Only in my dreams
13 Dec 05
While many of you are gearing up for the xmas season, the festivities have for the most part passed me by. I worked on Thanksgiving day, and have yet to see a Santa Clause. The daily high of 85 doesn't do much to instill seasonal feelings either. Last week I visited the missionary family that has been hosting me here, and for the first (and only) time this year I saw a xmas tree with lights, presents, and even an angel on top. The house was decorated for Christmas, with soft carols playing on the stereo and light by candles. When the song, "I'll be home for Christmas" played, it became my own. I truly am dreaming of a White Christmas and I will be home - if only in my dreams.
The situation isn't all that bad. For Christmas day I'll stay with the Miller's in Addis, and by the time Ethiopian Christmas rolls around (January 7) my parents will be here. We will make the grand north tour of Ethiopia, visiting Gonder, Axum, and Lalibela. If you aren't familiar with these places you ought to look them up on the internet - they're fascinating. By the time you schedule a day or two in Jimma, their 12 days in Ethiopia will fly by extremely fast. I just hope they don't get sick (but they probably will).
I spent last week in Addis to host both the regional and international directors of Nazarene Compassionate Ministries. They were both allot of fun, and it was nice to have some english speaking visitors again. We visited various Fayyaa projects, making sure to not hit the same ones we visited with Send-A-Cow. One family we visited is taken care of by the oldest sister, only 14 years old. Both parents died, the mother only 4 months ago. After our visit, one of the guys made a comment about how sad the situation is. He's right, of course, but I came away from the meeting with a different perspective. Because I live here, I constantly see street children, orphans, people living with AIDS, none of whom have the support these three children have. The community around these three children has rallied to their support, and with Fayyaa's help continues to support them in material and emotional ways. The children are without question at risk; the oldest sister is especially vulnerable to men who would like to take advantage of the situation. Yet I cannot help but be excited to see the work of Fayyaa in the lives of these children. What makes me sad is not that these children are at high risk, but that comparatively speaking they are at low risk.
Sometimes an argument comes up against aid that says something like this: people are poor because they don't want to work, and giving them hand outs just creates a dependency syndrome. This may be true in some cases, and I have seen it in Ethiopia. However, for the most part people seem eager to work but just lack the resources to do so meaningfully. Two of the caregivers to whom we gave heifers proudly brought us milk during one of our visits. They were excited to offer a gift to those who helped them get on their feet. Trino and I were the only ones brave enough to drink the milk. I was somewhat squimish but at this point, I'm of the opinion that my stomach can digest just about anything. Another family we visited consists of two grandparents and six kids. The elderly man was plowing the acreage behind the home with two oxen (donated by Fayyaa/NCM) and was happy to have us take pictures of him working. Like those with the milk, he was proud and excited to show off his work. The same couple was gifted carrot seed to start a small carrot garden. With the proceeds from the original sale of carrots, they now have a huge carrot garden providing enough income to keep all the children in school. We left with a pile of carrots for which they adamantly would not accept payment.
What's next? Who knows. I'll tell you when it happens.
Michael
While many of you are gearing up for the xmas season, the festivities have for the most part passed me by. I worked on Thanksgiving day, and have yet to see a Santa Clause. The daily high of 85 doesn't do much to instill seasonal feelings either. Last week I visited the missionary family that has been hosting me here, and for the first (and only) time this year I saw a xmas tree with lights, presents, and even an angel on top. The house was decorated for Christmas, with soft carols playing on the stereo and light by candles. When the song, "I'll be home for Christmas" played, it became my own. I truly am dreaming of a White Christmas and I will be home - if only in my dreams.
The situation isn't all that bad. For Christmas day I'll stay with the Miller's in Addis, and by the time Ethiopian Christmas rolls around (January 7) my parents will be here. We will make the grand north tour of Ethiopia, visiting Gonder, Axum, and Lalibela. If you aren't familiar with these places you ought to look them up on the internet - they're fascinating. By the time you schedule a day or two in Jimma, their 12 days in Ethiopia will fly by extremely fast. I just hope they don't get sick (but they probably will).
I spent last week in Addis to host both the regional and international directors of Nazarene Compassionate Ministries. They were both allot of fun, and it was nice to have some english speaking visitors again. We visited various Fayyaa projects, making sure to not hit the same ones we visited with Send-A-Cow. One family we visited is taken care of by the oldest sister, only 14 years old. Both parents died, the mother only 4 months ago. After our visit, one of the guys made a comment about how sad the situation is. He's right, of course, but I came away from the meeting with a different perspective. Because I live here, I constantly see street children, orphans, people living with AIDS, none of whom have the support these three children have. The community around these three children has rallied to their support, and with Fayyaa's help continues to support them in material and emotional ways. The children are without question at risk; the oldest sister is especially vulnerable to men who would like to take advantage of the situation. Yet I cannot help but be excited to see the work of Fayyaa in the lives of these children. What makes me sad is not that these children are at high risk, but that comparatively speaking they are at low risk.
Sometimes an argument comes up against aid that says something like this: people are poor because they don't want to work, and giving them hand outs just creates a dependency syndrome. This may be true in some cases, and I have seen it in Ethiopia. However, for the most part people seem eager to work but just lack the resources to do so meaningfully. Two of the caregivers to whom we gave heifers proudly brought us milk during one of our visits. They were excited to offer a gift to those who helped them get on their feet. Trino and I were the only ones brave enough to drink the milk. I was somewhat squimish but at this point, I'm of the opinion that my stomach can digest just about anything. Another family we visited consists of two grandparents and six kids. The elderly man was plowing the acreage behind the home with two oxen (donated by Fayyaa/NCM) and was happy to have us take pictures of him working. Like those with the milk, he was proud and excited to show off his work. The same couple was gifted carrot seed to start a small carrot garden. With the proceeds from the original sale of carrots, they now have a huge carrot garden providing enough income to keep all the children in school. We left with a pile of carrots for which they adamantly would not accept payment.
What's next? Who knows. I'll tell you when it happens.
Michael
posted by Michael Rodgers at 3:42 AM
1 Comments:
i'm always thinking about you and am proud to have a cousin and friend who cares for others and wants to see change in the world, therefore is helping create change.
Post a Comment
<< Home