Aliens in Africa

Dad,

here's my next blog posting... if it sounds rude or proud or any way
offensive will you not post it? i can't wait to see you!!! happy
training

So I've been feeling homesick lately. Mostly I miss my family and
friends, but at times I just really miss the comforts of home. I miss
warm pressured showers and driving rather than walking everywhere. I
miss not being noticed when I walk down the street and high-speed
internet. I miss Mexican food and washing machines. I miss speaking to
people whose first language is English. And yes, I miss my favorite
show Project Runway. Although I miss all these comforts, I know it's
only a short time that I'll be without them, away from home, so it's
bearable.

Today we were talking about what things make us realize that we are
total strangers to Ethiopia. Whether it is something as obvious as the
language or color of our skin, or something as simple as shaking a
wrist in a greeting or the 'gasp' that means yes. Whatever big or
small difference, cultural or physical, a thousand times a day I'm
reminded that I'm not from here.

I realize this is only a temporary place that I'm living. Since I know
this place is only temporary my value on certain things increases and
on others decreases. I know I'll only be living here for 5 months so
I'm not spending a lot of money on comforts such as more than one
towel or home decor. We are getting by on the essentials- food and
water. Why? Because this 'home' is temporary so it would be silly to
invest in luxuries.

We also know our time here is short, so we are really trying to
immerse ourselves in the culture to learn about the similarities and
differences. We are spending a lot of time with people building
friendships because we know that's the only thing we can take with us.
We also are spending a lot of time in reflection because we want these
5 months to count. We want to be available to God's calling,
open-minded to learning new things and seeing life from another
perspective, we want to grow, and we want to make a difference for
God's glory. Also, it's so much easier here to give more of ourselves
and time because we don't have the distraction of TV, or shopping, or
whatever else I do with my time at home.

Now, here I am, in Africa as a foreigner, but how is that any
different from my life on this earth as a foreigner?

Peter addresses followers of Jesus all throughout the world as
'strangers in the world' and 'aliens' to this world because they do
not belong. This is not my home, this life is not the final
destination, it's merely a temporary assignment.

I wish I could maintain a perspective that my life on earth is merely
a temporary assignment, before I am called home to heaven. Instead of
building a large inheritance for myself or my children on this earth I
wish I could maintain the perspective that my things on this earth
will not last. I wish I could focus on "an inheritance that can never
perish, spoil, or fade- kept in heaven for [me]… in this [I should]
greatly rejoice, though now for a little while [I] may suffer grief
and all kinds of trials." (1 Peter 1:3)

Merry Christmas from Ethiopa

Melkam Gena! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Yesterday was the Ethiopian Christmas so Kali and I enjoyed the feasts of injera, wot, and popcorn at Semu and Winta's houses.

Kali and I have moved up to Mekelle, a city in the northern Tigray region of Ethiopia. We are enjoying the perfect weather of 50 F nights and 85 F sunny days. The average rainfall for Mekelle these next 2 months is 0 mm. Kali and I are enjoying living on our own, cooking all our meals from scratch, learning about the orthodox culture, but most of all spending time with the kids at the youth center. Kali and I are working for SIM (Service in Mission) which is a Christian NGO that began in Sudan and spread to Ethiopia in the early 1930's. SIM has numerous projects throughout Ethiopia that minister to people's physical needs: food, medicine, education, and shelter and by doing so sharing Christ's love through action.

The Mekelle Youth Center is a place where youth come for English classes, computer classes, HIV/AIDS education, and sports. The purpose of the center is to provide a safe haven for youth to be youth and learn essential character values. Approximately 400 kids come to the center each day. The center has been in Mekelle for 5 years and has been praised by the government for its programs and for the model it has been for the community.

Kali and I work closely with the Girls Anti-Aids Club, Girls basketball team, Youth Team building, English Classes, and Sports (all the volleyball, knock-out, ping pong, bingo, and soccer you could imagine.) There is a core group of 10 girls that we are focusing on building relationships with. The first day I walked into the Girls Anti-Aids club room they were all dancing and singing to Mariah Carey's We Belong Together and I just felt like I was right back in my dorm room at Lawrenceville. It's amazing how we share such similar interests and taste in music, clothes, movies, humor, yet come from tremendously different backgrounds.

For example, our friend Emebete, 16, loves Heath Ledger and Beyonce, and seems just like any other 16 year old American girl, but today I learned she was orphaned when she was 8 after her mother died and her father disappeared. Social services took her to this organization in Mekelle called Operation Rescue which is a community and family based child care program that cares for orphans, street children, and works to train mothers and educate the children. Emebete was so poor, just like a child on one of those horrific TV commercials that is digging through the trash, but now thanks to her sponsors, who give $15 dollars a month, she's in school, has nice clothes, and a chance to have a childhood. It's neat to think that $15 dollars a month really did change a little African child's life.

Speaking of giving, that is something that the Lord has really been teaching me. He's shed so much light on how stingy I am even though I have so much. The Ethiopians absolutely amaze me in their generosity. When we went to Semu and Winta's houses for Christmas, Semu's sister, who essentially stands as Semu's mother because her mother moved to Saudi Arabia to work as a maid to pay for her 3 girls education after her husband (Semu's father) passed away. They haven't seen her in 4 years. But her sweet sister gave us as many servings as we could possibly eat plus more and performed a coffee ceremony, in all which took about 3 hours. She didn't eat until after we left and gave us the best food. (which is a really big deal because Christmas is the one time a year they will slaughter a goat.) What would our world look like if we always gave others our best? How does Semu's sister who has nothing, give and offer everything to us, foreigners from America who have so much.

She reminded me of the widow in the gospel of Mark 12:41 who put in too small coins, worth only a fraction of a penny in the offering. Jesus says to the disciples, "I tell you the truth this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty, put in everything —all she had to live on."

Daily, constantly, the Ethiopians who 97% are unemployed and live on much less than a dollar a day, give their best food, best coffee, best chair, best smiles, and best attitude. How is it that they, who have nothing, give everything freely, and I who have so much am so hesitant to share my meal?

And it's not just because we are Americans and they are trying to impress us, they truly look after their neighbors. All the kids in the compound are looked after by every mother, beggars share with other beggars. A few minutes ago as I was sitting in this internet café, two blind men were helping each other down the street.

How different would our world look if we could truly love our neighbors as ourselves, and not just give them our leftover's, but like Semu's sister and the widow, gave our best?

Please pray that our hearts would grow more in tune with God's purpose for our time in Mekelle, that we would develop close relationships with the girls, that we can give our best and give a fraction of what the Ethiopians give us, for peace in Somalia and that the conflict would not escalate here in Ethiopia, health, safety, energy, hope, and that the Lord would break our hearts with the things that break His heart.


--
Ashley S. Zeiger

Salamna from Ethiopa

Salamna! (Hello in Amaharic, lit. meaning...Peace)

Well we are on dial-up over here so this blog thing isn't exactly
working so I'll have to send group emails, terribly sorry. I just sent
this to my whole address book so if you don't want these emails just
let me know, i promise i won't be offended.

Well my goodness, where to start.

When we stepped off the plane in Addis Ababa, Kali said, "Smell the
air because we won't remember it in a few days." Well I don't notice
the smell of cow patties and incense anymore, but its a good thing
because it signifies that Ethiopia is our home again. The friendships
are natural, the food sits well (for the most part), the laughter is
overflowing, the amaharic is coming along as our english diminishes
exponentially.... finally we are at home again.

Our days are filled with new experiences from riding on the large taxi
bus with a max capacity of about 40, but always at least 100 riders,
to visiting new orphanages and playing their games. But I enjoy the
familiarity of this place more: our friendships with Mesfin, Alex,
Sammie, and Ladet, our favorite injera (traditional Ethiopian food)
resturant, the 4 machiatos a day, and the little girl Salam at the
Mother Teresea orphanage.

Everday I have to give my expectations and idealism to the Lord
because in this place expectations destroy the beauty of the
spontaniety and what the Lord wants to show us. Nevertheless to have a
dream is of the utmost importance, as our Ethiopian friends have shown
us that to dream is to dream of eternal joy.

Ethiopians live in the day. Each day is all they have and could truly
be their last as many live on the edge between life and afterlife.
This is why they give, they give all that they have, and put their
whole hearts into each day. I believe because of this gift, each day
their hearts grow incredibly strong and the Lord fills them up each
day with joy and trust because he likes how much they give with their
hearts...

The largest heart I've ever seen is Alex's mother's heart. When she
was 16 her now husband, kidnapped and raped her, and forced her to be
his wife. She bore him 5 children. All the time he was going around
sleeping with many other women. Not only did she stay with him, she
took in his other children, 17 total, and raised them. She treats and
loves them as her own. Alex's dad passed away 2 years ago from
HIV/AIDS and now his mother has contracted it because he slept around.
Yet she gives all she has to these kids. She truly has a heart of
gold.



The more time I spend in Ethiopia the more accustomed I grow to the
feces on the street or the rabid dogs barking at all hours of the
night, but the integrity and the faith of the people continues to
amaze me. When I hear of their struggle I can't even begin to imagine
what it must be like, but it truly does cause me to look at my life
and revolutionize everything I think is important.

________________________________________________________________

December 12, 2006

Today was our first day working at the Sidestkilo Mother Teresea
orphanage for disabled, special needs children.

We got there at 10:30 and immediately I was bombarded by 7 children
all trying to hole my hand or asking me to pick them up. Then their
excitement turned into rage as there was not enough of me to go
around, so then I had to shift my focus from loving them to stopping
the boy with downs from biting the mentally handicapped girl.

Many of the orphans I've met in Ethiopia have dirty clothes, but as to
be expected. however these children cannot take care of themselves in
the least.

I'm ashamed of my next thoughts...

No only were they covered in dirty and old ratty clothese but tthey
reeked of urine and terrible breath. They have food crusted all over
their faces and snot and saliva pouring from their nostrils and mouth.
And all they wanted me to do is to hold them, but I couldnt help but
smell the urine and fell the saliva dripping down my leg. I searched
deep into my heart and had the hardest time to find the strength and
compassion to just hold them. And as if my sense couldn't sense
anything worse it was meal time.

The sisters brought out a huge pot of injera mixed with maize. They
then poured in wated and mushed it all together so that it literally
looked like dog food that had been vomitted. The sisters then
proceeded to strap these children to their charis and tie their hands
together as we filled their mouths with this foul smelling food, while
half of it trickled down their face and the other half ended up on my
face from their spit.

Needless to say, I didn't know whether to cry or vomit.

Thank goodness we didn't have injera for lunch, but went to a
pizzeria. I was hashing through my thoughts and feelings I was trying
to figure out a way I wouldn't have to go back. But after a 2 hour
lunch breaks and 2 machiatos I was beginning to feel some strength and
we headed back.

One of the girls had been crying all morning and finally after playing
ball and duck duck goose she was smiling, laughing and claping and I
was filled with such joy. To give these children an ounce of love
after being totally shunned from society, and to see them smile is the
greatest joy and fullfillment I've ever experienced. But it wasn't my
love. It was jesus' love. I had to pray for God to let me see past the
snot and just hug the little boy as his urine ran down my leg. But
with God's eyes i have to tell you, I've NEVER seen more BEAUTIFUL
children. Their smiles radiate with love. I couldnt stop dreaming
about them last night and wait to get back to the orphanage today.

I didn't have the love within me, but God loved them through Kali and
me and that was the most blessed I've ever been in my whole life.

God continues to help us see with our hearts. And to see with his eyes
which is so different from my view. But there is still pain and
hunger. so pray for our friends that they will continue to hope and
press on, pray for the special children who need to feel Jesus wrap
his arms around him. Pray that Kali and I continue to let go and let
God.

I love you all and miss you!

Ciao-

Ashley
Brahan (my ethiopian name)


--
Ashley S. Zeiger