More Traveling adventures

We are all glad that we don’t have to go to Addis but we now have a number of reasons to travel to Bahir Dar instead.  Bahir Dar is the nearest large city to us and is about 5 hours North of us.  The Coleman and Fellows families (SIM) live in Bahir Dar and this time we will plan to spend some time with the Colemans.   The main reasons to go:  send some important pictures via email to Addis which we can’t do via our satellite connection, attend the graduation of an Ethiopian evangelist, buy some fruit and vegetables and check out what sorts of supplies are available, visit the car dealership for a possible vehicle and have an adventure.  Of course none of us are particularly excited about a 5 hour drive but it does seem much more manageable than 12 hours.  We appreciate prayer for safety as we travel (likely leave Friday morning and return on Monday).  

Cam the Chameleon story

One day, I went to feed Hurley. I was coming up from feeding Hurley when I saw a chameleon on the middle of the path. He started heading for the tree but I blocked him and told Joel to get the net. He got it and we got the chameleon. He kept on climbing out of the net but finally we got him in the bug cage.

We watched him for the rest of the day. It was funny because he kept on hanging upside down. We left the door open for a while. We did our school work in a different room. We checked on him over and over again but he was too scared to come out because he was a baby. I named him Cam. Cam is so cute you should see him.

At lunch, Joel fed him a noodle it was cute because after a while he grabbed the noodle. He didn't eat it. He just stared at us. The End

Written By: Kalia Kruse

Calling all Coffee Lovers

It has been a treat to be back in Ethiopia where coffee is grown in many people’s backyard.  It is freshly roasted with every cup.  I was somewhat disappointed to hear that the Gumuz are not coffee drinkers.  The reason I was disappointed was really because it is an ideal time for women to gather together (as we do in North America).   I am still hoping to find when and if the Gumuz women do meet together to talk or work.   (I am sure I will discover that once I have more language abilities).

Our closest Gumuz neighbours live 2 minutes away and they live with several highlanders (Amharic/Oromo speaking Ethiopians).  One of the influences of the highlanders in this area is that some Gumuz do drink coffee and my friend Yasheko is one of these ladies. 

There is one BIG difference between the way Sudanese drink coffee and the way Gumuz drink coffee.  Salt!  Yes my friends, I now drink coffee with salt.  It is an interesting experience and one I may yet learn to appreciate.    The coffee is strong and served in small demitasse cups.  Usually it is best to drink atleast 3 cups. 

Our Staple Diet

Our diet has altered significantly since arriving in Gesses in an attempt to simplify life and identify with the people.  We are not able to run a refrigerator off our solar power but we have filled half a small freezer with some meat and cheese (that is at the Williamson house).  But for the most part, we use local food or dry goods.

The fruits and vegetables that we have been able to buy locally (10km away at market) until recently were potatoes, onions, garlic and bananas.   But we are happy to say that it is now the season for maize, pumpkins, okra, red beans, cassava type potato, gomin (greens), and small tomatoes.   So with each visit I make for language learning, I am fed some roasted maize and sent home with cobs of maize (for my children) a pumpkin or potato.  I am sure they will soon notice that we love their vegetables.  (We have started a small garden but not sure if we will get produce from it or not with the rains ending within a month or two).

The Gumuz diet is very similar to the Sudanese diet.  They hunt, they gather wild greens, roots and fruit (same type as is found in Sudan), they grow the same crops (maize, millet and sorghum) and the same vegetables.

The preparation of the food is somewhat different.  This morning, were invited to a Gumuz home for breakfast.  Yesterday was the holiday Meskel here in Ethiopia (finding of the cross) which the Gumuz also celebrate.  Today is the day, everyone gathers to eat meat.  Several families kill a cow or goat and then divide the meat between them.   Kalia and Joel stayed home while the rest of us walked 10 minutes to Bechunk’s house. 

We were served boiled meat with freshly ground jalapeno pepper sauce.  Tasty but VERY chewy.  We were also served (for the first time), their main food.  It is called Kay-ah.  It is a fermented sorghum porridge which they drink from a gourd that is passed around.  We were served in individual cups.  In some circumstances, I prefer the communal bowl (this was one of them).  I managed to drink my portion but refused the second refill.  

Our staple diet these days is porridge or pancakes for breakfast (yesterday was pumpkin pancakes) and injera with shiro (ground bean stew) or split peas, lentils for lunch.  Suppers are usually rice, pasta, tortillas or bread with sauce or soup. 

What would we do without snacks?  Children need snacks and so this is usually popcorn, bananas or leftover pancakes with jam in the morning and a cob of roasted maize or oatmeal cookies in the afternoon.  

Life may not be the same but our children are adapting well and we are eating a well balanced diet.  Oh yes....and we were invited out for lunchJ

Our present "troubles" and language learning

It has been a challenging month of sickness in our home.  We are still functioning but with less sleep than we desire.   The recent onset of illness has been with respiratory infections.  Coughs, sore throats, ear aches, headaches and lack of sleep are the main  symptoms.   I have been determined not to allow my broken nights keep me from getting out and learning language.    

Yesterday, during my informal language learning with my neighbour Yasheko, I learned the vocabulary for the all the symptoms of illness in our home.    Yasheko laughed as she shared the different words with me including “no sleep”.   Our illnesses help us identify with those around us.   Respiratory infections, malaria, eye infections are some common illnesses here.  So it may be that our present troubles are actually part of reaching the Gumuz by identifying with them.   May we embrace not only the joys of living here but also the struggles believing God has a purpose in them both.

How well are we identifying?

As missionaries, we have always attempted to identify with the people we are discipling.  This presents a challenge when working with people in the village context.  Do we live in a grasshut?  Do we plant a field?  Do I, as a woman spend my time collecting firewood, carrying water by hand and cooking over an open fire?  Ethiopian missionaries do this very well and foreigners don’t.  When I was single, Claire and I would spend some weekends in the homes of Sudanese.   This allowed us to get a good grasp on language and build friendships quickly but it was also hard.  (Sleeping on bamboo beds, no washroom facilities, etc)  During the week, when we were teaching though, we would live in our own homes.

Raising a family presents some extra challenges and in the end, we forfeit complete identification for longevity.  So we cook using gas, have solar electricity for lighting and running a washing machine, have a bed per person, water storage, a tin roof and a cement floor.   Our hope is that these things don’t distract us from relationships but to be generous with what we have and effective in how we live.    

Ways we have tried to connect and identify with the Gumuz so far:  We charge our neighbours cell phones (yes some Gumuz have cell phones), eat the local food, sit with them, go to church, learn language and songs, carry our drinking water from the well (Rolf does this though it is mostly women’s work), deal with rodents and scorpions, treat illnesses and get sick (not purposefullyJ).  

Our desire is to live among the people and model Christ in their context and to find a balance in doing this well.   May our conveniences not keep us from loving the Gumuz and sharing Christ’s love with them.

Challenges of Communication

I have finally entered some email addresses into the computer that we use for sending and receiving email via satellite phone (our uuplus email address) and hopefully this will motivate me to write more emails.  Since we don’t have a wireless connection here in Gesses and the satellite phone is at the Schwenk house, emailing doesn’t make it on the priority list most days.  (Hint: If you email us though, we will be sure to email back!)

Yet, we do think of you, our friends, often.  Some days we long to be back in Canada to catch up on how you are doing.  How is school going for all of Kalia, Joel & Ariana’s classmates?  How are our neighbours?  How is church?  How are the Bible study groups, SS and Awana sessions going?  Sometimes, we wish we could just hop into our Canadian world again.  Each of the children mention different people that they miss.  This seems to be the only thing that we truly miss - friends!  Wow!  This is exactly what we hope for.....that we build deep relationships wherever we go.  It makes life harder but so much sweeter. 

Some of you have attempted to take on the challenge of sending a letter to us to the town of Dibate (10km away).  So far we have received 2 letters – one from Kenya (Claire) and one from Canada (Dad Kruse).  The last letter was given by hand to our teammate in Dibate.  This seems rather dubious and yet perfectly normal all at the same time.    We realize that more letters have been sent but the post office is rarely open.  (I took a picture of it and will post it when we are next in Addis.  You will then realize how exciting it is when a letter actually does make it to our box.)   So.....for really important stuff and packages....I think we will stick with the Box 127 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia address for now. 

We just wanted you to know that you are loved and missed though we are embracing our life and ministry here.  Sundays are really quiet here and this seems to be the day when we miss home the most.    We miss worshipping the Lord with a body of believers that we know and love deeply.

Language Learning

This morning during my quiet time with the Lord, I asked the Lord for boldness and motivation for language learning.   I am aware of my need for the Gumuz language in order to do any ministry among the women here.   Part of me yearns to immerse myself daily in language knowing that the end result will be so good.  The other part of me fights against even the thought of learning yet another language.    Lord, I need you to clearly guide me in this.   Guess what?  He was already working things out for me today so that it was as easy as possible to begin.  

This morning, Barry hired 21 Gumuz to cut grass around our house....most of them are women.   His reason for hiring so many people is because this is the time that the Gumuz have the least amount of food.  Their grain stores are empty and the maize isn’t quite ready for harvest and the sorghum won’t be ready for another month or two.   I had two choices:  stay inside and pretend no one was outside (difficult to do since our windows are always open and you can hear every noise outside) or embrace the moment. 

Grass cutting is a very slow process.  The Gumuz sit on their haunches with a small curved blade and slash the grass.   They are happy to do this as a big group because they can visit as they cut.  They are also happy for a few hours of work as they can use the money to buy some extra food.

So, I took the plunge and began practicing the phrases I knew, hoping that it would be well received.  It was and most of these women live within 5-10 minutes of my home.   One of the elders of this nearby village came by to talk to me in Amharic and he was very enthusiastic.  Yes, I could come and learn the Gumuz language anytime in his village.   No more excuses.

On Friday, the Kruses sent out this prayer request to their prayer supporters:

   "Tomorrow (Friday morning Ethiopian time, Thursday night for most of you), Fikre or another SIM employee will return to an office in Addis Ababa to request our supporting letter.  Please pray that the right person will be in the office tomorrow and that they will immediately complete all the needed paperwork.   This office has been closed off and on for weeks and the person with authority has been out of the office.  This has become an urgent need because our business visas expire on October 7^th. 

After this, our paperwork goes to the immigration office.  Pray that this process would also take place quickly so we don’t need to leave the country!"

UPDATED:  Please PRAY URGENTLY as the SIM employee was told to return on TUESDAY (Monday night for most of you).  Pray that ALL the paperwork will be completed immediately and the whole process expedited so we don't need to leave the country.  Thank you for your prayers. 

We are settling back into Gesses having spent a full week here now.   The children started school this week with Nicole Schwenk.   Monday was Ethiopian New Year and this country celebrated the year 2004.  Tuesday, Kalia and Emily ran a little carnival to start off the school year.  Joel was still recovering from a bout of malaria but was able to participate too.   Rolf and Barry have been able to hook up all the water tanks as of today and they can be filled anytime after Saturday (when the calking dries).  This was an urgent task as after the rains end in a few more weeks, we are dependent on the water stored.

We have hired a houseworker from a nearby Oromo village.  Mesalech speaks Amharic, Oromo and some Gumuz so she will be a real asset to our family.  She has worked 2 days already and we are all pleased with her servant heart.    She reminds us of Abebech (our past houseworker whom we would still love to connect with).    Mesalech works from 8-12 and 2-5pm  for 5 days each week.  Her jobs basically include washing dishes, hanging and folding laundry,  lunch preparation (injera and wat and some other food that I will train her to prepare) and some childcare.  Being a stay at home mom is quite a task in our home countries but without many conveniences, tasks here take much longer.  Having Mesalech with us allows me to help with homeschooling and focus on language learning and outreach and maybe even enjoy some family time before bed. 

Back in Gesses

It is good to be back in Gesses.  It is raining more and it is beautiful and green and cool.  It has averaged 25C during the days and 19C at night so we need our blankets at night since we have large windows and no insulation.   We arrived safely and the drive went really well.   We have all our supplies and personal items in Gesses now and I definitely feel ready to be done moving.  Rolf and Barry have a long list of urgent things to do this week including setting up 3 large water tanks so they can collect rain before the rains end. 

Last night, Joel had fever, chills and other symptoms relating to malaria so I treated him with Coartem and was up with him most of the night.  Each of the families here are dealing with illness in different ways so please do remember to pray for protection, health and that in each situation God would be glorified.  

Joel’s 3 concerns last night were that his new Mohawk hairstyle would be ruined by the cold cloth I had on his forehead, that he would miss the Carnival we had planned for the first day of homeschool and that he would throw up.  His hairstyle is intact, the carnival is being delayed until he feels better (either this afternoon or tomorrow) and he didn’t throw up.  It was so sweet to hear him crying out to the Lord on his behalf (in regards to not wanting to throw up).

Safe travels on day 1

Thank you for your prayers as we drove 7.5 hours today.  We left later than planned (11:30am) and arrived just after dark at 7:15 in Finota Selaam.  Same hotel as last time.  Time for supper and bed and hoping for a mosquito free sleep.  We will have between 4-5 hours travelling time tomorrow depending on our stops.  Everyone travelled well today PTL!

On our way?

Well we hoped to leave tomorrow morning and attempt the 12 hour journey in a day but.....it looks like we will only be able to leave at noon.   This morning Rolf picked up fruit and veggies, 3 dozen eggs, my driver's license, photocopied materials, some plywood and other last minute miscellaneous items.  Then Barry called from Gesses at 4pm after discovering that the pipes for the water tank were not sent.  So... Rolf had to find the needed supplies and then ask someone to thread the pipes.  It is 6:30pm and he just pulled in from his day away. 

He hoped to pack up the vehicle tonight but since it is dark already (and outdoor lights are very dim) that may have to wait until morning.   We appreciate your prayers for safety as we drive....whether that is all day tomorrow or tomorrow afternoon and Friday morning. 

Successful Addis Days & Wisdom needed

Yesterday, Rolf was able to find the majority of the remaining station and household items around Addis though he literally had to drive from one end to another (and this is no easy task).  He found a 4 burner stove for me (hurray!) and it may well be the only one in the whole city.  They usually come with 1-2 electric burners which we can't use. 

Today, Rolf hopes to get the remaining items on our list and then we will get dry goods, vegetables, fruit and eggs (though we will have to figure out a way for several dozen eggs to be transported without breaking). 

Tomorrow, Rolf will load the back of our vehicle and the roof rack with all our purchases and we hope to head out Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning. 

Three ways you can help is to pray for the following:

1.  Completion of our work permit.  Our work permit process was delayed until SIM re-registered (that happened yesterday).  P Next week, SIM will go on our behalf to the office where we need our supporting letter.  After this, we may need to return to Addis for immigration (hopefully we can wait until we can pick up our ID cards).  This all needs to happen by October 7th. 

2.  Wisdom in purchasing a vehicle.  Our options are few.  Buy something new (there is likely only one option for us and we have to order it now in order to get it by October) or wait for the right used vehicle to be available.   We likely need a landcruiser (because of roads) though a van would be more spacious and less expensive.

3.  All the travelling we need to do.  This week as we return to Gesses and then returning to Addis to finish the work permit process.  If this does not happen by October 7th, we need to leave the country. 

Breakfast at the guesthouse

For short periods of time and when staying in the right room, the SIM guesthouse is a great place to stay.   The biggest challenge is the lack of cooking facilities.  The guesthouse provides 3 meals a day but if you actually eat these 3 meals, you will be certain to gain weight.  We did it one day this week and I still wasn't hungry the next day.  When you see what they serve for breakfast, you will realize why.

Each morning, the bell rings at 7:15am (7:30) on weekends and the tables are set.  We have checked in for each breakfast because we are up anyways and they really are tasty.  If you order tea or coffee once, you get it every day after that.  The oldest 3 kids learned quickly that all they had to say was "shy efelagallo" and they got tea....everyday.  Here is what we had for breakfast yesterday.

 First course: fresh fruit platter

 Second course:  roasted wheat porridge.  This is a great hit with all our kids.  They like it better than oatmeal.  They also learned after the first day that they take half as much as they want to because there is more food to follow.

 Third course: tea or coffee.

 Fourth course:  today's special is rhubarb muffins.  Other days may include waffles with syrup and rhubarb sauce, coffee cake or toast and scrambled eggs or egg souffle.

 Fifth course: boiled eggs.  They bring it out gradually so just when you think you are finished, another course appears.  One has to learn to hold back.

Sonia is a great little eater and enjoys her breakfasts immensely.  Although we are enjoying breakfasts, we try not to sign up for more than one more meal each day because it is just too much food.  Also the etiquette of being served can be quite interesting to say the least.

The last couple of days, Rolf has been working through meal times (taking short breaks instead) and so I have been at the table with our 5 children alone.  This would be fine in our own home but now I am in a public venue.  Yesterday's supper was quite eventful as Nadia decided that "no way" was she going to eat her pasta.  In typical 2 year old manner, she was determined not to eat a bite. 

Since dessert is also served at each meal and is placed in front of you, I told Nadia that she would not be able to have icecream until she ate atleast 2 bites.  "No way" was her reply.  Well the ice cream came and the server placed it in front of her.  I pushed it to the side sure that she would give in.  She didn't and began whining.  So I removed the ice cream from the table under the scrutiny of the server.

We calmly continued eating (with another couple at our table) and Nadia continued crying.  The server intervened.  "You must give her ice cream." he said in Amharic.  This began a conflict in disciplinary action.  "I have 7 children, you must give it to her."  In the end, I lost.  He prepared a new bowl of ice cream and gave it to her.  

He did it!

Rolf was actually able to finish all 8 walls and 3 floor sections.  PTL!  There was much prayer that went up for strength and perseverance at all the difficulties and delays that came up.  He worked all day and evening yesterday hoping to get ahead.  He was then up early cutting more steel (by hand since there is no working electric saw here) and then worked all day with 3 Ethiopians.  He also made several trips to the place where the truck and trailer was parked.  Those loading the truck were anxiously waiting for Rolf to finish all the work.

My filthy, hard working husband. 

Israyiil helping out with loading. 

Emmanuel, SIM driver and purchaser.  We have known Emmanuel the whole time that we have lived in Ethiopia and have enjoyed having him come to Sherkole in the past.  Joel took a ride with Emmanuel in a truck carrying the wall frames to the loading truck.

It looked like it would be impossible to fit everything on the truck and trailer since there were also 3 giant plastic water storage containers that needed to go, 2 fridges, a stove, plywood, wire screening,  several boxes of personal goods, etc.  A fridge and a stove will be dropped off in Injebara for another missionary family.

I sent the camera along with Rolf to take a picture of the loaded truck and trailer but he was too busy so you (and I) don't get to see how it looked in the end.   Emmanuel leaves tomorrow and it will take 2.5 days to get to Gesses....we look forward to hearing that he and it all arrives safely.

A prairie woman in mountain ministry

Many of you have heard about Askale, the Ethiopian woman evangelist that I was hoping to join in reaching Gumuz women with the gospel.   We are so thankful for the 2 weeks that we had in Gesses because it was during this time, I was able to visit 6 villages with Askale.   Sadly, Askale and her family are moving to Dibate (10km away) because of their children's education.  Askale and Demelash (her husband) will continue to be part of our ministry team but they will not be living right in Gesses with us.

Askale is an evangelist and though she has not seen much fruit in her 6 years in Gesses, she has done a lot of kingdom building work.   It was an honor to visit the different villages and hear her heart for these women. 

Meet Askale.  She is Oromo and speaks Oromo (her mother tongue), Amharic, Gumuz, English (partial), and one more language in the area.  Her husband speaks 5 languages as well though he is actually from a different tribe.  Their children speak 4 languages.

When I found out that Askale was moving to Dibate within 2 weeks of our arrival, I asked if I could join her when she visits the different villages. She said, "Sure, I leave at 7am each morning. Meet me at my house."

Those of you who know me, know that I am not a morning person. My husband on the other hand thrives with early mornings. Let's just say "early to bed, early to rise" is the only way to function in Gesses. It gets dark by 7pm each night and the donkeys, roosters, dogs and people are all awake when the sun rises at 6:30am. We have adjusted.

 The first day, we visited 2 villages and I was reminded so much of the Uduks and the way that they live.   These 2 villages were very small and each had about a dozen huts (so less than 100 people in each village).

The next day, we headed to the 3rd village.  This time we actually walked along the road for about 20 minutes.  After this, we took a footpath to the right.

I was wearing runners and my feet were soaked by the time we arrived at the village because of the rain the night before.  The path was slippery but manageable because of all the rocks.

 I was trying not to think about the snakes that must live in the grass since no one else seems to worry about it.  We walked along this path for another 20 minutes and quite suddenly a village appeared.  Everyone was very curious about who I was and it was nice that Askale could introduce me.  They were disappointed that they didn't know we were coming as they would have liked to feed us.  We only stayed about 10 minutes, going from house to house, greeting women. 

This is the 4th village and it is Wotak's village.  Villages are named after the acting chief.  If the chief dies, the village is renamed after the new chief.  We have actually met Wotak on several occasions though the first time we met him, we did not know he was the chief of the village nearest to us.  In fact, we did not realize that he had actually given this plot of land to SIM.   We met him because he came to greet us and was quite comfortable walking into our house. We fed him lunch.  He has returned two times since, at lunch time. 

We found out that it is his custom to make his rounds from time to time and is quite comfortable just walking in.  This may be because it is actually his land.  He is an elderly man and though our Gumuz is limited, we have used these opportunities to practice the Gumuz we do know.

The next morning, we planned to walk to the 5th village.  Apparently I was 5 minutes late though and Askale left without me.  Do I dare venture to find the village on my own?  I have learned some Gumuz and can ask a few key questions.  Askale's husband pointed me in the right direction and said that I would easily catch up to her as she had just left.  

It started raining as I walked/jogged and though I could see quite far down the road, I did not see Askale anywhere.  I was to travel down the main road towards Dibate (opposite direction to the previous village situated near the main road).  Well I figured I wouldn't get lost so it was worth a try.  

The rain continued at a gentle rate.  After 15 minutes of walking, I saw a village on my right at the top of a ridge.  I figured it was the village I was looking for and I met several women.  I asked them, "Cehe Naandi?" and they replied, "Akh"  (translation:  where is Cehe?  reply: here)

I picked my way up the ridge and arrived at the village.  I then proceeded to ask:  "Askale naandi?"  I am sure they wondered what a white woman was doing in their village looking for Askale but a young man led me to where she was setting up a white board.  (It is quite odd to find white boards being used instead of blackboards but that is the preferred teaching tool.) 

 Askale was surprised to see me and I was surprised that I can't caught up to her.  She must have actually left 10 minutes before me.  Possibly her confidence in me has risen slightly now that I have walked to a village on my own. She knows I came to do women's ministry but she can't quite figure out how I will do that.  Will I actually travel from village to village? 

It was still raining when I arrived and Askale went to round up some more students.  I followed some young girls into a hut and practiced some Gumuz language.  They were quite helpful for a few minutes but then decided they had enough of me asking "What is that?" 

Several men and women gathered for their Amharic lesson (though I don't know how learning the Amharic alphabet will actually help them.)  This village does not have a single believer.  They invited SIM (Askale) to come and teach them some Amharic.  She begins each lesson with a prayer and a Bible story.  The people in this village were not nearly as friendly as previous villages and it could well be because there is no believer living among them.

On Monday mornings, Askale invites a dozen women from numerous villages (who are interested in spiritual things) to come for tea and a Bible study.  It's a great idea but hasn't worked as well as she hoped.  There are usually only a handful of women who attend. 

This week however was special as it was Askale's last week in Gesses.  She hadn't told them she was leaving when she invited them but I am pretty sure they knew (because they almost all came). 

Askale had asked me to lead the Bible study and so I prepared it in Amharic trusting that the Lord would speak clearly His word.   As I shared of the Lost coin and the Lost Sheep, my heart broke for the many lost Gumuz women.  These women have shown an interest in God's word but my hope is that they will hunger and thirst for righteousness. 

The 6th village is Mammo's village and I must say it is the most beautiful village.  It is also the furthest away and straight up a mountain.

We walked along this path for a full 25 minutes and then reached the top.  Spectacular view!

These huts are actually huts for goats and sheep but you can see where Askale has hung the whiteboard and a few benches are balancing on rocks.  When we arrived, Askale went from house to house to announce her arrival.   The people lived in little clusters of huts (I assume family groups) all along the ridge of this mountain.  They were growing maize and sorghum and it was remarkable to me how anything could grow.

I took a picture of myself at the top and you can see the overgrowth and then some fields in the background.  The mountains in the distance are full of Gumuz villages.

We walked from the "classroom" to this cluster of huts (also part of Mammo's village) to call people to come to class.

With it being rainy season, the paths are overgrown.  Later in the dry season, all the grass will be burned off and I imagine that Mammo's village would be a difficult place to live with little shelter from the sun.

As I was walking to the cluster of huts, I met a cow enjoying the path as well.

The Gumuz make basic fences to keep out the goats and cows from destroying their crops.

These are the Gumuz huts.  There are about a dozen believers in this village and several of the evangelists that Rolf will be training come from this village.  It was exciting to see the response of the students during their Bible lesson and Amharic lesson. 

Journey back to Addis

We are so pleased that we were able to spend 2 full weeks in Gesses before returning to Addis.  The only downside was that we didn't want to leave.  The trip back to Addis went smoother in some ways since we now knew the road and approximate length of time it would take us to travel. 

Leaving Dibate.  Isn't the view beautiful? 

 This is a typical nice bridge.  One vehicle can cross at a time.

 We are not sure where the driver is.  This happened to be on a part of the road that we could travel at a decent speed so we had to slow down.   We have to be constantly aware that at any turn in the road, there may be something or someone.  Rolf is an excellent driver and I am quite happy to be a passenger and care for the needs of the children (and keep a lookout for possible mishaps).

 All along the way, we had to slow down for herds of cows (this includes in towns) so our average speed is about 30km/hour.

 On the slow stretches of the road, Kalia and Joel travelled in the back since it was basically empty.  There are no seats at the back but this gives everyone some extra space.  Our 3 sleeping beauties....

Another detour on the way from Gesses to Injebara (nearest big town).  This is the slowest part of the road with lots of muck and potholes.

A typical small town that we travel through.  A rainy day so we didn't stop for bread though it was nearing supper time.  We had hoped to stop in Injebara for the night (3 hour drive from Gesses) since we left at 3pm Sunday afternoon.

What we didn't realize is that Injebara has no hotels worth staying in. We really didn't want to get more flea bites and bed bug bites since Ariana was still suffering with her wounds. So after 1/2 hour of driving through this town, we decided to continue towards Debre Markos (which we knew had a hotel). This meant 2 more hours of driving though and it was 6pm. It is not wise to travel after dark (7pm) but we trusted that we were making the right choice.

 Well after one hour and JUST at nightfall, we travelled through the town of FinotaSelaam.  We happened to pass right by a 2 story hotel and we knew this was the place!  Hurray!  We checked in and the kids sat on leather couches.  They had huge chandeliers in this hotel as well.  We felt a bit awkward about it and it was certainly more costly than we were comfortable with but there weren't many choices.  The $3 hotel next door that was certain to have insects or this hotel for $15 per room.  Obviously we can afford to pay $15 but the cost of 2 rooms together is the monthly salary of many Ethiopians.  It would be like choosing between a $30 hotel room and a $150 hotel room in our home country. 

We made the right choice for our circumstances and enjoyed supper, hot showers and hard beds (with no bugs) for a total of $30.  We drove a total of 4 hours on the hardest parts of the road so we were hopeful that the next day would go smoothly.

 This is our bathroom with hot water - hurray!  It was our first hot shower in 2 weeks.

A typical shower head.  They don't have shower curtains or enclosures so when you shower the whole bathroom gets soaked. 

Joel and Kalia ordered French toast for supper.  It came without syrup but with French fries.  Some interesting menu items.   I think we also shared a spaghetti, some fish and shiro.  They do love oil. Most dishes cost about $2 each.

 The general drink selection in the country.  Miranda, Ambo (mineral water), Coke and Sprite.  They come in glass bottles and cost approximately 50 cents each.

The next morning, the children were thrilled to order hot milk (25 cents) for breakfast with bread.  Actually, while Rolf rearranged the vehicle, refueled and went to find bread for the day, we were going to have our breakfast.  When we ordered the hot milk, we were told that there was none.  We were quite disappointed so we walked out of the hotel to wait for Rolf.  Within 5 minutes, we were all called back inside because now they had hot milk.  Joel wondered where they found it so quickly....so did I.  Maybe next door at the $3 hotel?

 Oh yes, our 2nd floor rooms had lovely verandahs looking out on......the restaurant butchery.  The children were not too impressed that they were butchering sheep.  Is is a mommy sheep or a baby sheep?  Rolf assured them that those are too valuable to butcher.

We left town about 8am.  After a few hours of driving, we had a lovely break by a river.  The reason for our break unfortunately was because Nadia threw up.   The car sickness came on rather suddenly.  "Oh no, mommy, tummyache."  Then she clapped her hands over her face and threw up.  I kindly did not take a picture of her head.  We had to stop for 45 minutes while we cleaned up Nadia and her carseat. 

 Everyone was getting queasy so I gave some anti nausea medication and the kids had afternoon naps.

 Beautiful farmland and we are almost back in Addis again.

 Nadia travelled the rest of the way with a container close at hand.  She had a few more episodes of car sickness but not so messy.

We also encountered some heavy fog on the way.  We are always so thankful to be finished the journey without harm.  We are also thankful for everyone who prays for safety as we travel.  There are few conveniences in road travel.  We arrived at the SIM guesthouse at about 4:30pm.  So it seems (that with necessary pit stops) the travelling time is about 12 hours.  With an early start and good road conditions, it could be done in a day and this is something to consider for next time.