Yes, that pretty much sums it all up here….yes, the rainy season is over…

And yes, it has started to rain again…some days pretty hard…

Oh, and temp’s are back in the “cold” zone….

Where exactly am I? Even our staff has been surprised at this weather, since right now, it should be 80-85 degrees each day and sunny…without a cloud in sight…

(SIGH)…

Right now, as I write this, one of the support groups in the project is busily finishing up an income generating activity for Save the Children. It is a very interesting project, probably the most unique IGA (income generating activity) ever….

Cloth model breasts, to help teach women how to breast-feed their children…

The word “Toot” is the amharic word for breast (how apropo?), and for the last month or so, this group of women have been busily sewing not only cloth breasts (stuffed with pieces of shredded material) but also making cloth dolls to use in conjunction with the “Tootoch” (Breasts)….as you can imagine, we have had a lot of fun with this…

But the truth is that this is a great opportunity for the ladies, and they have really taken this on themselves, and done an excellent job! Hopefully more things like this will happen in the future, as our beneficiaries continue to really take care of themselves!

Income generating activities like this are all the rage all over the world, as it really empowers those who need the income to become successful in their own business ventures. We have really tried to get some things started, and have seen a little bit of success with groups selling coffee/various Ethiopian trinkets to teams that come, but this new venture shows the potential to do things that sell right here in Addis…

Let’s see what happens!

On the road in Addis,

-Derek

So no, I have not been in the jungles of Cambodia, or lost to sea…I am still in Addis, partially wondering why my post from a little while ago never actually posted….hmmm….

These days have seen the end of the rain and the beginning of the sunny period for which Ethiopia is known for….it is awesome each day, a bit crisp in the AM giving way to bright sunshine and warmth during the day.

We have a medical team here from Boston, and have been busy doing lots of home visits and clinics…some of the beneficiaries in the project, others from the community. It is indeed a great honor to be able to see these people, and give them care, everything from basic exams to pain management to tooth extraction to ear wax removal…

Yes, ear wax removal….it has come to our attention recently that there are many people here in Addis with ear issues….many of who have not been able to hear for a long time. One woman came to clinic a couple of days ago with a completely impacted ear, and hadn’t been able to hear out of that ear for the last year. After about 30 minutes of cleaning, a plug the size of Texas popped out of her ear, and she was overjoyed, b/c she could indeed hear now! Never before had a seen something that large come out of someones ear….

What a joy it is to be able to do these things for people! I continually am amazed at the needs around us, and how God continues to meet them through our staff and team members.

On another unrelated note, stores here have started to sell NesCafe coffee in travel packs….complete with cream and sugar…all you do is add hot water and VOILA, instant coffee…an aberration to the actual delicious Ethiopian coffee that we know and love here….but I drank it, regardless…

Hey, in Egypt last year, all they had was NesCafe, so we were longing to come back to Addis,especially for the cup of joe…

On the road in Addis, and fully caffeinated,

Derek

These times are not always easy…in fact, they rarely are….

We lost two more beneficiaries, one to complications arising from TB (late diagnosed) and one who had cancer..

The sad thing about these two ladies was that they came to the project late, when most hope had already evaporated….even though you may here about many many more people getting on treatment quicker, the reality is that every time we take in new beneficiaries, we take in the sickest of the sick….some of which are on death’s doorstep.

What to do? After being back here again for over 3 months (has it really been that long?), these same realities sink in, that my life here can be summed into one sentence:

Live and serve my Saviour b/c of His immense love for me….

What could we have done for these people? Make them comfortable, be with them, hold their hand, do everything in our hands medically to care for them….but often times, it still isn’t enough….the power of sin to erase a human being from this planet is still very much here…

But God has not called me to this such a place to just be kind to people….or to just “help out.” Too many people are trying to just “help out” and just get in the way here….do you know how many aid groups there are here? I won’t get on my soapbox here, but suffice to say, enough money comes into Ethiopia to transform it into a bustling metropolis, free of disease and poverty, two of its main ills…

Seriously though, when these sort of things happen, it forces me to remember why I am here, and why all of us in the project are doing what we are doing. We cannot physically save people, but we can be salt and light to a broken world. More so, however, we all are CALLED as Christians to do so….and to bring a cup of cold water to that person who is suffering….

What does it mean to sit on the bed of someone dying of a terminal disease, hold their hand, talk with them, pray with them and smile with them?

It means we are being like Jesus….it means I am being obedient to His calling…no more or less…

May all of you who read this ask God who you can touch today, tomorrow, next week and next month…for He is calling us to do just this….and be obedient to His call…

On the road in Addis,

-Derek

Hi all,

Just wanted to share with you how I spent my birthday afternoon…..

He is about 2 months old, and was rescued by a friend of mine who is a vet here…he is a bit malnourished, but she is taking good care of him…

Enjoy..

On the road in Addis,

-Derek

One thing that I notice often times in church is that as a musician, I don’t pay attention to the words as much as I should….it usually is all about the tune, and its melodies and harmonies….

But yesterday was different…

At St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, where I am a regular attender and musician with the choir, we sang a song that goes to the tune of Londenderry Air (Or Oh Danny Boy for those not familiar with the previous)….we sang this as we ended the service, and the words just really hit me, b/c it talks about how we, as frail and finite beings, cannot even begin to understand the mind and matters of God….

Read these words (or sing them) and think about them this week, will you?

I cannot tell how he whom angels worship
should stoop to love the peoples of the earth,
or why as shepherd he should seek the wanderer
with his mysterious promise of new birth.
But this I know, that he was born of Mary,
when Bethlehem’s manger was his only home,
and that he lived at Nazareth and labored,
and so the Savior, Savior of the world, is come.

I cannot tell how all the lands shall worship,
when, at his bidding, every storm is stilled,
or who can say how great the jubilation
when every heart with perfect love is filled.
But this I know, the skies will thrill with rapture,
and myriad, myriad human voices sing,
and earth to heaven, and heaven to earth, will answer:
‘At last the Savior, Savior of the world, is King!’

On the road in Addis,

-Derek