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Forgive the formatting that makes this hard to read! Blogger is either adding extra lines or completely eliminating mine to make a run-on post! What is up with that?

Day Nine: NGO Bazaar, Nat'l Museum, Departure

Checked out of hotel. Melissa played her guitar and sang as we gathered at her house before breakfast.

Breakfast at German bakery. Here are the kids with Jessie.

To NGO (non-govt organization, usually mission-type groups) bazaar at one of the two English-speaking churches, the one Rich and Melissa attend. Beautiful building. Find some nice gifts and run into some of the people we have met this week -- Jerry & Christy & their kids, Corey & Melody and her mom. This bazaar is the last Friday of every month and a major gathering for the firenge (foreigners, like us.)

Lunch at Garden Paradise Terrace at Adam's Pavillion.

To Ethiopian National Museum. Are patted down by security, which I did not expect, and our bags are searched. Bathrooms were in an outside building. Disgusting to say the least. Stall doors that wouldn't close, no toilet seats, no toilet paper, no means of flushing the toilet other than using the pail in the trashcan full of water that served as a sink. I give Chris a lot of grief for not telling us to go somewhere else first!!!

Certainly not the Smithsonian. Claim to fame are the bones of "Lucy," the missing link. Bones that have travelled the world, in a downstairs room in a glass case without much to mark its (supposed!) significance. Old royal chairs, traditional weapons and clothing. Souvenir shop on the top floor -- but of course it wasn't open. You could get post cards, posters, or books.

Back to Rich & Melissa's. We take turns showering in her space ship shower. This link shows one like it. http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/4493845625_b7a4fb6de0_o.jpg We all find it quite amusing to see something like this in Ethiopia, as there is often no water, and what there is does not provide enough pressure to make a shower like this worthwhile! Amazing that people we have just met have welcomed us into our home so easily, but not so amazing as we have realized that almost any American is a friend when you are away from home. We learn that Vernon (the real first name of Seattle campus pastor Dale, which Eddie saw on his passport and shared) has a hair dryer. There are a lot of comments about his man-card.

Pizza for dinner. Again. Fourth time this week. We are tired of it, but it is easy.

To the airport. So much easier this time without all the extra baggage!!!! Flight back goes through Rome. No one deplanes, no one comes on, it is just a fuel stop. We have pondered that the stop is required because the plane needs more fuel to go against the jet stream, but heard from someone that it is really due to the fact that the runway is not long enough for the new plane to take off when full of fuel. This lack of planning would not surprise us after a week in Africa.

Security to get into the airport. Gate is behind another round of security but there are no bathrooms on that side. We wait as long as we can, go to the bathroom, and then go through.

Flight leaves around 10PM. I nap jerk before we even get off the ground and sleep fairly well all the way to Rome. There is a meal served, but I don't mind missing it as I am not used to eating in the middle of the night!

Day Eight: Meal Tickets & Govt Orphanages & Cultural Dinner

No photos for most of today. The mental pictures are enough for me and my descriptions will likely be more than enough for you. Wheat pancakes cooked by Melissa. We had a good chat while she cooked. Our team understood all week that the DFW people have been feeling the pain of loss of all they have worked on for two years. I realize through this conversation that they also feel failure. That never occured to me but I feel stupid for not realizing that additional depth of their pain. My compassion is deepened and I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to find that out. Coffee at Kaffe, the Ethiopian version of Starbucks. There is no decaf in this country so I still can't have any. Off we go to buy meal tickets for a feeding center, which we can distribute to people on the street. This is the only feeding center the DFW people know of in the whole city. They feed 1000 people a day and I know that is only a drop in the bucket. The name is the Hope Center, the same name as where we go to feed the homeless in Murfreesboro back home. We break up into two groups, each with an interpretter. We do our best to go up to people who appear to be in the most need. (In Addis you can NEVER look any direction without seeing a need. There is no unemployment insurance, no social security for the old, maimed, and injured. There is poverty beyond what I've ever seen. Someone in our group mentions that America is the only country where poor people can be fat. You don't see that here.) We talk with them through the translator, asking them about their need, talk to them about God (most are Orthodox Christian), give them meal tickets, and pray with them. It takes a lot of time because of the need to translate. Several people will not take the tickets. One woman I speak too gestures to indicate that she is pregnant and whispers something in our translator's ear. Only later does he tell me that she shared she is HIV positive, and that most women don't go in for the free C-section because the scar will let everyone know they are infected -- thereby passing it on to their babies. Sad. And I believe the first time I have ever met or touched someone HIV positive. Makes me think a lot, and wonder that it has been so long in my life before this happened. Lunch at Sishu. Stark contrast to what we just experienced, but I eat well as tonight is another traditional meal.... Meet up with Travis, another Gladney Adoption Agency employee, for a tour of the three government orphanages in Addis. Six million orphans. There have been MANY small private orphanages wherever we have been in the city. Still surprising that there are only three govt orphanages in Addis. From the conditions, perhaps that is a good thing. Our experience in Russia somewhat prepared us for this, but not quite.... Orphanage 1: Kolfe Five months ago there were 100 boys there. Now there are 300. Bunk beds lined up like an army barracks. Kitchen with three women to cook. Other than that, NOT A SINGLE OTHER ADULT IN THE PLACE. No administrator to greet us. No caretaker. 300 boys left to fend for themselves with a prison-like structure of groups/gangs. Boys age 6+. Can you imagine your six-year-old in this situation? Boys recognize Chris because he adopted Leul from there. One boy has saved Leul's report card from school. He kept it, never knowing that he would be able to pass it on, but I guess as a piece of his friend who had been saved. Saved from that place. Shows there are connections and friendship and caring underneath what you need to do to just survive. Learn that one couple who visited Kolfe when adopting found out the names and shoe sizes of all the boys and sent them new shoes, which are a treat indeed based on what we saw. A week later the shoes were gone. Corruption in some form. I get a lump in my throat just thinking about it. Orphanage 2: Kibebe Tsehi (or something like that) For children <5 or so. Much like infant homes where we got Daniel and Emily in Russia. Kids two to a bed. Some slept through our visit, some played with us. There are caretakers. We leave behind a roll of paper and crayons and pipe cleaners. I pray they will bring some joy. Orphanage 3: Kechene Girls ages 3+ and some boy siblings. Saw no caretakers near the dorms of the older girls but some with the littler kids. Kids asked to be picked up with arms outstretched. One little girl turns her back on me when I hold another child after she asked to be put down. There is playground, and trees. The nicest of the orphanages. Gets more government help, but that is relative. Cultural dinner at Yob Abyssinia. Tribal songs and dancing and Ethiopian food. We choose the buffet option. The dancing all starts from the shoulders. Different from anything I have ever seen. Dancer comes to our table and Chris and Tracy and Nicole try it out. A day of paradoxes.

Day Eight Pre-Dawn: Overnight Adventure

What a night! Eddie & I both had earplugs in so we could sleep. However, I woke up about 12:15 to the sound of our hotel room door opening, a man's voice, and then a light in the main room! With blurry vision (no contacts in) I could see someone standing in our room and began screaming, "Get out of our room! Get out of our room!" Eddie woke up, jumped up, and ran into the other room, slipping on the tile floor, after whoever it was! I followed him into the main room as he chased the man into the hall. I found the room key still in the door, for 201, when ours was 301. Handed it to Eddie, who, still in his underwear, kept talking with two women who were with the guy (Sorry, he's drunk) a hotel employee (Sorry for the inconvenience,) and the guy himself (You scared me!) Uh -- you scared me, too!!! I start laughing before Eddie even gets back into the room. I consider that individual room keys have probably been an illusion all along and wonder if we should pack our bags. We replay the scene again and again and laugh and giggle. And don't really get much good sleep the rest of the night..... In the morning Eddie goes to talk to the hotel manager, who explains that when the room key to 201 was lost employees replaced it with the master housekeeping key. This is confirmed when I ask Chris if I can try his key in our door and it doesn't fit. Chris is in the room next door and we ask if he heard the disturbance last night and give him grief for not coming to our aid. He explains that he heard noise over his ipod ear buds but thought only, "Be quiet and go to bed."

Day Seven PM: Embassy & Kore YWAM

On the way back down the mountain we completely forgot about our issue at the embassy earier. They didn't! We got pulled over and asked about who was taking pictures before. Tracy confessed. He didn't have his passport with him (first time travelling internationally, didn't know to keep it on you at all times) but gave them his driver's license. He was taken to the entrance of the embassy and kept there for a few minutes while we all wondered what would happen. We knew it was the US Embassy, that we were registered there as visitors, that they hadn't carted him away, but we waited.... Thankfully they let him go. Interestingly, his last photo was of the guards pointing at the van when they saw us, with the sign that says "no photos" in the background. East Dragon Chinese Restaurant for lunch. Very good food. Chinese are in Ethiopia working on the roads so the food is authentic. Belay, from the Gladney Adoption Agency, met us there to talk about how they have been so successful in Ethiopia. They have a reputation for being helpful and being ethical, which you don't find much. Good insight from him. Back to Kore and the YWAM facility for the girls. Melody's mom was there visiting and did part of a program on having the girls tell the story of their lives and then planning for the future. She would meet one-on-one with them over the coming days. Great idea. She asked the girls to think of the characters in movies -- had they ever seen one? -- and used the example of Little Red Riding Hood -- a story I'm sure they have never heard. Illustrated how important it is to understand the culture as you participate with the people. Helen, my favorite girl, taught me some more Amharic. We played a lot of keep-away with a soccer ball. Most of them have really good foot skills. Blessed to get to spend time with them again. Hard to say goodbye. Here is the big Orthodox Christian Church.

My jacket was not in the car at the end of the day. Must have been stolen out of an open window during lunch. Bummer. Was a birthday gift from my parents in 1991 and I use it when I run! Glad I have a sweatshirt as the mornings and evenings are cool!

Pizza for dinner at Rich & Melissa's and babysitting the kids so Rich & Melissa and Jessie & Levi could have another night out. The kids watched movies. An acquaintance named Karen was there. Long story short, her plans changed once she arrived in the country so she got to make an excursion to the north where her adopted son was from. Followed the records to find the woman who had cared for him for a year after he was abandoned, but who was unable to adopt him because she couldn't support him long term. Again, everyone here has a story. When we got back to our room there was a brand new tub in our bathroom, with the tile work around it not yet complete. Even narrower than the last one, so more water gets on the floor, but at least their isn't a big crack in the bottom!

Day Seven AM: Entoto Mountain

Good night of sleep with earplugs.

Melissa cooked us breakfast at her house so we could get a break from egg sandwiches. Oatmeal was awesome!

Group trip to Entoto Mountain:

Mission Team of Eight

Rich, Melissa, and 5-year-old Endale, rescued minge child

Levi, Jessie, Nikoli (10), Luella (7), Ruthie (5, adopted in California), Everly (2, resued minge child)

Yebe - translator, fix-it guy, cultural liaison

Nikoli rode in the van with us and served as tour guide. The guys from Seattle were in the van taking lots of pictures. As we got to the US Embassy Nikoli told them they couldn't take photos -- but they didn't listen. Sure enough, the guards saw them and started chasing us up the street. The driver kept going and we made it past.

Addis from the side of Entoto.

Up the moutain past the level of smog! Saw the wood carriers -- women who carry large loads of fallen eucalyptus branches down the mountain to sell for fuel. (Eucalyptus is not indigenous -- has weeded out other species. You can't cut the trees, but you can scavenge for fallen branches.) BEAUTIFUL at the top. Fresh air, crisp wind, a picture of what it is like to live in a village in Ethiopia. Put together kites and flew them with the five kids while Ethiopians looked on but mostly ignored us.

Ruthie with a kite.

Charles making a friend. (We later gave this guy a kite and he rode off with it still flying, tied to the back of his bike.)

Happy Endale!

9-11 Memorial. Yes, really a 9-11 Memorial on the top of a mountain in Ethiopia!

Tracy from Seattle with a new friend.

When it was time to go with gave away the kites and all the extra string. I know they will find some use for it all. I certainly felt refreshed from time in the outdoors having simple fun with the kids.

On the way down the mountain we stopped at what is best described as a weaving association for retired wood carriers. The women weave scarves and get a credit at the store their when one is purchased. (Credit is better than cash b/c it is traded for needed items, not blown on junk by husbands, etc.) The scarves are beautiful and come in an infinite number of colors and patterns. We are happy to buy a lot to support them.

Day Six: Working at a Private Orphanage

Put ear plugs in last night and had a decent night of sleep!

To a private orphanage to paint. There are three compounds associated with this orphanage -- one for girls, one for boys, one for a feeding center for other kids. Sami, who is the Christian from India who runs the place, tells us he is looking for designs on the walls. We were expecting to paint plain walls so it is a bit of a shock! None of us claim to be artists!

First group goes to paint at the boys home. Our group goes to paint the feeding center. It is a corrugated metal shack with two cinder brick walls and a roof held up by eucalyptus poles. Stark white. I walk in and immediately see the eucalyptus poles as tree trunks so we start to paint nature scenes. I show the guys how to make butterflies and ladybugs and start on flowers. 25 kids who otherwise don't have much to eat come for lunch every day. I pray for them off and on as I paint.

Wes & Elissa, friends of Levi and Jessie, join us. Wes works with the other team while Elissa tells their story. They honeymooned in Ethiopia and have always loved it here. Her husband got a job two years ago on a farm outside the city raising drought-resistant wheat (with the plan to perpetuate it and share it an expand it to help all over the country.) Six months ago the crazy man in the village hit him in the back of the head with an ax and he just returned from the states where is was treated and given therapy!!! They returned to finish the adoption process for 2 or 3 Ethiopian kids. Everyone here has a story.

Paint we are using is from China, likely lead-based. Toxic fumes for sure!

Sami fixed a traditional meal for us -- including the slaughtered sheep whose head was lying outside the building near the sink where we washed our hands. Learned the phrase, "Lord, I'll put it down if you keep it down." Did not eat much of it, though!

Continued painting and finished!

Walls weren't the only thing that got painted. The paint cans were under high pressure and this is what happened to Chris when he opened a can of green for me:

We did not go back to the hotel until evening, so Chris looked like this for the rest of the day -- through dinner at a restaurant. It was really hard to take anything he was saying seriously if you looked at him. I giggled all evening. What a trooper!

Here are some of the rest of us at the end of the painting:

We had discussions now and then today about our willingness to let our kids do something like YWAM when they are old enough. Would we be willing to let our 18-year-old go around the world to live at a dump with buckets for laundry and no good way to communicate with us back home???

Dinner at ??? -- can't recall. It took TWO HOURS to get our food. We ended up being served in three shifts. The next group didn't get their food until after the first group had finished eating. Wow.