.  So we were definitely pleased with the flight.  However, we only got about 2 hours of very light sleep and now it’s 8 in the morning and we have a full day ahead.  Pray for strength and for no jet lag!

So here’s the highlight of the trip so far…After we landed in Ethiopia, Blake and I got a WAR EAGLE!!  This is why I always wear an Auburn shirt in airports.  I love feeling like a part of the Auburn Family, even when I’m thousands of miles from home.

Now we are waiting for about another 2 hours to catch a flight to Kigali, Rwanda.  The flight will be about 2 1/2 hours long.  Then we will be done with traveling for the next few days!  Can’t wait to get to our destination and get to work!

By the way, this airport is kinda sketch.  The power keeps flickering (and so does the internet).  A minute ago, the power went out and an airport employee opened up an electrical box and banged on it until the power came on.  No lie.

And another thing…I know that back home this week the temperature is in the triple digits.  Well, just to make you jealous, it’s 57 degrees where we are right now and it’s supposed to be in the 70’s just about the whole time we’re here.  Ballin’.

Keep checking back often…internet is off and on so I’ll post whenever I get the chance!

Summertime

Hello all!  I just wanted to give you a quick little update about our lives.  There’s not really anything new or important to reveal about our Africa trip.  But now that school is ending, it feels like it’s getting so close!  This coming week is the last week of classes at the school where I teach.  Of course the students are rowdy (and sweaty and smelly) and the teachers are basically letting anything slide because we are SO CLOSE to being done for the year.  It’s a great feeling (way better than getting out for summer as a student, just FYI).   Summertime means it’s just about time to start creating activities for kids, buying supplies, buying clothes, and making all the necessary arrangements for our trip!  If you’ve ever been to Africa (especially Ethiopia and/or Rwanda) please let me know if you have any advice as we start preparing!

There is one thing I wanted to share with you this week.  As I’ve mentioned before, we are trying to research these places we will be visiting to have a better understanding of their history and culture.  The genocide in Rwanda has become a central focus for me.  It’s still just so unbelievable that these terrible killings occurred not too long ago and with such little worldwide concern (or even awareness).  To me, that’s a form of racism and self-glorification in itself, to just not care that there were thousands of people in Africa being killed.  As if our lives in America are so busy and so important, that when we heard on the news that the death toll was rising, we just said “oh that’s awful” and continued on our merry way.  Granted, I was 7 at the time of the genocide, so it’s not like I was going to do a whole lot about it.  But still, the majority of the civilized world in 1994 did little more than just shake their heads at this incredible evil.

During the genocide, churches became a refuge for many people trying to escape the killing.  In the city of Nyange, a priest welcomed hundreds of people into his church.  He even went into the village and sought out those who had not left their homes, encouraging them to seek the safety of the church.  Soon there were about 2000 people huddled together in what they thought was a place of refuge, the house of God.  Then that same priest, along with the mayor, and about a dozen other men, locked them inside.  They waited a few days to let them weaken from hunger and thirst.  Then they drove a bulldozer over the church, killing all 2000 people inside.  Two Thousand People.  Just as a point of reference, there were approximately 2600 people who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11.  Isn’t that insane?  How could we have not known about that?  I bet there are few people in the world who were alive on 9/11 and don’t know about what happened in New York on that day.

How agonizing must it have  been for God to see his church used as a trap to murder his children?  It’s easy to see that Satan had a very tight grip on the country of Rwanda.  I’ve learned that there is a great deal of healing (physically, emotionally, and spiritually) going on there now, but we still want to be spiritually ready as we enter the mission field.  I pray that we will see God working in great ways to counteract what evil has done to the people of Rwanda.

Who has 4 thumbs and just raised $7400? BLAKE AND ME!

Hello Dear Readers!

We have some big news for you!  WE ARE FULLY FUNDED!  That’s right, we have met our goal of $7400!  This is truly a miracle.  Especially since we just started fundraising a little over a month ago.  We just want to say that we are so overwhelmed by the support and love from our friends and family!  Thank you to everyone who gave so willingly.  You people are the best.  We pray that God will bless you through your gift!

Now if you’re thinking, “Aww man!  I really wanted to support Blake and Lindsay, but I guess now they don’t need it.”  (insert womp womp sound here).  Have no fear!  You can still give!  Additional money raised will still go directly to our trip.  It will be used to purchase baby formula, toys, craft/game supplies, etc.  These are items that the team members would be responsible for buying if there were no “overflow” money.  So please continue to donate if you feel led to do so!

In other news, we had our first team “meeting” yesterday.  Ok so it was a conference call, but whatevs.  The purpose of this call was to introduce ourselves and get some very, very basic info about the trip.  Our team is made up of 30 people from around the country.  This is apparently a very large team.  Needless to say, it will take a while to get to know everyone, but we are stoked about getting to meet such amazing people!  It’s especially difficult to match names to faces, since ya know, you’re on a phone call.  But we have finally discovered the real purpose of FACEBOOK.

Since our team is so large, we will eventually be broken down into smaller teams which focus on different ministry areas (e.g. sports, crafts, music, etc.) for when we are at the orphanages doing VBS-style activities.  Other than working at the orphanages, we will be doing outreach to street kids, people who live in the Korah city dump in Ethiopia, and lots of home visits.

While in Rwanda, we will also be visiting the Genocide Memorial, which quite honestly will make me just dissolve into a puddle.  I’ve been learning so much about the unspeakable atrocities that went on there.  I can’t imagine speaking to survivors and even perpetrators of these horrible killings.  The genocide was so widespread, that almost everyone has a story to tell about how they survived or who they lost.

Please continue to pray for us as our departure date gets closer!  Pray that we will bond together as a group and that God will use us in amazing ways.  Pray that we will be ready and willing to do whatever He asks, even if it means getting out of our comfort zones!  To be honest, Africa is pretty far out of my comfort zone already, but you know what I mean.  Thank you again for all of your financial and spiritual support!

Would you eat someone else’s trash?

This is a video from Project 61’s Website.    It’s about the city of Korah, Ethiopia and the people who have to scavenge in the dump just to survive.  I know it’s long, but please watch it.  I challenge you to watch this video and not be moved.

I’m so excited to be working with this ministry in a few months!

The Beginning of a Journey

Hello Friends!

So this is my first blogging experience.  Blake (my husband, for those of you who don’t know) is an experienced blogger and is so proud that I am finally giving in to virtually sharing my life with the world wide web.

You may be wondering what this blog is about.  Good question.  Blake and I are embarking on a journey.  A pretty epic journey, in fact. For a few months now, we have felt God’s calling on our lives to go on a mission trip.  After much prayer and deliberation, we have decided that, what God wants, God gets.  So rather than make excuses or ignore His calling, we have decided to be obedient (always a good choice, by the way).  We have prayed extensively that God would make it clear to us what He wants us to do and where to go.  And He has answered.  The title of this blog (James 1:27) is a reference to the Bible verse that says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”  We want to follow God’s command and go to Africa to look after those orphans that AIDS and genocide have left behind.  Africa is just where our heart longs to be and where the Gospel of Christ must be heard!

So, that was the prologue leading up to this major event:  we have registered for a mission trip!  After much research (and again, prayer) we have decided to join up with an organization called Visiting Orphans, an organization that ministers to children around the globe.  We will be going to Ethiopia and Rwanda June 28-July 8.  AND WE ARE SO EXCITED!

Here’s what we know so far:  we will be partnering with a group called Project 61 in Ethiopia and ministering to the children who live and scavenge for food in the city dump.  While in Rwanda, we will be working with two orphanages, Noel and Imbabazi.  Throughout the trip, we will be doing Vacation Bible School type activities with the kids, using sports, crafts, music, etc. to teach them about God.  And guess what…WE ARE SO EXCITED!

So now that we’ve registered, we begin the crazy process of getting ready to travel abroad and actually raise the funds to go.  We certainly will not be able to afford this mission trip on our own, and we are just trusting in the Lord to provide!  More to come on how you can be a part of the mission by donating later.  For now, we just want to share the news with you and hopefully you can share in our excitement!  WE ARE GOING TO AFRICA….AND WE ARE SO EXCITED!

-Lindsay