A Mountain Adventure Turns Dangerous

Mountain ranges abound in Ethiopia. They are stunning and one is in awe of God's grand display of greatness. But sometimes a particular mountain stands out and it is waiting to be climbed. 

There is a mountain like this that stands within sight of our friends' home. And so we planned to spend a night en route to Addis so that my husband and son could climb this peak with our friend Jon. The weather was clear and they left first thing in the morning.

A mother's heart is always concerned for safety and so prayer went up throughout the morning for a safe climb to the top and back. I expected my son would come home with a grin on his face and a lengthy explanation of all they had seen and experienced.

Instead, he was sober and his replies were stilted. Something had happened but he was hesistant to share. No injuries in sight. Slowly, the tale unfolded.

A beautiful climb. Rocks were dry, long grass available to help grab onto, a gorgeous view, an eagle flying through the sky near the mountain top. Then came the descent. They met shepherd boys on their way up but as they passed them on their return, demands for money were made but ignored.

Minutes later, rocks began to rain down on this threesome. The shepherd boys were acting out in violence likely unaware of how dangerous their throws were. Rolf grabbed Joel and the 3 of them began to run down the last part of the mountain with rocks narrowly missing their heads. After a safe distance, Rolf called out strong warnings of the consequences of violent behavior. The Lord had kept them safe but they were shaken.

Despite speaking to adult members of the community, it seemed that this rock throwing incident was not unusual and little concern given. But this event had impacted Rolf, Joel and Jon Although they saw the evil intent of these boys, they also saw the power of God as rocks fell by the side.

Fun with the Hamiltons

We are not urban folks. We love the countryside which is one of the reasons that we love doing ministry in Gesses. We live among villages nestled in the mountains. Yet there are times we crave social interaction with other English speaking families. And so every 2-3 months, we take a full day's drive to Addis. Yet after a couple of days in the city connecting with friends, making purchases and running errands, we begin to find our thoughts returning to the countryside. And so, knowing that we can only truly be refreshed surrounded by fresh air and God's beauty, we planned to spend several days at our friend's home (the Hamiltons) and several days at Lake Babagayu where SIM has a retreat centre. It was a wonderful long weekend.

We were invited to a BBQ held by Ugandans that attend the same church as the Hamiltons. We had met them once before and were warmly welcomed to come to their going away party. We were served freshly BBQed chicken and beef, bowls of steaming rice, peanut sauce, chapatis and donuts. 

Another family also joined us at the Hamiltons so we enjoyed some volleyball and swimming and a time of Sunday worship together.

I love early mornings at the Hamilton home. Weaver birds chatter constantly as they weave their homes from grass in the branches of the acacia tree. Yellow splashes of color flitting from place to place and I wonder: Has God put a song in their heart as they do what they have been created to do or are they singing to one another and living out community

And then Joel's dream came true. He caught his first fish. Early Sunday morning, several in the group went fishing. What a thrill for 2 of the boys to catch their first fish. Joel caught a small tilapia which he kept and fried whole while his friend caught a catfish. Rolf filleted it and it was fried up as well. A tasty addition appetizer and a fun ending to a special weekend.

Sunday afternoon, we headed back towards Addis and stayed at Lake Babagayu. We enjoyed 2 days of swimming in the crater lake, boating and hyena watching. 

Monday afternoon we took the kids go-carting where they had their first opportunity to drive gas powered machines. They had varying abilities in speed which were not easily controlled so while some found themselves careening around corners, others travelled at a more manageable speed. It was certainly a memory that will not be quickly forgotten.

A Horse Shopping Adventure

Last Saturday we were invited to help purchase 4 horses for friends. We left at 6:30 am for the town of Debre Zeit where we would meet two familes. We knew foreigners purchasing horses would be a dramatic experience as we tend to draw a large crowd in small towns. (Because of this, my friend Jakoba and I opted to stay at her home with the 5 youngest children of the group.) We expected the purchasing to take about 2-3 hours.

Last year horse prices were about $200 (4000Eb) but now they were quoting double the price. A “helpful” bystander encouraged our group to travel to the horse market only 15km away. An hour later and 36km down a muddy track, our group arrived at the horse market. Not only were horses being sold but also cows, donkeys, sheep and goats. The number of people that gathered were so dense that the 1/2 a dozen horses could not even be seen. It proved to be an unfruitful drive. The crowd was calling out outrageous prices such as ($2500 or more) $55,000 birr! 

A discouraged group returned to town realizing that the $400 price was looking much better. Horses would after all be purchased straight from cart drivers. The horses are worked hard carrying people or goods all day. They are often beaten and usually malnourished. The challenge was to find a healthy horse from a driver willing to sell. 

Cart drivers pulled over to offer their horses. People seemed confused as the horses teeth and hooves were looked at. One woman was bold enough to ask the question others were likely wondering. “Are you going to eat these horses?” Gasp. No they are for riding. Horses were then detached from carts, ridden and observed for good behavior. 

9 hours later, three horses had been purchased and transported on the back of an Isuzu transport truck. By the end, the crowd had grown in number and young men were demanding money for “helping”. (This is a normal experience.) Just as the final arrangements were made, our friend Chantelle's phone was stolen deflating everyone's previous enthusiasm. So while 2 members of the group hitched a ride with the transport truck to our friends' farm to unload the horses, Jakoba and I took 12 children out for supper while Rolf took Chantelle to the police station to report the stolen phone. 

The suspects were questioned in the van and placed in custody. Just as we were about to head back to Chantelle's home (45 min away), the phone was found! It had been placed between the seats during questioning. We had a lively evening recounting the adventures of the day.

Early the next morning, the 3 new horses were fed, ridden and loved. Their coming days will be quite different than their past years. Despite the hours surrounded by people looking and touching our children's hair, they said that the horse shopping adventure was a whole lot of fun! 

Summer holidays with Treehouses and chickens

I was worried. We needed to take a break from school. I needed a break from school. But for 6 weeks, we had no plans. No options for swimming lessons, camping, VBS, summer camp, holidays. I was also worried because 3 of my children were having birthdays. How was this summer going to go? An added challenge is that our summer is rainy season.

Should I just start another school year? I gave our children a choice. We can create, explore, read and play or we can start school. Increasing screen time was not an option. They took the challenge and I was pleasantly surprised. Rope ladders and treehouses were created. A new tortoise cage built. A chicken coop repaired. Joel learned to use the generator on his own so he could use power tools. 

 Badminton became a daily activity played and introduced to our Gumuz staff. Long distance running became possible due to the cooler temperatures.

Tubing down a river formed by heavy rains and collecting tadpoles from streams and observing new bugs, brought hours of entertainment.

 

Goats and tortoises, new chickens and baby chicks to care for and create homes for filled their days. So after a summer of creating and exploring, we might just be skimming our science books. And I wonder, can I fill this next school year with the same excitement that I saw this summer?

I am Eight by Ariana Kruse

August 28th was my birthday.  I am now 8 years old!  We were in Addis for my birthday.  Because of this, we got to do some special things. Although it is still rainy season, when I woke up the sun was shining. This was good news because it meant we could go swimming! The bad news was that there was no electricity at the guesthouse so my mom couldn't bake a cake for me. She asked the kitchen staff if they could bake a cake. They said, “Only if the electricity comes on.” At tea time (10am), they had baked a cake using a butagas oven instead since the electricity still hadn't come on. They decorated it with lots of pink and green whipped cream and it was so yummy!

After that, we left for a hot spring swimming pool because it wasn't a very hot day. We had such a great time and it didn't rain at all.

We had delicious ice cream cones and then went our for supper at one of my favorite restaurants where pizza is baked in a brick oven.

Even though I couldn't invite any of my best friends to my birthday party, (because they live outside of Addis) I had a great day. And when I get back to Gesses, I will have a hen waiting for me to name. By Ariana Kruse

Ariana, you are a lovely girl inside and out. You bring so much joy to our home. You have a heart to help others and are always ready with your bag of bandaids. You have a heart for those who don't know Jesus or are suffering from illness. You are a prayer warrior and a peacemaker. May the love of Jesus continue to shine through you everyday!

Who needs sugar?

I used to think of sugar as a staple to be purchased alongside flour, milk and eggs. My cupboard was never bare. Sugar was always available.

In a country where sweets are rare, sugar is still seen as a staple and highly valued. Tea/coffee shops are prolific in cities, towns and even small villages. Sugar is added liberally to hot drinks.

But over the past 6 months, it has become more and more difficult to find sugar. It left the supermarkets and small shops had to ration their 50kg sack of sugar for hundreds of people. At first, one could buy a kg at a time, then a kg a month and then it was reduced to the equivalent of a handful. 

Sugar took on a distinctly dirty look. Tea shops received 10kg a month. Then for a time, it was completely unavailable.

It was then that I became aware of how much I valued sugar. We have learned to ration sugar. We have learned to live without sugar. Replacement ingredients are expensive or unavailable and so homemade crackers replaced cookies, popcorn replaced cake, coffee was served black or with salt (an acceptable replacement), and honey used on occasion.

 It is still not easy to find sugar but we are finding it in shops again. This past week, my husband visited shops in Addis, daily purchasing a kg at a time from different shops. 

We are bringing 15kg back to Gesses (where it is even more difficult to find) to be used over the next several months. This will be used sparingly and shared with those who come to our home. I have a feeling I will never see sugar as a staple again. By the way, salty coffee is something I now enjoy.