Second Update

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Salaam again.
I'm at an internet cafe in Dembel City. It is so great to actually check my mail and the blog without losing my hair or waiting for some minutes for a window only to realize that it won't open. Regardless, I feel that I've been a bit preachy in the last post. So for those of you that were a bit offended-- please pardon me. I just wanted to voice some questions that have been in the back of my head since I've gotten here.

The team is well. There are some difficulties here and there as you all know-- the art of "roommating" is a bit abrasive at times. Ethiopians are very conscientious and soft spoken people. Well... generally. They have been very gracious as we continue to butcher simple Amharic greetings and phrases. Just yesterday, I sat in on an Amharic class at the orphanage trying to learn to write. Well, little did I know there are around 7x27 (you do the math) letters in their alphabet and they're all so foreign. The children around me laughed alot but definitely tried to assist me as best they could in saving whatever skill I had left.

As for what's new in Ethiopia, not much except for the strange feeling that I see more and more street people. As for myself, there has been a series of changes in my heart and my expectations for the stay. I came here telling myself I was going to learn. But really I came here with an expectation to save the world. It's a typical service trip mentality. However, as I worked at AAI--- around so much hope and joy, God began to teach me truth about himself. It's one thing to know... it's another thing to witness. The last few days I deviated from the assigned devotional, reading through some of Isaiah and Psalms. What caught my eyes though, were a continued motif of mother and womb, God's workmanship, and his faithful watch. It made no sense to me in the beginning, but as I looked back on the days at the Adoption Agency, something began to click-- these children were the very testimony of God's love and ever steadfast presence amongst us. It's so easy to box in God's territory as for the worst slums of the slums. God does not just dwell in the suffering of his people but in their joy and hope. This might sound like a small revelation to you, but it was so amazing to realize that.

Peace Out Friends,
Joelle

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