It is 9:15am and we just checked out of Providence Guest house where we spent the first 2 nights. We just checked in to Ethiopia Guest House for the next 4 nights for our remaining time here. As soon as the next van and luggage arrives and we get unloaded, we will head to Restoration Orphanage.
Yesterday we spent the day in Korah. I am so glad that Project 61 is there helping the people there. There is so much need. The pastor of the church there told us that all of Addis thinks Korah is the lowest of the low. So low that Addis dumps all their trash there. One of the guys who works at P61 told us that the people there were so glad we came and that the people across the way from Korah who have money won't even look at the people of Korah or acknowledge them. So for us to come and pray with them and hug them is a very big deal to them. There was a girl named Kayla there who was awesome - she helped us by telling us what the schedule should be and we split into 3 groups - one team did the Noah's ark story, one team did music and the other team did art projects. We did each thing with one group of kids and then we rotated to the next group so that all 3 groups got to do all 3 things. Then we got to help feed the kids lunch. They came and found me and asked me to get 3 people to come feed the old men with leprosy who had lost all their fingers and couldn't feed themselves. I'm gonna be honest here - I got an instant feeling of panic like "I can't do this" over me. I had forgotten that Kari Gibson had done that and I had seen the photos so I knew it meant feeding them with my hands. This was definitely outside my comfort zone. And I know it was for my other team members who joined me and helped. When I sat down - I felt nervous because I had no idea how to feed them this ethiopian food with this spongy bread like thing that was flat and big like a tortilla called injera with sauce poured on it. Thankfully there were people there who showed us. It took some practice cause it tended to get soggy and fall apart - I dropped some on the man I was feeding a few times but then I got the hang of it. I just really wanted to do a good job. It was uncomfortable but very humbling. I can love on kids all day long but when it comes to adults, I'm not as familiar. And to get up close and personal with an old man who had suffered so much, lost all his fingers and most of his toes from leprosy - it was humbling. I just tried my hardest to look him in the eye and smile. After he had eaten enough - he pulled out a black plastic bag - similar to a kroger bag in size. He signaled for me to untie it so I did. He then signaled me to put the leftovers in this bag. I looked in there and there were some leftovers already - all mushy in the bag. I dumped the leftovers in and then a lady came around and fill it up with more. I asked and she said they take leftovers everyday to eat for dinner. One of the 3 men had a tupperware type container that he put his in inside the bag and I thought that would be a good thing for future teams to bring for them - some tupperware so they didn't have food in a plastic grocery bag. I got my photo with the sweet man and patted his bag. He put his hands up and smiled so huge - I asked the lady what that meant and she said it was the signal for thanking God. Wow - talk about humbling. To literally be able to feed this man and love on him - what an honor. Uncomfortable - yes. Worth the discomfort - definitely. The mission trip Anticipate journal talked in one chapter about how we're not coming on a mission trip to love on orphans or paint a mural or whatever other thing we think we're coming for. We are coming to be transformed to the likeness of Christ. When I heard the pastor talk about Korah being seen as the lowest of the low and I looked into those precious kids faces - I felt overwhelmed with emotion and knew this is exactly where Jesus would be. Yesterday at Korah - my heart was broken in a new way. And I pray in that moment of loving on that man even when in the natural I didn't really want to - I know it was Jesus loving through me. And for that I am thankful.
After we fed the people, we ate our lunch and then split into 3 groups and walked to do some home visits. The group I was with visited the home of a mom who lost her husband 9 months ago and had 2 small children to care for. She had a roommate to split the rent but the lady left and now she is trying to come up with 230 birr per month for rent when she usually only makes 6-7 birr per day at the most when she sells corn. Some days, she doesn't sell any. She is really struggling. We got to pray for her and I asked if I could hold her hands. I have noticed in all my travels that people need to be touched. In America, we're all about personal space but in most other countries - a touch means a lot. Especially to those who so many people ignore and pass by. I think that's why the kids just latch onto us. Sure they love games and stories and activities but more than that - they just really love to be held. I tried to look them in the eye so they know that I see them - and that God sees them.
Korah was a hard place to visit but a great place at the same time. I definitely want to go back. All the kids knew my co-workers name when I asked them if they knew Alicia - they all got excited and said "oh yes, we love Alicia. She is our friend." And I know Alicia knows most of their names. I want to know them, to know their names. I have seen in Haiti that when you come back to a place time and time again - it means so much to the kids. It's great to come visit once and love on some kids but so much greater to come repeatedly. That means so much to those kids! I think then they really believe you when you tell them they matter and that you love them.
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