I Wish Everyone Could Come Visit

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All,

This may be a little short but we will see how much time I really get.

The last week has been thrilling, exciting, and heart breaking all at the same time.

We met our roommates on last saturday and I found out from the grape vine that I got one of the best and so far it has been the truth. We spent saturday and sunday just getting to know them which has been a cultural experience all in itself. There are many cultural idiosyncrasies that over the last week have be come second nature. I'll leave a list at the end of a few of them. Over the last week I have been working at orphanage that is made up of one stone building with a few rooms and another building that is wood poles with tine metal as the walls and ceilings. There are around 120 kids at the orphanage from age 4-17. I am working with another American and two Ethiopians. In the mornings we are teaching classes and the afternoon we spend playing with the kids. I'm teaching 9-10th grade math, 7th geography, and 10th grade geography. This will be an interesting experience as I know very little about Ethiopian geography. I have never met children that have been more excited to just have someone care. Already we get met at the door when we arrive with excitement from the kids. Very very few of the kids are Christians but the four orphanage workers are sharing all the love of Christ they can with them. The way they care for every single child in a way I don't know if I will every understand. Two quick stories. The second day towards the end we were talking with the children through one of the Ethiopian students about Americans and their hair. I was asked about my beard and whether all men And women in the US have beards. Two girls were inspecting my hair when they decided to braid it. A small argument broke out as to who would get to braid my hair. These two girls were no more than nine years old. Yesterday while it as raining I was learning a card game while still not understanding most of the instructions. A four year old girl was teaching me a patty cake game (smacking hands) and then she sat on my lap to hug me. After a few minutes she fell asleep in my arms. I wish I had a camera but hopefully by next entry I will have some pictures to share.

There is so much more I want to share but I must go soon. God has been great in the way that he is breaking us already for each of the different cites that we are at. One of the students told about one of the girl that used to be prostitutes on the street. They range from age 9 up and go for as little as 1 birr or 10 cents. Pray continually that we might be used some how in a situation we can't possibly comprehend.

Finally for a couple cultural things.

Things are opposite from the US related to homosexuals. It is banned in all of Ethiopia. In contrast more people of the same gender show so much affection towards each other. It is very common to see men/women with their arms around each other or holding hands just walking down the street. They show a love towards each other that is amazing.

We have squatting toilets.

When you shake hands you bump shoulders.

You don't look at others in the eyes on the street especially those who are older.

There is a word used just for us. Faringi, meaning "white people."

Thanks again for all your support.

Josiah

Excuse any errors I am in a hurry. I write again in about a week.

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Comments

[Jen Dachel]

2 Corinthians 6:4-10
"but as servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way; by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; b y truthful speech, and the POWER of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing yet possessing everything." You all are wonderful- the salt and the light of this world! I am sure you are feeling torn right now: both needed desperately yet strangers, bringing love yet so much more to do; as feeling the pain of the lost and downcast yet counting all the blessings of our Lord. Keep running the race with endurance- I pray for you all each day with a joyful heart. Peace, love, and Christ- Jen