I arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Monday morning, local time. It's now Friday morning and I have had a crazy week.
Addis is a fascinating place. The best way to describe it is organised chaos. The city is pretty hot and dusty, but the people are amazing. They are friendly and helpful, and love to practice their english at every opportunity. Amharic is a very difficult language to learn, but the locals are stoked every time we attempt to speak it!
There is just so much to learn here. Right from the moment I arrived in the country, I have felt Jesus allowing situations that stretch and challenge me. There was no one to pick me up at the airport, which may or may not have been my fault! No problem, though, people were very helpful and I was soon on the way to SIM's HQ.
After a quick tour of the compound, Leila (my coordinator) sat me down and told me that I will no longer be going to Makki as the situation as changed. This came as quite a shock as I had been planning and preparing for Makki for a long time. I really had my heart set on it. She told me I would now be going to Langano, which is about 4 hours south of Addis. Apparently it's a stunning place and there is a huge need there. They see between 80-150 people per day! It will be quite different to what I was expecting in Makki, but will have it's own unique set of benefits and challenges.
Although I know there is huge need there, I realised very quickly that it was more about God wanting to make it very clear to me right from the start that I need to be flexible. Nothing here is set in stone, and to be effective to Him, I need to be able to let go of plans and be willing to follow where He leads.
At first I was really gutted about the change, but I'm staying positive and now I'm really looking forward to Langano. We leave on Sunday, all going well. I will go with Nancy, an American nurse, and will join one other down there, so there will be three of us.
I have been getting frustrated sitting here with very little to do, and really wanting to do what I came here for. It's probably my own fault, though. I made the mistake of praying for patience, so I guess now I'm in a situation that requires patience. I should know by now not to pray such things!
I will more than likely be unable to email from Langano, so this may be my last update for awhile. I'm sure I will have stories to tell in a few weeks time when I come back up for a break.
Please pray for unity with the team down there. They are all Americans, so I'm sure I will be challenged! Also for eyes to see what's going on around me, to see opportunites, and the faith to follow His leading.
Peace
Rowan
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Friday, February 1, 2008
One day to go!
In 24 hours time I will be sitting on a plane at Auckland Airport trying not to soil myself as I wait to take off on the biggest advenure of my life! It will be a further 24 hours after then that I will arrive in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital. Strangely enough, as I sit writing this post, I am remarkably relaxed and peaceful. The calm before the storm. I anticipate I will be in a very different state of mind as I wake tomorrow.
I have heard a very obvious silence from above over the last few weeks. Maybe I have been so busy trying to get everthing prepared and making sure I haven't forgotten anything that I haven't been listening enough. Or maybe this is just one of those times, as is often the case, that Jesus just keeps His silence. I trust Him totally and completely, but it doesn't make the silences any easier. Nevertheless, I have been at peace in a way that can only come from the Spirit who knows better than I do and has me firmly in the palm of His very capable hand.
My expectations are high going into this adventure. I thing they are realistic though. I am not an idealist, I have a tendency to be a pesimist at times, but for the most part, I think I am just a realist. I expect to be hugely challenged, immensely frustrated, radically changed, and hopefully brought to life in a new way. I am not expecting my struggles or short-fallings to disappear, but hope to be able to approach them from a new perspective. I believe Jesus rewards an expectant heart, and I don't have much more to offer than that and a willingness to serve.
I am hugely excited about this adventure, but I also grieve at the thought of not seeing the people I love for four months. I will miss so many people that have become such a huge part of my life and who I am. Things will not be the same without them. I will be blessed if I can find family over there that can mean even half as much as my brothers and sisters at home. Four months isn't long, but due to the nature of what I'm doing, I know I will need people around me that I can effectively process things with and bounce my thoughts off.
To all who are thinking and praying for me during this time, I thank you again. This would not be happening without you.
Peace and love
Rowan
I have heard a very obvious silence from above over the last few weeks. Maybe I have been so busy trying to get everthing prepared and making sure I haven't forgotten anything that I haven't been listening enough. Or maybe this is just one of those times, as is often the case, that Jesus just keeps His silence. I trust Him totally and completely, but it doesn't make the silences any easier. Nevertheless, I have been at peace in a way that can only come from the Spirit who knows better than I do and has me firmly in the palm of His very capable hand.
My expectations are high going into this adventure. I thing they are realistic though. I am not an idealist, I have a tendency to be a pesimist at times, but for the most part, I think I am just a realist. I expect to be hugely challenged, immensely frustrated, radically changed, and hopefully brought to life in a new way. I am not expecting my struggles or short-fallings to disappear, but hope to be able to approach them from a new perspective. I believe Jesus rewards an expectant heart, and I don't have much more to offer than that and a willingness to serve.
I am hugely excited about this adventure, but I also grieve at the thought of not seeing the people I love for four months. I will miss so many people that have become such a huge part of my life and who I am. Things will not be the same without them. I will be blessed if I can find family over there that can mean even half as much as my brothers and sisters at home. Four months isn't long, but due to the nature of what I'm doing, I know I will need people around me that I can effectively process things with and bounce my thoughts off.
To all who are thinking and praying for me during this time, I thank you again. This would not be happening without you.
Peace and love
Rowan
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