Humbled and Thankful

It is Wednesday morning...I know what is coming in a couple of hours. I have butterflies, I am both ecstatic and nervous. Though teaching kids over the past couple of weeks has brought me more joy that I could ever imagine, a huge part of my heart is with the woman who are going through WAR's year long program...and today is the day I have my first class with them.

The women are finishing their tea break when I arrive. I have gotten used to feeling like an animal in a zoo, constantly being stared at, but these eyes pierce differently. I feel unequipped to be teaching such phenomenal women. I go in the room and say "Denanish" ...they all chuckle because it is hilarious to see a white girl trying to attack the beast that their language is. I sit down, smile, and take in a couple moments of sheer awe that this is really happening. These women are stunning, both on the inside and outside. They have been through hell and back, and they are sitting in front of me, eager to learn. I take a deep breath, recall all of the training I have had to prepare me for this moment and begin.

I have heard the gruesome stories, the stories that make your insides ache, the stories that keep you up at night. Today I was in a room full of women who's lives were those stories. They were. I was also sitting in a room of works in progress. Beautiful women were leaving the painful chapters of abuse, shame and hate to enter in to a new chapter, maybe even a new book of wonder, success, and love. I was undone. Humbled is the only word to describe what I felt as I walked out of that classroom. As I look forward to this year of growth, not only for the women but also for myself, I am grateful... Grateful that I have the privilege of walking alongside these women as they discover how beautiful and fulfilling life can be. I told them today that above all else, my desire is to be their friend and to hold their hand as they step into this new journey. I told them a month ago I was in similar shoes, as I began my own new journey. Like them, I left everything I knew to follow a calling that I knew in my heart was going to be good. (I know that everything I knew and everything they knew is COMPLETELY different, I don't want to sound like I think our lives were the same... my struggles and pain pale in comparison to theirs!) I shared with them that there have been moments that I have wanted to go home, but looking back I realize those were the moments that Jesus was working in the depths of my heart. I implored them to be strong this year, to not fall back into the lifestyle they once lived, to seek Jesus and to seek fellowship in the staff of WAR.

Friends and Family, please pray for these women. I think Isaiah 40:31 is a beautiful thing to pray over them. Pray that they would run this race and not grow weary, that they would walk through this year and not be faint.

Though I am overwhelmed with gratitude for everything that is happening here in Addis and in my life, I miss you all more than words can say.

So (sosososososo) much love,
Becca

Month One!!!

"Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails"

I never would have guessed the amount of strength that I would need to move away from home and jump into a new country where I don't speak the language and I know no one. I got on the plane to Ethiopia very confident in myself, the work I would be doing and my own strength to get me through whatever came my way. The best word to describe my last month would be challenging, and the more I relied on myself to prevail and be successful, the more I grew weary, doubtful of my calling, and sad. I had a picture in my head of what life would be like here. I thought I would be holding babies and rescuing women 24/7. I soon was faced with the fact that that fantasy would never be my life. Instead, my reality is more challenging--but much more rewarding. It is a strange blessing to be in a country where no one knows who you are and where everyday there are countless unknowns. I have been learning each day to give up my own desires of what I want this year to look like, and to rely on Jesus' plan for this year. God's purpose for bringing me here may be, and probably is far different than what I ever thought it would be-- but I think that is true for most callings in life. The Lord is showing me daily what it looks like to give up what I want in order to experience what He wants.
I don't want my life in Africa to seem like it is always the perfect, adventure filled fairytale. I know it is better to be vulnerable and to share the hard parts rather than paint a picture of the perfect, gap-year experience.
With all of that said, here is a recap of month one in Africa!!!

I spent a lot of this month preparing lesson plans. The after school program didn't start until mid October (aka now). Because I do not have a college degree in teaching English I have had to read many books and articles on teaching English!! It has been fun to learn so much, and to do all this research. I have made countless powerpoints, lesson plans, and project ideas for the next year of teaching.
This month has also been filled with many hilarious moments, as Rahel and I both learn how to live on our own. The first night in our house I told her I would make dinner, which ended in rice that was like oatmeal. We have also had many other issues like the shower curtain breaking so our bathroom is always a pond, the sink broke, our power goes out everyday and neither of us really know how to fix any of it. Rahel is one of the kindest humans I have ever met, and thankfully is really easy going. None of our home-hiccups seem to phase her.
My days are filled with miles of walking, lots of stares (there are not a lot of 18 year old white girls walking around Africa:), lots of amazing people who love me, and lots of adorable, curious kids.
I am so excited to be finally starting my "official" work here, which includes teaching the women going through WAR's programs in the mornings and teaching the kid's at the after school program. My day starts at 7 AM and doesn't end until 6PM, it reminds me of high school a little bit:)

In the past month I have been welcomed, loved and accepted. I have learned about people, myself and the culture of Ethiopia. I have cried, laughed, and danced with some of the sweetest people on the planet. This country has captured my heart, though there have been moments of pain, there have been many more filled with joy.

If any string of words could best describe my first month (or my life), it would be these from Amazing Grace,

'tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.  

 Thank you friends and family for your love and encouragement. Every time I get a message from a friend back home, my day is made! Cheers to one month, here's to seven more!

So much love, 

Becca

Here are some pictures of month one!

Torrential downpours for the first 2 weeks of life here.

My little kitchen.

Paulson puppy!!!!

Rahel and I get

lentil samosas after work almost everyday. 50 cents

for four of them! Nomnom.

Roommate Love!!!

We had Rahel's sister over for dinner one night.

Our big patio and plastic furniture :)

Job, cutie head.

Man and a random goat.

Our neighborhood pet. 

Rubble, Lesson Plans, and Reflections

My most embarrassing moment of the week (maybe of my life....)

Friday, October 4th, 2013 @ 11:00 AM:

Seble (she is essentially my boss) sent Rahel and I to town with our fearless driver to pick up school materials. Zewdu (driver) parallel parks our van like a mad man, Rahel and I exit the car. A note about Addis, there are no sidewalks just piles of rubble that the city expects you to somehow successfully walk on. I am in cute army green capris (specifically bought for this venture, because I thought they looked safari-ish) and my rainbow flip flops. Wearing flip flops while walking in rubble should have been a red flag but I confidently chose them to wear that morning and thought nothing of it. I have taken maybe 10 steps and I slip on a rock. The moment that you know you are falling is an awful one, your mind is sending you 10,000 warning messages-- none of them which you can process. I am down for the count. My first thought is "bleep. Ow. this really hurts. omg I just fell in Africa" Immediately I am surrounded by a crowd of African men asking if I am okay. I get up with the help of a stranger, shouting yep, I'm GOOD, thank YOU, I'm fine I try to look and sound fine but I look down and my beloved capris have a giant hole around my knee cap, and my knee is bleeding, not a trickle of blood, I was really bleeding. I keep walking with a crowd still behind me, my roommate is fighting back laughter because this is probably the funniest thing she's ever seen. I've taken three steps and I go to dust off my butt because every square inch of me was dusty (remember, rubble is what I fell into) and I feel skin. Skin?! Skin!!!!? I should be feeling fabric. Again, 10,000 warning messages come. This time I am able to process "Becca there is a hole in your pants, and your butt is showing and there are 27 people behind you." I look at Rahel, mortified, she notices what the fear in my eyes is referring to, she bursts into laughter. I grab her hand and we sprint back to the car.  This story sounds like it was an hour long ordeal, but all of this happened in a matter of minutes, so while it all happened Zewdu was still in the car and had seen none of it. Rahel, through her laughter explains quickly what happened. Zewdu let's out a huge gust of laughter, turns on the car and we head home.  

I considered keeping this story to myself, but I think it is too good not to share. 

After cleaning my knee, and reflecting
on the fall I thought it was necessary
to document. 

This week was craziness around WAR. Tuesday and Wednesday was an all staff meeting. Thankfully, I had a translator! Thursday and Friday were interviews for a new group of women looking to be a part of the year long rehabilitation program. I had the option of sitting in on them, but instead I stayed back and worked at the children's care center (where I will be for the majority of my 8 months.) The after school program doesn't start for a couple of weeks, so until then my time will be spent preparing lesson plans and slipping on rubble. The weather here has been wild too, the last couple of days have been torrential monsoons. As I walk in 8 inches of thick mud I regret not bringing rain boots. I would have never guessed the hardest rain I would experience would be in Africa...

A friend of mine asked me this week, Is it different than what you expected? I hadn't even really thought about that and when I did I realized my expectations of Africa were completely different that what I was living. I thought I would be roughing it to the max, living in a step above a shack.  I thought I would be going to church in some remote village, where everyone danced and shouted and wore tribal costumes. I thought I would be able to speak their language in a day.  My life is almost opposite. I live in a house, I have a big comfy bed, a kitchen, an amazing roommate and a puppy. I go to a church that looks like it is straight out of Southern California, where the majority of the congregation speaks english. I only know how to say the bare minimum in Amharic, Rosetta stone CD's are currently en route to me, so I can learn faster. All of the what-if's that I was terrified about before coming never happened. I have people who care about me, and I am safe (I live in a double gated house, with a human guard, and a K-9 guard :). I am constantly reminded, through almost everything I do here of the Lord's devoted faithfulness to my needs.

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for Him" Lamentations 3:22-24

So much love,

Becca